I thought I’d give you a peek behind the scenes today of how I set up a dessert table buffet. One of the challenges you may face in getting ready for your party is limited time to set up. You have a vision in your head, but how much time do you have to execute it? Maybe your time is limited because the party is a surprise or the party is outdoors. Whatever the case, knowing exactly how you want your dessert table to look can minimize the time it takes you to set up.

For me, that means practicing. Even if I don’t have the exact space I’ll be working with, I try to create a mock-up of the dessert table buffet. That lets me know if my vision will actually fit in the space or if I need to make adjustments. Maybe I need to add or delete a menu item. Maybe I need a different size or shape serving piece. Maybe I need to vary the height of items on the buffet. These are all questions I want answered earlier than two hours before my party.

So, here are some befores and afters to show you what I mean.

Cash Cab Party: Before

This helps me choose serving dishes and establish a layout. I also like to add Post-It notes to remind me what food goes in which dish. I print out a copy of this photo on plain 8.5″ x 11″ paper and when it’s party time, I use the photo as my cheat sheet.

Cash Cab Party: After

This photo was taken before all the food was out, but you get the idea. The photo print out also helps anyone who offers to help with party set up. Instead of you trying to explain which white dish goes where, you can show them the photo.

Charlie Brown Thanksgiving Party: Before

This display stayed almost exactly the same when we hosted the actual party. But I did decide to change out this tablecloth because it looks so blue in the photo (event though it’s green in real life.)

Charlie Brown Thanksgiving Party: After

Here are a few close-ups of the buffet table.

UGA Opening Game Day: Before

You can see here that I’m just trying to get the lay of the land down in this test. So it doesn’t matter that my apothecary jars have some leftover candy from the Cash Cab party. In the final photos, I’ve also added in other decorative elements. This photo also helped me see things that would be in my line of sight (like the girls’ aprons hanging on the door knob) that I’d want to clean up before making the actual party photos.

UGA Opening Game Day Party: After

Shabby Chic Easter: Before

And here’s a sneak peak of Easter. I’ll be using a rental sideboard and so I don’t have it to practice on. But I know it’s not as wide as my sideboard. So, I’ve pretended that my sideboard is smaller and placed all my serving pieces close together. I’m trying to vary the height and textures for interest, but I’m keeping the theme consistent by using mainly white. Of course the fun part of shabby chic is that it lets you repurpose items and toss in a few pieces that coordinate but don’t match — like the tole jewelry box I’m planning to use for our vegetable skewers.

Hope this helps with your next party plan!