"Inexpensive cupcakes are associated with a picnic, not an important event like your reception. If find that you must cut back on your budget--cut back on the flowers, the decorations, or the party flavors--but never on the cake! Order cupcakes that are as elaborate as befitting the occasion. Don't settle for picnic cupcake, and don't spend less on cupcakes then you would on a beautiful cake!"
Tina Burwell, Cincinnnati wedding planner.

"Whatever you do, don't choose cupcakes because they are a cheaper alternative! Your wedding reception is an elegant semi-formal or formal affair that demands the elegance of couture cupcakes. Remember, the food you serve at your reception will make a statement to your family and guests about your hostess skills, your flair for originality and creativity, and about your taste."
Jennifer Beale, Columbus wedding planner

"Never choose a chocolate cupcake for the cake-feeding ceremony. You will have chocolate stains on your gown and teeth when everyone is snapping pictures!"
Sandra Dagen, Indianapolis wedding planner.

"Many, many bakers produce generic cupcakes, made from generic ingredients in five-gallon barrels. They make their frosting from white animal fat and sugar, and their cake from bleached white flour and water. The result is a cupcake that tastes like sugar, and not much else. These are the cupcakes you get at your local grocery store. I bet you can taste the difference between a mix cake and a scratch cake. You can safely assume that your guests can too. Look for a baker who makes cupcakes from scratch rather than a commercial mix."
Mary Friedmann, Dayton wedding planner.

"Don't serve the cupcakes all at once. Food isn't about eating, its about socializing. Create a cupcake station and let people wander over and pick their own cupcakes. A word of warning--if you have different flavored cupcakes or really good, gourmet cupcakes, there will always be people who will go back for seconds! I suggest having about ten percent more cupcakes than the number of guests."
Jane O'Reilly, Louisville wedding planner.

"Always set the cupcake tree in a location where the guests are going to notice it. Create a setting that looks like a wedding cake setting. Pay special attention to what's behind the setting, since the background will show up in all the photos that your guests and your photographer will take. Choose cupcakes that are so delicious that your guests will always remember them--smell and taste are two of the strongest memories and your guests will long remember that you had the best cupcakes they ever tasted!"
Martha Stewart, Lexington wedding planner.

Kosher Cupcakes "If you order Kosher Dairy or Pareve cupcakes, please note that the cupcake papers need to be kosher as well. These are difficult to find and may be the reason we don't see many kosher cupcakes. Also, you should know that the really pretty cupcake papers that you see are not available in kosher paper--kosher cups are natural paper cups."
Aaron Cohen, New York Wedding planner.

"Make sure your cupcakes echo the theme and colors of your wedding. Avoid the cupcake disaster shown at the left. These cupcakes are randomly decorated in a slap-dash, disorganized fashion. A cupcake tree should be as beautiful and elegant as a traditional wedding cake."
Sylvia Friedman, Chicago wedding planner.