Should You Serve Macarons at Your Wedding?

Things to consider if you want to offer these popular French pastries at your wedding.

A macaron is a small French biscuit, made of almond flour, meringue, and typically a ganache filling, that comes in various hues and flavors. They make for excellent wedding desserts or favors!

By Keeanna Garcia

gourmet-macarons-with-paints-floral-details
Photo: Laurie Bailey Photography

Whether the traditional tiered cake is not your forte or you’re simply organizing a separate dessert station, macarons make for a sweet addition. As you plan the reception, you should first ensure that your wedding planner and/or food vendor(s) know that you want macarons and not macaroons – as they are very commonly confused by couples. A macaron is a small French biscuit, made of almond flour, meringue, and typically a ganache filling, that comes in various hues and flavors. A macaroon, on the other hand, is a sugary Southern pastry combining coconut shavings with condensed milk. Both are delicious, but macarons are much more common for special occasions.

Macarons with handpainted design

If you really want to showcase these colorful, small, sandwich-like goodies on your wedding day, read on for helpful tips on one our favorite desserts:

- Macarons are more expensive than many other desserts.
The gourmet pastries are very tricky to bake, require a lot of attention from the pastry chef, and its ingredients are typically pretty costly. This explains why one little macaron can easily be $2 to $3.

- You can customize your order with endless colors and flavors.
Let’s say you want a very diverse order or just want the desserts to match your wedding color palette. You can order macarons in any color you wish. The flavors are also versatile as they range from fruity to savory. The options are essentially limitless.

- You can add extra fruit or flavors to the filling.
Raspberries and strawberries are common additions to the ganache, but some macarons are filled with cream cheese, peanut butter, Nutella, or jam. Some are even lined with chocolate chips, peanuts, or sprinkles. Note: ask your vendor to sample the treats before placing your order.

- They don’t have to be just circular pastries.
If you scroll through Pinterest or Instagram, you’ll find that these French treats can be shaped into animals, letters, hearts, or even Disney characters. Your vendor can craft the macarons into just about anything you want, so get creative!

- They make for wonderful take-home favors.
Macarons are very popular, so guests would love to take one, or many, home with them. You can have your vendor paint a monogram or other special design on the tops and arrange them in customized boxes to enjoy at home.

- You can arrange a macaron display.
If you don’t want the treats to just sit face-up on a tray, you can showcase them in a number of creative ways. Place them on a tiered stand, layer them in a cake-like fashion, or align them to spell out a letter, name, or your monogram. This will make for great photographs.

For further dessert inspiration from real weddings, view our Cakes & Desserts photo gallery! Find out if a dessert station is right for you and be inspired by these stylish wedding cakes.

Opening photo by Laurie Bailey Photography; Planning & Design by Ilana Ashley Events

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