On a gorgeous summer evening last week, I teamed up with Vanilla Gift to host a dreamy ice cream party for some of the kids in our neighborhood. July is National Ice Cream month, so what better way to celebrate than enjoying some sweet treats with neighbors and friends. In the age of social distancing, I am not doing quite as much entertaining lately, but if I do, I make sure to keep it small and to host the party outdoors if at all possible. After a grueling winter and a somewhat rainy spring, I am so grateful that Cleveland has blessed us with one of the best summers I can ever remember! Thanks to my talented friend Brittany Gidley Photography, I am so excited to share the details of this sweet summer party with all of you!
The design for the party was inspired by a beautiful white ice cream cart rental from Borrow Curated Rentals and Furniture. I love that this piece makes such a statement on its own, yet also provides a blank canvas to make it work for any party theme.
The color pallet for the party was inspired by ice cream sherbet! Blush and peach tones are trending at the moment in the party world, and my hope was that the refined colors and details would help to elevate the decor to work for a child’s or adult’s party.
Next I moved on to florals! I worked with my favorite local florist, Ashley’s Floral and basically set a budget, shared the colors of the party, and asked her to get creative. It was so fun watching her design come to life! The floral installation on the front of the cart was everything I hoped it would be and more. The florals featured peach and ivory ranunculus, blush garden roses, dahlias, and lush greenery.
I paid special attention to the details of this party, making sure to keep it simple, yet find unique ways to tie in the ice cream party theme. I sourced a few party supplies from Bonjour Fete including ice cream cone plates, fancy sprinkles, and adorable scalloped cherry napkins. I also found an adorable pink ice cream scoop on Amazon, along with basic white paper ice cream bowls to make clean up easy. Of course I had to accent the white cart with balloons, so I developed a custom balloon garland to match the color sherbet scheme.
On top of the cart, I displayed waffle cones on the One Stylish Party Acrylic Champagne Wall (seriously, it is the perfect size to hold ice cream cones!) and served the ice cream toppings, such as cherries and sprinkles in glass bowls. Since the ice cream was kept cold inside the cart, I wanted a few themed treats that wouldn’t melt to use in the display, so I sourced creamsicle cupcakes and pink cakesicles from Kelsey Elizabeth Cakes. I finished off the design with a DIY ice cream menu sign and a small floral arrangement.
I love that this party design could work for all types of celebrations, from a bridal shower to a children’s birthday party, or even an outdoor summer wedding. I hope this post helps to inspire you to get creative on ways to elevate your next summer soiree.
Thank you Vanilla Gift for making this sweet summer party possible, and for always making it easy to source the perfect party favors and hostess gifts. Vanilla Gift is also doing some great summer giveaways throughout the month of July, so be sure to visit their Facebook page to learn more!
Photography: Brittany Gidley Photography | Styling, Balloons, Champagne Wall: One Stylish Party | Sponsor: Vanilla Gift | Rentals: Borrow Curated Rentals and Furniture | Florals: Ashley’s Floral | Cakesicles and Cupcakes: Kelsey Elizabeth Cakes | Party Supplies: Bonjour Fete.
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