The Dessert Dresser Finale

"I have a dresser I am bringing in, sort of like an actual dresser you might use to put your clothes in," was one of the phrases I consistently explained to people in the months leading up to our wedding. It was so difficult for people to conceive that I was going to use a dresser, of all things, to lovingly house all of the treats we had selected for our guests to take home as favours. I still remember finding the dresser on the side of the road as I drove home from work in January of 2010. How I even noticed it is beyond me yet I knew I had to have it, so I illegally parked my little Jetta on the side of the road that late afternoon, in the dark, with my four ways flashing as I stood next to it (in a sort of 'this-is-mine-way' like anyone was going to take it) while my Dad and very embarrassed mother came to help me load it up. The look on my Mom's face as her and my Dad pulled up to the dresser was pure disgust and I with a hard to miss look of pure joy on my face gleefully climbed back into my car and drove home on cloud 9. 

"What are you going to do with it?" she asked once we put it in the garage. I muttered something along the lines of "You just wait," and then spent hours and hours over the summer months cleaning, priming, painting and decorating this hot mess up and even blogged about it here, here and here. But it wasn't until our wedding day, after I finished setting everything up and had called the salon to tell them I was so very sorry I was an hour behind (true story. humiliating, I know) that I was able to stand back and think to myself, "Not bad, Rhi. Not bad." It surely wasn't Amy Atlas inspired and wasn't the most eloquent of sweet tables but it was perfect. Even more bittersweet was just a few short weeks after the wedding, when I was at work, my Dad sold the dresser at a garage sale. For a dollar. Left over wedding candy not included.

And a few heads up if you're considering having a sweets table, candy bar or dessert spread at your wedding regardless of if you or someone else will be designing and purchasing the products for it. I can't stress this enough but they take time and money. I don't have a total cost of exactly how much our Dessert Dresser cost but it was well over a couple hundred dollars just for the cost of the candy and treats. Add in the Sweet Love sign from here, the paint and wallpaper for the dresser revamp, the gift bags, the containers and then the time it took to source out everything, order, pick up, and set up the day of and you have yourself a little bit of a challenge. Nevertheless, guests loved our little work of art, said they had seen nothing like it before and watching people fill up the little Thank You bags I had so lovingly made myself was really a highlight of the day. A ginormous thank you to my Dad for lugging it over to our venue the morning of and to my three girlfriends who helped me carry each and every jar in from the car to upstairs.

{The Details}

Jelly Bellies - Unless your guests love Jelly Beans, skip them. They are pricey and no one eats them.

Chocolate Malt Balls - These go a really long way and are very affordable. From the Bulk Barn.

Devils Food Cake Pops - A bit expensive but a crowd favourite and the first treat to disappear, get them here.

Multi-coloured Sweettarts - I bought close to twenty rolls from the corner store and they were perfect for the hardcore candy lovers.

Orange Flavoured Truffles - Guests loved these and my Mother in Law still talks about them, from Lakeshore Pastry.

Mini Heart Shaped Sugar Cookies - These were much smaller than I expected but still cute. The etsy seller is no longer active.

Cookies and Cream Mini Cupcakes - I had to include cupcakes. After all it said so on our Save the Dates. From Sweetness Bakery.

Raspberry and Vanilla Bean Macarons - Another crowd fave; once guests actually came around to trying one, via

Raspberry filled Chocolates - Absolutely melt-in-your mouth genuine Belgium chocolate. A little pricey but well worth the money.

Rock candy swizzle sticks - So hard to find when you look for these two days before. But they added a little fanciness to the table.

Handmade Maple Marshmallows - Unique and added a bit of patriotism to our set up. Delicious and purchased from this seller.

Chocolate-Dipped Oreos with Espresso Crystals - I made them myself at home the day before. Time consuming, sure, but very easy.

And last but not least a photo of the bags I made myself for the guests to fill up. The tutorial to make them can be found here. Can I get three cheers for a sweets set up? P.S. I know some of you would like to cyber punch me right in the face right now but please would you go vote over at the Lovelies for me if you haven't already? There are a few days left to vote and my fierce competitive streak has seemed to get the best of me! Comments and facebook likes both count as votes and I truly appreciate all of the love lots of you have shown already. I adore you all xo