i’m matt james

professional event producer

  • 27 years event-planning experience
  • Winner of 30 industry awards
  • Clients include:
  • Elton John,
  • Stella McCartney,
  • Sarah Jessica Parker,
  • Kevin Spacey……and more

welcome

Matt James professional event planner
OPEN BIO
CONTENTS

ON THIS PAGE

01 presentation to maximize budget

Serving containers to make basic, homemade, or inexpensive desserts look more impressive

fruit salad served in clear disposable mini dessert cups
individual layered party desserts served in disposable shooter glasses with wooden spoons
Patriotic red, white and blue layered desserts served in clear disposable mini coffee mugs
individual layered party desserts served in disposable shooter glasses
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02 presentation for small treats

Serving containers to make smaller treats feel more special or control portion size of expensive treats

bite size desserts served on tasting spoons
cheese bites served on individual tasting forks standing upright
bite size chocolate truffles served on individual miniature gold chair food display containers
party food arranged in rows on disposable mini tasting plates
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03 how to elevate store-bought treats

Styling, presentation, and display tips to make basic or store-bought treats look more special

popcorn served in individual disposable paper food cones on a party dessert table
macarons with dessert sauce served in individual disposable food pipettes
gold candy by the color arranged on a candy buffet or party dessert table
Grey Goose vodka cupcakes with a shot of vodka served in individual disposable food pipettes
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04 presentation to add height

Serving containers and display tips to add height to your dessert table display

rhubarb trifle dessert served in champagne saucers
fruit kabobs served on bamboo food skewers
banana cream pie desserts served in push-up pop containers
individual fruit salad desserts served in martini glasses on a on party dessert table
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05 how to make ‘grab & go’ desserts

Serving containers that let guests ‘grab & go’ treats to eat while mingling

layered cupcake desserts served in mason jars with individual spoons on a party dessert table
popcorn served in individual treat cups
colorful sweet treat dessert kabobs served on bamboo food skewers
milk served in individual milk bottles with a donut and straw
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06 serving plates & trays

Arrange serving containers in groups, rows, and levels using premium disposable serving plates and trays

food arranged in rows served on black and white premium disposable plates
mini cakes and desserts served on white premium disposable rectangular plates on a party dessert table
pink cake pops served on white premium disposable square plates on a party dessert table
mini desserts served on white premium disposable square and rectangular plates on a party dessert table
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07 display stands, props, & risers

Display stands that add height, showcase your desserts, and contribute to your party’s decor

donuts arranged on a donut wall display stand on a party dessert table
fillable acrylic number 21 display containers filled with candy
letter shaped treat boxes spelling M&D filled with fruit on a party dessert table
dessert table treats displayed on acrylic cake stands and risers
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introduction

dessert table presentation

People eat with their eyes first!

  • We decorate parties to make them feel special, less everyday, so guests expect something visual.
  • People eat with their eyes first, so you want to dazzle them with your food styling and presentation.
  • If you’ve already read my Dessert Table Menu Planning page, you’ll know that guests evaluate event catering very differently to restaurant food.
  • While they still want to be well-fed, they’re often looking for something more; to be entertained.
  • They want to be impressed, indulged, surprised―or even challenged―by something new or unexpected; something they haven’t seen before or might not ordinarily try.
  • And as the host, it’s always good to look for (budget-friendly) ways to treat your guests; creating an experience for them you think they’ll enjoy.
  • Fortunately, this can be surprising easy to do with a little menu planning and a few visual wow-factors.
  • Whether it’s stylish serving containers; such as shooter glasses, dessert cups, or appetizer spoons,
  • unusual creative twists; like macarons, cupcakes, or strawberries served with pipettes filled with sauce / liquor
  • or a few personal touches; such as personalized M&M’s served in fillable acrylic letter dispensers spelling out the guest of honor’s name,
  • it doesn’t take much to elevate your dessert table presentation and turn it into a feast for the eyes.
  • The tips and tricks below are an easy way to ensure your dessert table food looks anything but ordinary.
  • And remember, it’s the creative touches and clever little details that create talking points, photo-ops, and is ultimately what people remember.
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ADVICE FROM A PRO

it’s not just about making things look pretty

Professional event planners pay extraordinary attention to detail when it comes to food styling and presentation; but it’s not just to make everything look pretty.

Granted, dessert cups, mini tasting plates, shooter glasses, and tasting spoons all contribute to the visual spectacle and further enhance the three simple rules for layout; groups, rows, and levels.

However, presentation can also help address practical, logistical, and budgetary concerns, such as:

  • Maximizing budget by making inexpensive or homemade desserts look more stylish
  • Saving time on the day by preparing big-batch desserts and plating in advance ready to serve
  • Embellishing simple, basic, or store-bought treats to make them feel more special
  • Controlling portion size to reduce over-consumption and avoid running out
  • Co-ordinating homemade treats contributed by friends and family to ensure they still fit with your concept, theme, or color scheme
  • Elevating smaller bite-size treats so they appear more substantial
  • Blending in cheaper ‘filler’ items—there to pad-out the dessert table—such as popcorn and candy, to ensure they look good alongside more fancy desserts
  • Adding height to the display to give it a more varied and professionally-styled look
  • Creating ‘grab & go’ desserts that guests can eat more easily while standing, chatting, or mingling
  • Reducing post-event clearing and cleaning by using high quality disposables that can be thrown in the bin (or recycled) when finished
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MATT’S TIPs

Matt James professional event planner
in this section

01 presentation to maximize budget

elevate homemade desserts with stylish presentation

  • These individual disposable serving containers are a great way add visual wow-factor to your dessert table,
  • giving it a stylish, modern, and professionally-catered look.
  • If you are on a budget, they’re also an easy way to make basic, homemade, or inexpensive desserts look more impressive.
  • Just fill with mousse, pudding, jello, parfait, panna cotta, fruit, yogurt and granola, or create your own layered desserts.
  • Then garnish with fruit, berries, piped cream, candy, sprinkles, mint sprigs, chocolate shavings, or cookie crumbs.
  • You can also save time (and stress!) on the day by preparing and plating big-batch desserts in advance and keeping them chilled in these individual serving containers so they’re ready to go.
the idea

disposable shooter glasses

Save time and money by making big-batch desserts in advance and serving in individual disposable shooter glasses for a modern and stylish look

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mousse and fruit puree dessert served in shooter glasses
the idea

disposable dessert cups

Maximize your budget by giving inexpensive or homemade desserts a stylish and professionally-catered look with these individual disposable dessert cups

read more
desserts served in clear disposable mini dessert cups
the idea

disposable mini coffee mugs

Elevate simple desserts, such as fruit, jello, mousse, and pudding, by serving in these modern, square-shaped, disposable mini coffee mugs

read more
desserts served in clear disposable mini coffee mugs
in this section

02 PRESENTATION FOR SMALL TREATS

make smaller treats feel more special

  • Create a larger display and make smaller treats feel more special by serving them on individual plates, spoons, or forks.
  • Alternatively, use to send subtle signals about the intended portion size for more expensive or indulgent treats,
  • such as chocolate truffles, French macarons, liquor-infused / chocolate dipped strawberries, and cake truffles.
  • This way, guests are more likely to take just one.
  • Whereas, if you displayed the same treats in larger containers, guests are more likely to scoop up a handful,
  • resulting in not enough to go around or running out too soon.
  • If you’re on a budget, ask friends and family to contribute some additional cakes,
  • then slice and serve on mini tasting plates to make them look more stylish.
  • This is especially useful if their cake decorating efforts don’t match the rest of your table décor, theme, or color scheme!
the idea

tasting forks

Add height to your display, make small treats more special, or control portion size for more expensive ones by serving on individual tasting forks

read more
cheese bites served on tasting forks standing upright
the idea

tasting spoons

Make small treats more special or control portion size for more expensive ones by serving on disposable individual dessert / appetizer tasting spoons

read more
bite size chocolate mousse served on tasting spoons
the idea

novelty display containers

Elevate bite-size treats or control portion size for expensive ones with novelty mini treat containers, trays, and stands

read more
bite size chocolate truffles served on individual miniature gold chair food display containers
the idea

disposable tasting plates

Control portion size for expensive treats, make small treats feel special, or make sliced cakes look stylish by serving on disposable mini tasting plates

read more
party food arranged in rows on disposable mini tasting plates
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Matt James professional event planner
in this section

03 ELEVATE STORE-BOUGHT TREATS

make ‘filler’ treats look more appealing

  • Maximize your budget by elevating store-bought treats with styling and presentation tricks to make them feel more special.
  • Pad-out your dessert table with inexpensive ‘filler’ items, such as popcorn and candy, to ensure guests still feel full if other desserts run out.
  • Use creative presentation to ensure ‘filler’ treats still look appealing alongside more fancy desserts.
the idea

disposable pipettes

Maximize your budget by elevating simple or store-bought treats with liquor or sauce-filled disposable food pipettes to make them more special

read more
chocolate macarons served with dessert sauce served in individual disposable pipettes
the idea

food cones

Elevate simple, store-bought, or ‘filler’ treats and enable guests to graze while mingling by serving ‘grab and go’ desserts in disposable food cones

read more
mini donuts served in disposable paper food cones
the idea

apothecary jars

Add a touch of vintage candy store nostalgia to your dessert table display by filling apothecary jars with colorful treats and candies

read more
in this section

04 PRESENTATION TO ADD HEIGHT

height is essential for a well-designed dessert table

  • A dessert table should be a visual spectacle;
  • you want guests to explore with their eyes and discover all the treats and details that have gone into the presentation.
  • Adding different heights and levels makes the eye work just a little bit harder to scan the table and try to take everything in,
  • which adds to the sense of discovery.
  • In addition to display stands and risers, you can also add additional height with your choice of serving container or utensil, such as the ones below.
the idea

disposable martini glasses

Elevate simple desserts, add height to your display, and allow guests to graze and mingle by serving desserts in elegant disposable martini glasses

read more
cookie & cream dessert served in disposable martini glasses
the idea

skewer stands

Turn fruit or candy kabobs into a decorative feature by displaying them vertically with these skewer holder stands

read more
fruit kabobs arranged vertically in a wooden skewer display stand
the idea

push-up pops

Push-up pop desserts don’t have to be cake, they can also be used for champagne jello shots, frozen daiquiris, parfaits, yogurt & granola, or iced coffee pops

read more
red, white, and blue desserts served in push-up pop containers
in this section

05 ‘GRAB & GO’ DESSERTS

make it easy to eat while standing, chatting, or mingling

  • The more people circulate and mingle, the more atmosphere is created.
  • Compare the buzzy atmosphere of a drinks reception to when everyone takes their seat for dinner; the energy drops.
  • So, if you want people to keep on mingling while grazing on desserts,
  • say for a party at home or if there’s dancing or entertainment at the same time,
  • serve some desserts in individual cups, bowls, and jars.
  • ”Grab & Go’ desserts that allow guests to eat while standing, chatting, or mingling, also help prevent the dessert table getting inundated.
  • Guests are more likely to grab one of these desserts and return to the party, then come back again later, rather than congregate around the table.
  • The less people that stand around the dessert table, the less people will keep helping themselves to multiple portions of the smaller bite-size treats.
  • Plus, the greater the circulation and flow, the greater your party atmosphere will be.
the idea

mason jar desserts

Keep the energy up and the atmosphere buzzing by allowing guests to graze and mingle with ‘grab and go’ mason jar desserts

read more
layered desserts served in mason jars
the idea

food skewers

Get creative with any combination of fruit, candy, donut, cake, or cinnamon roll dessert kabobs and skewers for guests to nibble on while mingling

read more
colorful sweet treat dessert kabobs served on bamboo food skewers
the idea

treat cups

Portion loose snacks and candy by serving in individual ‘grab and go’ treat cups for guests to nibble on while mingling

read more
party treats served in individual treat cups
the idea

milk bottles

Make small treats, like cookies, donuts, or macarons, more substantial by pairing with individual servings of milk, shakes, or smoothies using these milk bottles for parties

read more
milkshakes served in individual milk bottles with a cookie and straw on a party dessert table
the idea

tasting bowls

Elevate fruit cups, yogurt, and other simple wet desserts or portion loose snacks and candy by serving in disposable mini tasting bowls

read more
desserts served in premium disposable square tasting bowls
in this section

06 Serving plates & trays

dessert table presentation rules: groups, rows, & levels

  • Professional event planners abide by three simple rules for dessert table presentation: groups, rows, and levels.
  • Groups: group treats together; one type per serving tray for a clean, defined, well-ordered look.
  • Rows: on each serving plate, arrange treats in rows to lend a modern, professional appearance.
  • Levels: display treats on a least three different levels using a mix of flat plates, risers, and stands to prolong exploration with the eyes.
  • Use the premium disposable serving plates and trays below to arrange treats in groups and rows
  • See next section for display stands and risers to create different levels.
the idea

premium disposable plates / trays

Arrange treats in groups and rows on premium disposable plates / trays for a elegant, modern, and professional look

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food arranged in rows served on black and white premium disposable plates
continue reading

dessert table display stands

Hit the ‘Read More’ button below to continue to my separate page of Dessert Table Display Stands, Props, & Risers.

donuts arranged on a donut wall display stand on a party dessert table
fillable acrylic number 21 display containers filled with candy
letter shaped treat boxes spelling M&D filled with fruit on a party dessert table
dessert table treats displayed on acrylic cake stands and risers
read more

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