As we mentally move on from the chill of winter and begin daydreaming of warmer weather, we're most excited about having more opportunities to gather with loved ones and celebrate joyful moments. From pastel-hued Easter gatherings to the vibrant fiestas of Cinco de Mayo and all of the special moments throughout - baby & bridal showers, birthdays, and proms - the season brings lots of reasons to celebrate. So here, we're offering up some of our favorite tips for enhancing your Spring celebrations!
SPRING DESSERT TABLE
It's probably no surprise that we love a good dessert table, but for the Spring season, elevate this staple with pastel-colored tablecloths and linens, fresh flowers (we LOVE colorful tulips or a spread of cherry blossoms!) in decorative vases, and a mix of gold and translucent decor to accentuate the beautiful array of colors on display. Approach the desserts in the same way, displaying them on decorative plates, tiered platters and dessert stands, with clear and gold accents.
Our eye-popping spring dessert table would include a spread of piped floral cupcakes, an assortment of fruit parfaits, pastel macarons with edible gold shimmer, chocolate covered strawberries covered in pastel colored chocolate, and spring relevant decorated cookies. However, we encourage you to let your guests be your guide, and opt for desserts that are not just beautifully displayed, but that will actually be eaten. And of course, our table would be accentuated with an array of Sweet Kee's translucent or confetti sprinkles lollipops (our favorite sweets!) displayed in clear, glass vessels. Our double heart and 1.5" lollipops also make beautiful edible cake or cupcake toppers. Arrange them to spell out a number for a milestone birthday party, or arrange as a shape for a themed party. For a Cinco de Mayo spin on this concept, replace pastels with the more traditional celebratory colors of the Mexican flag and opt for culturally relevant treats like Mexican churros, tres leches cake, flan, and buñuelos.
DIY COCKTAIL / MOCKTAIL BAR
A refreshing addition to any celebration, we love hosting a cocktail and/or mocktail bar as it is flexible enough to appeal to a wide variety of preferences, and the array of options allows guests to craft their own experience (or adventure!). If you don't have an actual home bar, a decorated table, countertop or other designated surface can work just fine. Create a spread with various mixers in clear or decorative bottles and bowls. We'd suggest an array of juices (orange, pineapple, and cranberry are a good place to start), light and dark sodas, seltzer water, tonic water, club soda, whole citrus like lemons, limes, and oranges, and additional fresh or dehydrated fruit as garnishes. For a smaller group, feel free to simplify the options, and for a more upscale event, include sparkling cider as a champagne alternative.
Speaking of which - don't forget to include your alcohol! The most popular spirits are vodka, whiskey, and tequila however choose options that align with your guests' preferences. If you're not sure, adding a rum and gin should cover your bases. Keep your mixers, white wine, and/or champagne chilled with a party mat chiller, ice bucket, or an inflatable ice bar for more casual gatherings. For a Sweet Kee's spin on this concept, prepare a few Sweet Kee's infusion kits in advance - like our Blackberry Lemon Martini, Hibiscus Rum Punch, or Spring seasonal infusion. Leverage our onsite recipes to offer guests an array of suggested drink options as a starting point, and for a super fun addition, include our candy drink stirrers as an edible alternative to traditional ones.
EDIBLE PLACE CARDS
For seated events, an unconventional (yet delicious!) way to help your guests find their seat is with edible place cards and seating cards. One of our favorite edible place cards for a wedding, bridal shower, or formal event consists of attaching a wrapped chocolate piece to the seat of mini ghost chairs. Print each person's name and/or seating designation on gift tags, then attach with ribbon by tying each tag to a chair at the intersection of the backrest and seat.
For a DIY Sweet Kee's edible place card, use ribbon to attach favor tags printed with seating information to any of our 2" decorative lollipops, and display them in clear, glass vases grouped by table. And if you're not much of a DIY'er, you'll be happy to know that we also offer customized labels for bulk orders, and can print name and seating information on the back label of each lollipop.
EASTER TREE
Easter trees are perhaps one of the most seasonally fitting decor items for spring celebrations. They are widely versatile beyond Easter festivities and make beautiful centerpieces, tabletop decorations, and interactive accents. DIY one by gathering and cleaning branches, placing them in a tall vase, and adding stones or pebbles to the bottom of the vase for stability. We love a natural-looking tree, but you can customize the branches by painting them to match your celebration's colors.
When selecting branches, look for mid-to-large pieces, preferably with sturdy twigs and/or offshoots so that you can hang items off of them. For natural color, consider cherry blossoms, dogwood, curly willow, or white birch branches. And if DIY is not your vibe, no worries - you can purchase a commercially available Easter tree frame instead.
Once you have the tree base, use ribbon, twine or ornament hangers to hang hand-painted eggs and feathers from it for a traditional Easter tree, or get creative by adding baby chicks, bunnies, carrots, and other Easter relevant motif for a more contemporary tree.
To adapt this concept for other occasions, hang pastel ornaments, colorful flowers, and decorative butterflies to create a Spring tree, or go for theme-relevant ornaments for a themed event. Consider a life-size version of this tree for backyard events by hanging large decorative items from accessible branches on a tree in your backyard. And for an edible tree (our favorite!), hang wrapped sweets like chocolates (if indoors) and hard candies. For the Sweet Kee's version of this tree, hang an assortment of our 1.5" lollipops along with colorful accents like glass beads. To hang lollipops, we recommend double wrapping each lollipop and punching a hole in the upper corner of the outer wrapper through which you can string ribbon or twine.
EDIBLE FAVORS
What event is complete without a take home favor to express your gratitude and appreciation to your guests? We're partial to edible favors that guests are likely to enjoy and not toss out. Of course, our favorite edible favors are our very own! For birthday celebrations, Sweet Kee's confetti sprinkles lollipops made with plant dye sprinkles are a perfect fit. Our watermelon with edible roses and rose-shaped lollipops make a beautifully delicious statement for a Mother's Day brunch, or at bridal showers, weddings and other love-themed events, while our ring/pacifier lollipops will have your baby shower guests "oohing and ahhing" long after, and our bling stick lollipops are beloved prom, sweet 16, and quinceañera favors. For a universal option, our 2" lollipops with sugar crystals sparkle at any Spring affair.
Additionally, Sweet Kee's infusion jars and bags offer guests a unique craft beverage (alcoholic or non-alcoholic) experience that they can make their own, while our small-batch jams and hot cocoa mix jars are mass appeal favors perfect for next-day enjoyment.
For alternative options, baked goods like cake slices, cupcakes, decorative cookies, and cake pops all make great traditional edible favors. For more non-conventional options, we suggest thoughtful and/or practical items like mini hot sauces and customized popsicles for spring picnics, midnight snack boxes and breakfast boxes (with coffee, tea, jams & pastry) for weddings, and decorated fortune cookies for graduations and proms. And for delicious treats that would be welcome at virtually any Spring celebration, we loves boxes of decorated pastel macarons, or an assortment of fresh fruit in take home gift bags.
For the latest and greatest Sweet Kee's offerings, visit us at www.sweetkees.com.