If you are planning a waterside wedding or just want to bring the magic of summer into your wedding scheme, decorating your tables and venue will be a ton of fun (in the sun)! Aside from seashells and starfish, there are lots of ideas for a gorgeous, classy, and unique summer wedding.

Colors of the Sea

Let your wedding colors be influenced by the varying shades of the ocean. Blue, green, turquoise, and silver, accented with navy or sandy shades are perfect for a beach-themed wedding, lending your venue that elusive, mystical beauty of the sea.

images from weddings on the french riviera

Or take some inspiration from this silver and navy blue wedding:

Candlelight

Your celebration may begin during daylight hours, but we know you’ll be partying through the night! Light up the night with lots and lots of candles–the twinkling lights add romance and festivity. Put them on your tables, line your isles, and any other available surface!

Images: candles and sandcastles: Wedding blog via Chillipit, candles in seashells: perfect-wedding-day, candles, stones, and orchids:  cheap wedding centerpieces

Fun Touches

Follow the beach theme as far as you want to go with it! Place cards, wedding favors, guest books, and wedding cakes… there is endless space for creativity!

Images: fish centerpieces: wedding by color, cake from pinkcakebox on flickr, coasters from American bridal, seascape centerpieces from PicsDigger, message in a bottle place holders: Blushing Bridezilla

Dress Accordingly!

Whether or not you are actually getting married on the beach, your dress choice should be light and airy! Bring on fun accessories such as parasols, shades, and sunhats, for both the wedding party and the guests!

Images: bridesmaids with parasols from SMH.com, Sunhat from Clothing Coupons, bride & groom in sunglasses from luster studios

If you’re a do-it-yourself bride, these look deliciously easy to put together, and the best part is how simple they’d be to stack in a box and transport to your wedding venue (no worries about smashing the cake on the way!). You can buy jars such as these from Amazon (found via Our Best Bites):

Slap on a sticker with your wedding monogram or message to your guests and you’ve got the perfect package! But what to fill your cute little jar with? Well, just about anything, really! Here are some ideas:

Cupcakes!

Photo, recipe, and tutorial from cakies, found via Elizabeth Ann Designs.

Cake!

These cakes are baked right in the jars! Transform your favorite cake into a deliciously-mini version of itself, such as these poppyseed cakes (Delicious Days), pumpkin spice cakes (Angry Chicken), and chocolate cakes (Instructables).  Yumm!

Pie!

Photos, recipes, and tutorial from Our Best Bites, via Elizabeth Ann Designs.

More pie and cobbler ideas and tips from Not Martha, who points out that you can make these in advance, freeze them, and then bake them on a later date so they’re fresh-out-of-the-oven:

And, even better than fruit pie, is chocolate! Here’s a yummy, super rich looking frozen mudpie from Lloyd and Lauren:

Cheesecake!

Photo from Gaia Restaurant via Celebrate Beautifully!

And a no-bake cheesecake tutorial from Lloyd and Lauren:

Pudding!

Any flavor would work, but here’s a pretty-looking banana dessert topped with meringue from Screen Doors and Sweet Tea: Recipes and Tales from a Southern Cook, via {It’s all a Matter of Design}

Candy!

For easy, sweet, and attractive favors in a jar, how about some colorful candies? Get some tiny, personalized vintage jars from American Bridal and fill with Jelly Beans (Wedding Moo) or chocolate lentils.

Drinks!

Not what first popped into my mind when I think of “dessert,” but these apple martinis in a jar look pretty and refreshing!

Feature image of trifle: blue moon charleston

Think of anything you’d like– candy bars, ice cream sundaes, even rice crispy treats– and then take it to the next level! Here are some ideas that your sweet tooth (and your inner child) are sure to go crazy for.

Whatever the Weather…

The time of year is one easy way to pick a desert.  Banana splits (or in this case a a roasted plantain topped with coconut ice cream, dulce de leche syrup, and toasted coconut) for a yummy summer treat. For spring time, individual cupcakes topped with sugar flowers are a sweet ending to your wedding meal. Espresso is an elegant way to warm your guests up before sending them out into the winter night (especially one like this, sprinkled with edible gold leaf and spiked with hot chocolate and vanilla-infused liqueur). Photos & ideas from Brides.com.

Not Just For Kids…

Your favorite childhood treat has a newer, chic-er cousin. Here we’ve got nuggets of Rice Krispies Treats sprinkled with hazelnut praline and surrounded by crème fraîche.  If Jell-O is what you fancy, try jelly with green tea and mint, garnished with kiwi and lemon peel. Crackerjack fan? Try the grown-up version made from caramel corn and vanilla cola sorbet with crème anglaise and sponge cake layers. Yum!! Photos & ideas from Brides.com.

It’s all in the Presentation

Even the simplest of ideas can be dressed up in a way that makes it stand out from the crowd.  Below, the humble honeydew is given a new look with sprigs of fresh oregano and a stylish margarita glass. If pecan pie is where your heart lies, you will love these mini-chocolate bourbon pecan pies, topped with vanilla ice cream and chocolate sauce! Are you thinking cheesecake? How about a petite cheesecake (mini things are always fun) served with crème fraîche, fresh berries and mint! Photos & ideas from Brides.com.

Can’t go Wrong with Candy

Depending on your style, your candy selection can be glamorous enough for even the most upscale affair, or familiar for your casual event. For something impressive (and organic!) try these sugared jelly candies (called “vellies”) made from vegetables, fruits and herbs. Your guests can indulge their sweet tooth with an assortment of candies in old-fashioned jars or contemporary displays. Choose your favorite colors and types, from jelly beans and candied fruit to rock candy and M&M’s!

When trying to come up with the perfect ending to your wedding dinner, The Knot has some great  ideas to think about that might provide your inspiration:

• A special dessert at  your favorite restaurant.
• A regional specialty that symbolizes where you live/ grew up.
• Your favorite childhood candies or candy bar.
• Your favorite comfort food.
• A delicious discovery you made while traveling.
• Something from your ethnic background.

For a gallery of even more gorgeous, mouth-watering wedding dessert ideas, click here to visit Brides.com!

Cooking with flowers is coming back into vogue and has a long history. Flowery cookery can be traced back to ancient Rome, China, India, and the Middle East. Edible flowers were particularly popular in the Victorian era during Queen Victoria’s reign. And now edible flowers are starting to appear in dishes at wedding receptions.

Using flowers as part of your wedding meal is pretty, fun, and delicious. It definitely adds something different to your presentation!

A few tips:

• Edible only: At the risk of stating the obvious, not all flowers are edible! Make sure you choose blooms that are fit for human consumption, or you risk making all your guests sick.
• Go Organic: Use organically grown flowers to avoid pesticide poisoning.
• Wash all flowers thoroughly before you eat them.
• If you have allergies, you may want to avoid flowers, as they may aggravate some allergies.
• Browse: Check out online recipes and cookbooks to get ideas that you can pass on to your caterer. SheKnows has recipes for things like rosemary flower biscuits and pansy herb salad.
• For more info on picking edible flowers, click here.

Feature image from container gardening. All other pictures from Manolo Brides.

Here are some gorgeous wedding cupcake ideas. I love the elegance of this cream and brown combination:

Get colorful and try a fun mix of colors like these pink and green-iced cupcakes:

You can keep it simple…

or you can really dress em up!

OOOH! Look at awesome blue snowflake cupcakes! (Perfect for that winter wonderland wedding!)

And these pretty rose cupcakes:

Add a delicate touch with these gorgeous
Filigree Cupcake Wrappers:

Dr. Seuss inspired wedding vows? Cute! (Here we have version one and version two! They go something like this… Will you love her through good and bad? Whether you’re happy or you’re sad? Will you love her if you’re rich? Or if you’re poor and in a ditch?)

A Dr. Seuss inspired wedding cake? Adorible!

You can even do readings from the great classic, “Oh the Places You’ll Go.” But no matter how much you love him, please, don’t do an entire Dr. Seuss-inspired wedding! Save that for your kid’s third birthday party.