Ice Cream Bars and Other Fun Summer Wedding Desserts

For a lot of people, one of the best things about summer is ice cream. If you are planning a summer wedding, it would be a lot of fun to have an ice cream bar at your reception. Get ideas on ice cream bars and other fun summer wedding desserts that are sure to be crowd pleasers.

If you are having an indoor wedding reception, having an ice cream bar is, well, a piece of cake. Your caterer or venue may even have a serving station available that can be filled with ice to keep the ice cream from melting. Set out a few flavors of ice cream like vanilla, chocolate, strawberry and maybe coffee. Then pick out all of your favorite toppings. You can have sprinkles, Oreo pieces, fresh berries, chopped nuts, and all sorts of candies. Oh, and don't forget the whipped cream! Sometime after the cake cutting, roll in the ice cream bar and invite guests to come and help themselves. It would be a great summertime alternative to a Viennese hour.

For outdoor weddings, it can be tougher to keep the ice cream cold enough. So instead of setting out a self-serve bar, why not have an ice cream truck come? You can bet that everyone will be lining up to get their favorite frozen treat. Ask your photographer to get plenty of pictures of your guests in their elegant clothes and pretty wedding jewelry eating their sno-cones and popsicles. Just think about how refreshing it will be to have ice cream on a hot summer day.

Another great idea for a summer wedding dessert station is a strawberry shortcake bar. It would be a lot of fun for a casual country wedding held during the peak of berry season. It is also fairly manageable for an outdoor wedding, because the only think you have to worry about keeping cold is the whipped cream. Store in the refrigerator until the time when the strawberry shortcake bar opens, and then put metal bowls of whipped cream in ice to keep it cold. The fresh strawberries and biscuits will be fine on a warm day, so you don't have to worry so much about them. Display everything on a cute red gingham check tablecloth to play on the red and white colors of the dessert. It will be simply charming.

If you are looking for a more sophisticated approach to summer wedding desserts, how about hiring a gelato company to come? Gelato is sort of like a more grown up version of ice cream, and is typically made in more intensely flavorful varieties than ice cream. Look for a gelato company that uses an authentic Italian recipe for the best desserts. They can bring in the coolers and all of the supplies, so that makes it very easy. I could imagine a gelato bar at a chic modern tented reception or at an elegant indoor venue. It would also be a great late night treat. This is the perfect summer dessert bar for the bride who is into fashion-forward bridal gowns and modern bridal jewelry. Or for anyone who just loves tasty frozen desserts. Yum!

Couples are always looking for ways to add a little of the "wow factor" to their wedding, and an ice cream or summer dessert bar is a great way to do that. Your guests will definitely enjoy it, and you can be sure that they will leave your wedding with sweet memories.

Bridget Mora enjoys helping brides find unique and beautiful ideas for their weddings. Silverland Jewelry is the best place to shop for unique wedding jewelry.