Celebrate National Donut Day with Wedding Donut Display Ideas!

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Nov 5

Written By Abbey Stewart

Decorated Voodoo Doughnuts — *Voodoo Doughnut, Photo by* *Lerina Winter Photo*

Prepare for a sugar rush because today is National Donut Day! The ring-shaped pastries are a treat any day of the year, but they have also become a major trend at weddings. Couples are choosing to replace traditional wedding cakes with desserts like donuts. They can also be used as a complementary offering, as a late-night snack, or even a parting gift as guests exit the venue.

Donuts are of course great choice for large events because they’re delicious, but also because they are versatile with so many different flavor, topping, and even filling options. Not to mention, they are often easy to order in bulk, and their hole in the middle gives you so many different display options.

It sounds like a sweet deal, right? But, before you go and make plans for your donut feast, check out a few of our best tips for how to incorporate the circular confections into your big day.

How Many Donuts Should You Order

Your first order of business will be estimating how many donuts you should order. If they will be the main dessert, order at least one per guest. If they're served with a plated dessert, on the other hand, order enough for 50–60% of your guests. You can also consider ordering extra if you or your guests are known for their sweet tooths.

Donut Display Options

As we mentioned there are plenty of great ways to exhibit your prized pastries. Here are a few showstopping options:

Donut Wall: Create a modern art installation by filling a wall with donuts of all different flavors, colors, and styles. You can use wooden shelves or even a wall with pegs and add menu signs and labels to describe the options.
Donuts on Glasses of Milk: Set up a tray with smaller donuts on top of glasses of cold milk, or even donut holes on shot glasses of milk. This is a great option if you’re doing other passed appetizers and treats at your wedding or you could set it up grab-and-go style!
Skewered Donuts: Provide skewered donuts or donut holes at the coffee bar for dunking in sugar and cream.
Donuts As Favors: Give guests individually wrapped donuts as an edible favor to take home with them once the night is over—sure to leave a sweet taste in their mouths!
Donuts on Rental Shelves or Tiered: Similar to a donut wall, you can also create a more elaborate display using various platters, shelves, or even tiered stands. You can really get creative here, playing around with different heights, plates of different sizes and shapes, etc.
Fresh Donut Station - Fun 4 Events even offers a donut catering option where fresh donuts are served to guests fresh made from their machine—toppings also included!

How to Keep Donuts Fresh

To prevent donuts from drying out or growing mold as you wait for guests to arrive, keep them out of direct sunlight and store them in an airtight container. Make sure to also place them on their display as late as possible to keep them from getting stale before it’s time for dessert.

Rentals for Donuts

When it comes to those elaborate donut displays we talked about earlier, you don’t have to figure it out all on your own. A few of our rental partners have some great options to get you started and to exhibit your donuts like a pro. Check out equipment like this vintage cart and awning, or this Edison back bar cart with an antique light from Town & Country Event Rentals. Or, explore choices from Bright Event Rentals like this Santa Ynez Back Bar and this convertible Wooden Champagne Wall.

For more inspo, you can also take a look at these aesthetic and mouthwatering donut displays featured at a few of our past weddings. Don’t forget to click on the following images for more details from each event!