Whether they are a dazzling part of an elaborate wedding or the centerpiece of a sweets-only reception, the sugary delights can range from simple to sophisticated. Organizing the buffet around a theme, as we have here, will help narrow the choices of what to include as well as create a unified look.

Ideal for a black-tie affair, this buffet has a modern aesthetic, with a palette of dark-chocolate and cream hues set off by a field of blue. Two cakes bookend the table: The more chocolaty groom's cake towers on the left, balanced by the contrasting wedding cake on the right. Between them, sweets are arranged at different heights on modular wood and Styrofoam stands wrapped with ribbon and covered with paper and Plexiglass.

These small cakes -- two are made with malted dark chocolate, one with coconut -- can be sliced into thin pieces when the larger cakes are cut by the caterer and bookend the black-tie dessert buffet.

This glittery dessert buffet includes meringues, marzipan cherries, Turkish Delights, macaroons, cupcakes, chocolate nuggets, and pyramid truffles. Standing tall over all of these goodies is a golden cake covered in fondant and brushed with luster dust.

The fanciful quality of this buffet will instill childlike anticipation in every guest. Treats are playfully displayed on stands and sticks and in cups and bags, as they would be at an old-time carnival. The striped awning, in muted candy colors, echoes the swirled lollipops, rock candy, taffy, and fondant "ribbons" on the cake. Just as the colors are softened for a wedding, the desserts themselves are refined. Chocolate-covered graham crackers sandwich strawberry ice cream, chocolate cookie dough forms sugar-coated "pretzels," and raspberry jam fills mini doughnuts.

A coconut cake, mint candies, rose melting moments cookies, and a vase of ranunculus create a gorgeous pink color scheme for your dessert buffet.

"Andy is like a little kid when it comes to sweets," says Darcy our Editorial Director of her husband. So dinner concludes with a fantasy buffet of candies, cookies, cakes, and other treats, set up in the Grill Room for guests to enjoy in between dances. The focal point is the nine-tier wedding cake.

Nobody, whether they're 6 or 60, can ignore a table of eye-catching confections in bright pinks, peaches, and golds. The assortment of sweets includes pillow mints, Milkies, sugarbonen, jelly beans, malted-milk balls, taffy sticks, macaroons, and more. We adorned simple apothecary jars and the tablecloth with gold thread lace. The sign is propped up with Dresden-foil flowers. Provide glassine bags so your guests can take home a sampling.

In lieu of a wedding cake, a dessert buffet at the reception is laden with sweets from a favorite local bakery. Extra seating cards are calligraphed with the names of the desserts; patterned paper bands and red and blue cotton ribbon trim the cake stands.

Wonderful for an afternoon wedding, perhaps one held outdoors, this display is inspired by seasonal fruits and is reminiscent of a farmers' market, right down to the handwritten labels. Lots of late-summer produce is used here, but every season has its bounty (in the winter, citrus fruits and pomegranates are fitting). In a galvanized vase, branches bearing tiny crabapples reflect the natural theme.

All-white treats are just right for a wedding. For do-it-yourself favors, place stacks of glassine bags around a table, and let guests choose from glass containers of rock candy, coconut jelly beans, tiny marshmallows, vanilla taffy, white-chocolate mints, and more.

Some sweets lend themselves nicely to being packaged to go; present marshmallow doves (shaped with a cookie cutter) or traditional Mexican wedding cookies in clear boxes as favors. You might make white sweets the theme of a dessert buffet. Or offer sophisticated single-portion confections instead of wedding cake; cool blancmange -- a vanilla-infused pudding -- and coconut souffles, baked and served in little jelly jars, are good choices. Deck cupcakes in feathery coconut or serve individual Pavlovas in mini cupcake liners, topped with tangy yogurt cream and sugared golden currants.

A dessert buffet was created by Jesse's aunt, who is a pastry chef. Handmade paper parasols on wooden skewers make the sweets even more festive.

A selection of diminutive chocolate desserts can be served alongside a wedding cake. Clear cake stands and trays trimmed in gold ribbon showcase the rich dark and white chocolate.

Who can resist a table laden with sugary goodies? Among the tempting offerings are little pink-frosted doughnuts, Key lime tarts decorated with Johnny-Jump-Ups, and caramel-covered apples with chocolate ganache centers, all by Callahan Catering. Sharing the stage is a beribboned glass jar of marshmallow sticks and white- and dark-chocolate-covered cherries in patterned paper cups, both from the Sweet Life. The front three-tiered stand holds rows of Tiffany box-inspired petits fours by Dragonfly Cakes and milk-chocolate-and-caramel truffles dusted with sea salt by Vosges Haut-Chocolat. Pate de fruits (candied fruit gelees) by Recchiuti Confections are stacked in back, while a square container holds espresso beans covered in white chocolate by Koppers.

Tiers of sugar-flower-topped cupcakes preside over a dessert table draped in Japanese floral linen. The sugar flowers, from Sugar Flower Shop, top cupcakes made by caterer Sage Events.

Watch the kid in the guests appear when they reach for cookies made from family recipes. Ask relatives to bake their favorites, or have your caterer make them. Apothecary jars serve as oversize cookie jars; we put wrapping paper backed with glassine inside. Labels are calligraphed with the cookies' names and whose recipe it is. Set out glassine-lined stamped bags, trimmed with scalloping shears, and seals for packaging cookies to go.