When planning a menu for a special event, don't forget to end the festivities on a sweet note. Leave guests with a lasting memory of the party by serving up delicious desserts in fun and creative ways.

No matter what type of special occasion you're hosting, such as a birthday party, a wedding reception, a bridal or baby shower, a class or family reunion, or a graduation or anniversary soiree, desserts are always in good taste. Whether you're serving lunch or dinner or just small plates or appetizers, a dessert at the end of the affair will be appropriate.

Depending on your event-planning budget and available time, you can either create the desserts yourself in your kitchen, or have them made and brought to the event venue by a professional catering company (such as Remo's Catering). If money is tight, you can even choose to make the main courses yourself, and have just the desserts catered. 

While you can simply serve a tasty cake or a variety of basic baked goods, consider making your event even more memorable by treating guests to a selection of creative sweet treats. You can use basic ingredients in combination with gourmet goods to create desserts that taste and as good as they look.

Here are some ideas to get you started:

1. Rainbow-Colored Chocolate-Covered Strawberries 

Rather than whipping up a few batches of traditional dark or milk chocolate-covered strawberries, create rainbow-colored ones instead. You can use specific hues to coordinate with an event's overall theme, such as red and green for a Christmas party, or pastel shades for a baby shower. 

To create the colorful sweets, simply melt white chocolate and add food coloring to create your desired shade. Then dip the strawberries in the colorful confection and allow the coating to harden as usual. 

2. Candy Bar

Creative candies can serve as both desserts and guest party favors when presented the right way. As one idea, set up a self-service candy bar on a long buffet-style table and allow party-goers to fill up individual bags with their favorite sweets. 

To create an aesthetically pleasing display, fill tall glass apothecary jars with a variety of colorful candies, such as gumballs, rock candy sticks, jelly beans, candy-covered chocolates, and gummy bears or worms. You can also customize the candy colors or shapes to reflect an event theme.

Set small scoops by each jar, and instruct guests to make their own personalized blends.