I've never heard of this and for a short time I tested my wedding planning skills by being a wedding consultant and director. I did several weddings and have attended many, many more as a guest. Great idea though! Thanks for sharing.

This brought tears to my eyes. I am from NW Pennsylvania and have attended weddings in the Boston area, D. C. area and several places in Florida and never encountered a cookie table. It is such a wonderful idea: warm, intimate and inviting.

I am from SW Ohio and have never heard of a cookie table!

I have never heard of it, but I love the idea! I'm a cookie girl!

I have never seen a cookie table, but at the last wedding, doughnuts were served because the first date was at a doughnut shop. I've attended weddings in NW PA, FL, CA, WA, CT, and never a cookie table. The idea is wonderful!!

I also live in Trumbull County where I have been to weddings with the cookie table. Also, Erie County, PA attended two weddings ( same family) and they had the cookie table. Yum!!! (Of course, Erie Co, PA and Trumbull Co, OH are side by side along Lake Erie).

I've never heard of a cookie table. A candy table sound interesting, too!

well, maybe a few cookie tables will be popping up at weddings in different part of the country now! Merry Christmas to all!!!!

I'm also from an Italian family from Brooklyn and the big Viennese table was usually included in recent weddings in NYCity. sometimes instead there would be cookie and mini pastries on each table. Up until the early 1950's the weddings I went to were 'football weddings"; entire family was invivted, no dinner but a tray of premade sandwichs was on each table, no open bar a bottle of rye or scotch on each table and an open soda bar for the kids. When coffee was served the groomsmen carried huge trays of cookies and mini cream puffs to each table. My mother would put a big paper bag in her purse to stuff some sandwichs and cookies in to take home. Wedding rememberance was a small box with candied almonds with the couples name and wedding date. Mid 1950's saw beginning of the 'catered' weddings for our families, children weren't invited to the formal dinner, a slice of wedding cake with coffee and a little trinket to take home instead of a bag of sandwiches and cookies. (Oh, they were called football weddings because people sometimes shared sandwiches between tables by tossing the sandwiches to each other like footballs, "Hey, any one want a salami in exhange for a ham?")

First time I heard of the cookie table was about 15 years ago when a friend's DD was marrying a man from the Pittsburg area. My friend wanted to have a dish of Italian cookies on each table in rememberance of her father who always brought a dish of those cookies whenever he visited anyone. Groom's family wanted a cookie table which my friend had never heard of but the wedding planner settle the problem with a plate of cookies on each table and 2 big tables of cookies made by the groom's mother and aunts. Everyone was satisfied and all the people at the wedding enjoyed wedding cake and cookies at the reception and took home cookies from both families. I think that's a much better way to do things instead of the giant Viennese displays of today which mostly goes to waste.

May in Jersey

I failed to add that our family Italian cookie recipes all start with 5 pounds of flour. We used to mix the batch in a plastic wash tub. Shortly after my mother died, I was only 22, my dad and I broke down the recipes to start with only 3 cups of flour, so we could make smaller batches. He loved to cook but 5 pounds of flour made enormous batches and are overwhelming.

Now, I need those large recipes, but years ago, when my dad remarried, the witch he married, threw out his recipe box, knowing how much he enjoyed cooking, while he was in the hospital dealing with colon cancer. She said that he wasn't coming back home anyway because she wasn't going to take care of him. I'm going to have to go to my aunt's house one day and snap pictures of her recipes, so I have them for the wedding.

When my girls were little, we went to a wedding on my husband's side, remember he is not Italian. It was a church wedding and the reception was in the church basement. They served cake, punch, and mints. It was short and sweet. On the way home, my 6 years old daughter said, "When I have my wedding, I want to really get married."

I said, "They did get married. We witnessed the wedding ceremony in church."

My daughter said, "No way, Mom. There was no cookies, food, wine, music, or dancing, and it was too short."

My husband got this worried look on his face and said, "Oh God, we have got to start saving for that one's wedding. It is going to cost us a fortune."

Guess which one is getting married in October. LOL

Over the years, I have seen Italian wedding that cost $40,000 to $50,000. I find that to be ridiculous and that won't be happening at our house. I have a beautiful wedding 28 years ago with over 600 people at my reception with food, cookies, alcohol, etc. and didn't spend 10% of that.

I grew up in St. Louis in a very large Italian family - this was tradition at all weddings. Boy could those Aunts pack their purses!

I had never heard of this custom but when my niece got married my sister (mother of the bride) and I made cookies that were the favorites of the bride and groom. They lived in Pittsburgh and wanted this as part of their wedding venue. I was a great success.

I'm originally from northern WV about 100 miles south of Pittsburgh, PA. I've never seen this at a wedding there but then it has been a long time. I think a cookie table is a wonderful idea. I like the idea of cupcakes instead of a wedding cake too.

I haven't seen it done in my area but it sounds like a charming custom.

Oh, I believe you - those sandwichs and cookies were the next day's lunch and dessert, LOL! May in Jersey

Noticed a few posters said cookies would be something nice to snack on until the couple arrived at their reception. Oh, No, at an NYC Italian wedding you would be snacking at The Cocktail Hour with an open bar. Followed by the big meal of salad, pasta (we call it macaroni), choice of several entrees, then coffee and wedding cake, Veinesee hour and or cookies if it's their tradtion. Oh, just too much food.

We had a welcome change when our granddaughter got married in June. Instead of a cocktail hour there was an open bar and each table was served several platters of appertizers, a lovely entree and coffee and cake. Instead of a wedding cake each table had a theme cake, ours was a RN one as Christine is a RN. Very enjoyable wedding. She even change the venue from CA., where she lives to Las Vegas. Sometimes it is time to begin new tradtions along with the old ones.
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Oh yeah! It was time to pull out the big purses. :)

My granddaughter had a candy bar with a chocolate fountain, it was a great hit and in state of Washington. I never heard of the cookie table but am all for it. -- J

I live in Great Britain, and have never heard of such a thing although it is fascinating. Are the cookies special shapes or colours or does anything go? We usually have a tiered cake although cupcakes are starting to make an appearance too.

I live in Great Britain, and have never heard of such a thing although it is fascinating. Are the cookies special shapes or colours or does anything go? We usually have a tiered cake although cupcakes are starting to make an appearance too. Also the idea of taking food home with you is really strange to us, what you don't eat you just leave, it would be so much better for it to be taken home and shared out.

I'm from VA and live in AZ nad have not heard of a cookie table. BUT I love the idea!!! Can I send some cookies to the next bride!! LOL

I have grown up in Houston, TX, and never heard of a cookie table but love the idea! Wish I had known about it for my wedding. It is something I will definitely suggest to any future brides that I know!

I have not heard of this tradition before, but I think it is a marvelous idea.

TX and MN speaking up here... never heard of a cookie table at weddings... but mmm my hubby woudl LOVE that... cookies are his favorite!

Not something I had heard of before, but it sounds very nice. I lived for several years just south of Pittsburgh,my parents and sister still live there.

My daughter got married in Nashville in Sept, and there was a cookie table. The groom's mother made her son's favorite: peanut butter, and I made hearheart-shaped sugar cookies.

And, yes, there were little bags for guests to use to take home cookies. My daughter had a little poem attached to each bag, but I can't remember it.

my Bf's daughter is getting married in march andI have been requested to make old fashion tea cakes they will have a milk and cookie bar Groom does not like cake but requested a Huge chocolate chip cookie for Grooms "cake" I live in Memphis First time I have heard of this and we saw on Pinterest

I love this comment BMP I am also a Grandmaw wannabe.I only have one son (24) and he states he does not want kids (boohoo) I hope he will change his mind when he meets the right girl

yes there are chocolate fountains too! and I have recently seen several receptions where cupcakes replaced the tiered cakes. this is so funny to me. I just thought the cookie table was as common a practice as the cake.I guess I need to get out more! haha My little world is growing . . . keep em coming ladies; I am enjoying hearing of family and regional customs. Thanks to everyone for your input!

I had never heard of this until our daughter married a portugese fella. He asked if I would like to make some pastries/cookies to add to the table that his mother and sisters would like to do at the reception. I said sure; to make sure our family was represented with goodies. I gathered a couple girlfriends and we baked about 3 weeks before the wedding. And yes there was cake too ! So once this was started I then had to carry it on for the next two weddings of our children -- LOL with no help from the other side of the family...LOL didn't matter to me I love to cook and bake.

I'm from california and it's not a tradition out here. I've heard of dessert tables at Jewish weddings.

I love the idea and have been to one wedding where the cookies replaced a wedding cake. The display was beautiful, and I thought very practical.

I live in Iowa and the cookie table is not done around here. But I think its a great idea. I enjoy a wedding that is a little different. My son got married this summer and he had a outside wedding and the reception was a potluck. And to my surprised people really enjoyed it. They didn't mind bringing a dish for everyone to share. It was more like a old fashion wedding where everyone did something special to make it a wonderful day. It was just a simple wedding but so very nice.

I have helped with several receptions lately, retirement, school ribbon cuttings, drama open house, etc. and we have had a cookie table at all of them. They are a big hit. We do a center piece and then work all the cookies around it.

I am from St. Louis/Il and I have never heard of this custom. I also lived in Idaho and they did not do that there either. In our area, we order very large cakes and then have boxes so if a person wants to take cake home with them, then the little boxes are perfect. When my daughter got married, her in-laws wanted to order a special coffee cake so we said okay. They ordered two of these coffee cakes, which were about 2 feet wide ! These 2 cakes covered an entire table and I think about 10 slices was eaten, they had to take the cakes home. In Idaho, they made a very small wedding cake but they made sheet cakes which were given to guests to eat. The bride and groom ate from the wedding cake. Most of my family members made each layer of the cake a different flavor: devil's food, yellow, lemon, etc. I guess you all like your custom of cookies and as a guest, I would love it, but as a member of the family involved in the wedding, I am not sure I would like to stop and bake cookies at such a busy time. We were totally swamped when DD got married. Thank you for sharing this custom with us.

Here in Maine they sometimes do a candy table and when my brother got married in Texas they have a groomsmen cake, and a girlfriend from New York said they have a tradition of having Jordons almonds on the tables.

I have never heard of it either, but I think it's a great idea. We do that on Xmas Eve
with everyone bringing cookies..I ate my share last night..

I have not seen this in Minnesota- but boy- it sure sounds like fun.

Maybe when my kids get married- I'll try to convince them to borrow a tradition from a different region.

I think the aunts would have a blast baking and sharing cookies.

I'm from Lake County and have never heard of a "cookie table." (but sounds fabulous!)
I am all Italian and we have huge dessert tables at weddings including a lot of pastry.
I've been to non-Italian weddings and still have not heard of the cookie table. Great idea!
BTW...Merry Christmas!