From invitations to thank you gifts: Incorporating chocolate into your wedding theme

Bring a hint of decadence to your wedding celebrations with chocolate save-the-dates, favours, and more.

Your wedding is the ultimate celebration of your love and commitment. From the venue to the invitations – every detail counts. Wedding planning offers the chance to create a unique experience to showcase your personality and passions.

For cacao connoisseurs, chocolate can be the wedding ingredient that ties it all together. From dessert centrepieces to thank you gifts for your bridesmaids and groomsmen, let’s explore how you can elegantly incorporate chocolate into your big day.

Intrigue your guests with save-the-date chocolates

No matter if you’re organising a small and intimate affair or a big party, wedding planning can feel like a long process. Especially if you have a lengthy engagement. Your dream day might seem far away but as the time to send your save-the-date notices comes around, the excitement becomes more real.

A save-the-date is a gentle nudge for your loved ones to keep the day free to attend your wedding. While you can send a traditional paper save-the-date or even go digital, adding a small gift can make it all the more special. What’s more, with chocolate, you can — quite literally — give your guests a taster of what they can expect on the wedding day.

Our small chocolate packs offer petite yet perfectly formed nibbles that are sure to surprise and delight the recipients on your guest list. From patisserie-inspired truffles to our ribbon-tied Chocolate Gemstones, these small gifts are an excellent way to make an impression and get your date saved.

Why not consider tying in your wedding scheme with chocolate gifts that reflect your chosen colours or aesthetic? Our White Chocolate Eton Mess Selector is ideal for summer weddings. With a decadent pink mousse centre and scattering of strawberry and meringue pieces, each chocolate exudes romance.

Our Pink Champagne Truffles also reflect a pink colour scheme beautifully. Just for the grown-ups, these sophisticated chocolates will give your guests a flavour of what’s to come on your luxurious wedding day.

Alternatively, how about a Pistachio Chocolate Selector to complement a sage green colour scheme. Or, our Chilli Chocolate Pralines to reflect a bold and quirky event?

If you’re not planning to send save-the-dates, why not add chocolates to your wedding invitations, instead?

Make chocolate the star of your wedding breakfast

On the big day itself, you can weave chocolate into your wedding breakfast in a range of creative ways, letting its nuanced depth of flavour bring a touch of opulence to every bite.

Chocolate wedding cake decorations

The cutting of the wedding cake is an important moment for many couples, and the dessert itself needs to be just right. For couples who adore chocolate, it seems only fitting to incorporate it in — or on — the cake.

The most memorable parts of wedding celebrations are often the smaller, more personal details. So why not put your own stamp on your wedding cake by making chocolate decorations? You can tailor your chocolate shapes to suit your wedding design. From delicate chocolate leaves and flowers to endearing love hearts. You can also choose the type of cooking chocolate to use. Go classic with milk chocolate, opt for deep dark chocolate, or reflect a lighter colour scheme with creamy white chocolate.

Making chocolate shapes is straightforward and can be a lovely activity for you and your partner to do together in the run-up to the wedding day. Take a look at our guide to making chocolate shapes for step-by-step instructions on melting your chocolate and creating the shapes you want.

Chocolate fountain

For a truly eye-catching centrepiece, you can’t beat a chocolate fountain. Sometimes, couples worry that they won’t have enough forms of entertainment during the wedding breakfast. Chances are, your guests will be happy to mingle and chat. But, adding an interactive food element like a chocolate fountain brings an extra bit of fun.

Choose your favourite chocolate variety. Then, set up an array of nibbles and snacks to dip, and enjoy the decadent texture of glossy melted chocolate.

Toast to love with cacao-infused cocktails

It’s traditional to toast to the happy couple with a glass of bubbly. Our Classic Prosecco is an excellent choice. However, if you want to weave chocolate into your celebratory drinks, consider whipping up some irresistible cacao cocktails.

Our experience running bars in London and Saint Lucia has shown us the versatility the humble cacao bean has to offer when it comes to drinks. Cacao’s rich and complex flavours pair perfectly with a variety of spirits, bringing a satisfying malty edge. From vodka and gin to rum, you can use a range of spirits to create chocolate cocktails that will impress your guests and elevate your wedding breakfast. You can, of course, make non-alcoholic cocktails too.

For a bit of inspiration, here are some of our favourite cacao cocktail and mocktail ideas:

• Rabot Rum Sour — mellow amber rum meets uplifting lime juice and flavoursome cacao nibs for a chocolate twist on a classic.
• 100% Dark Soother Cocktail — combining the intense profile of our 100% Hot Chocolate Flakes with our sumptuous Salted Caramel Vodka Liqueur. This cocktail is deeply decadent and ideal for a special occasion.
• Rabot Breeze — this eye-catching tipple makes the most of the vibrant notes of our Cherry & Raspberry Gin Liqueur and is ideal for sipping during the speeches part of your wedding.
• Mint Chocolate Chiller Mocktail — this velvetised chocolate mocktail offers a refreshing way to round off the wedding breakfast meal.

Set up a hot chocolate bar

Setting up a hot chocolate station is a great way to incorporate non-alcoholic drinks into your day. It’s a cosy addition to autumn and winter weddings, in particular, but it’s also a charming surprise that invites conversation and interaction. This delightful feature encourages your guests to mingle and enjoy a bespoke beverage experience.

Choose your hot chocolate varieties

To set up your hot chocolate bar, first choose the flavours and varieties you want to centre the station around. It’s a nice idea to offer an array of options, including milk, white, and dark chocolate flakes.

Our single-serve sachets make it easy to set out lots of different flavours neatly, so each guest can choose which they fancy. From traditional Milky 50% Hot Chocolate to the nostalgic charm of our limited-edition Banoffee Pie. You’ll find something for everyone in our drinking chocolate collection.

When paired with the Velvetiser, our at-home hot chocolate system, our gossamer-fine flakes offer a silky-smooth, cloud-like texture. So consider adding a couple of Velvetisers to your station to help your guests get the most from every sip.

Provide a range of toppings

From a sprinkle of cinnamon to a scattering of marshmallows, toppings can give a mug of hot chocolate an extra bit of flair. By offering a selection of toppings, you can encourage your guests to customise their hot chocolate and make it their own.

Use beautiful and functional serving ware

Creating a hot chocolate bar gives you the chance to extend your wedding theme. So, it can be nice to select beautiful yet functional mugs, spoons and tableware to add to the ambience.

Have a designated area for the bar

Set up a designated area for the hot chocolate bar — somewhere easily accessible to your guests. You can decorate the area with flowers, candles, or other decorative elements to make it look inviting.

This not only draws guests in but also serves as a delightful focal point, adding to the joy and elegance of your celebration. Positioning the bar near a cosy seating area can encourage mingling and ensure your guests feel comfortable and cared for throughout the event.

Gift thoughtful chocolate wedding favours

Chocolate wedding favours show your gratitude to your guests for joining in on your special day. As a bonus, they also act as an extra nibble — ideal for keeping everyone going between meals!

Many couples choose to set their wedding favours out at the table, along with place names. But you could also hand them out on arrival or save them for the end of the event so your guest can enjoy a goody bag on their way home.

However you choose to gift them, opt for small chocolate gifts as a token of appreciation. With their sleek packaging and sophisticated ribbons, our Chocolate Buttons are ready to go. With their high percentage of cacao butter and creamy texture, our White Chocolate Tiddly Pots make perfect favours for younger guests.

For more inspiration, take a look at our guide to chocolate wedding favours.

Thank your wedding party with chocolate gifts

From helping you choose your wedding dress or suit to making sure the venue looks spot-on before everyone arrives, weddings tend to be a group effort. Show how much you appreciate all that your bridesmaids, groomsmen, and other loved ones have done throughout the wedding-planning journey with a chocolate thank you gift.

Keep it classic with a box of chocolates. Our H-Boxes and Sleeksters look the part as well as providing an array of best-loved recipes. Alternatively, celebrate all that hard work with a bottle of Prosecco. Or, offer your wedding party a selection of Hot Chocolate Sachets they can enjoy as they wind down after the celebration.

For a truly generous display, why not explore our range of Chocolate Hampers? Each carefully curated collection is beautifully presented and brimming with favourite chocolates, nibbles, and more. Why not add a personalised message card for that extra unique touch?

Celebrate love with Hotel Chocolat

Chocolate and romance go hand in hand, so incorporating cacao into your wedding celebrations makes perfect sense. Add subtle hints with chocolate cake decorations or go all out with chocolate save-the-dates and invitations or a striking chocolate fountain.

However you choose to weave chocolate into your special day, start with high-quality ingredients and ethically sourced cacao. Explore the full Hotel Chocolat collection for wedding gifts, cooking chocolate, and more.