If you’re one of the many brides tying the knot outdoors this summer or fall, I have an exciting trend to share — the self-serve s’mores station!

A couple months ago, I actually attended a wedding with this delicious after-dinner treat, so I was very excited when Amanda Hollowell of JL Events in Savannah, GA reached out to me to share her tips and tricks for setting up a self-serve s’mores station at your wedding or event.

To start, you’ll of course need fire. Amanda explained that people tend do this one of two ways: with a campfire or as more of a personal flame station.

The campfire station works well at outdoor facilities — if your venue doesn’t already have a fire pit, check to see if you can bring a portable fire pit. This station is a no stress setup.

Amanda recommends a table wrapped in burlap or with burlap runners, ivory accents and floral that has greenery or small centerpieces placed in mason jars (mason jars + outdoor weddings = amazingness). You can use an existing table next to the campfire or a six foot banquet style table — all depending on the size of your guest count.

Presentation is everything with this station. Amanda uses large glass vases with lids, in all different shapes and sizes (HomeGoods is a great place to find these). The glass enables guests to see the graham crackers, chocolate and marshmallows. Amanda recommends using lids because if the event is outside, there is chance you will be faced with some flying pests, so lids help protect those yummy treats.

To help guests toast their marshmallows, you can use either extra long bamboo sticks (kabob skewers) or the long metal two prong stick (used mostly for barbequing). To entice the guests, JL Events puts a platter out with marshmallows already attached to bamboo sticks.

One warning: if it’s a warm day and you are going to take the chocolate out of its wrappers and place it in jars, wait until the sun down goes down. Otherwise, the chocolate will melt. Amanda also recommends freezing the chocolate the night before and not putting it out until it is truly time for dessert.

Now you’re ready to include a self-serve s’mores station at your next outdoor event!

[Photos by Teresa Earnest of Memories n More]