Sundae, Fun Day: Treat Your Wedding Guests to an Ice Cream Bar

Trends
Written by
Megan McCarty Amanda Wegner

Published:

Spring/Summer 2014

Things got a little messy at Angel Udelhoven and Jerry Yang’s June 2013
wedding reception, but the guests loved it—and everything else about the ice
cream bar the couple set up.

Because the bride and the groom “aren’t huge cake fans,” they fashioned a
chest freezer into a serve-yourself sundae bar so guests could help themselves
to Kopp’s made-in-Milwaukee frozen custard and ice cream from a shop near the
bride’s hometown of Fennimore. And toppings—lots of toppings.

Ice cream sundae bars are a growing trend, says Lauren Schultz, owner of
Milwaukee’s Purple Door Ice Cream—so much so that the company began offering ice
cream catering for weddings in 2013.

“More and more, desserts are an area where brides are looking at what they
can do that’s different,” says Schultz. Purple Door is available to simply serve
up ice cream to go with the wedding cake or to organize a full-on sundae
bar.

For a sundae bar, Schultz offers a few recommendations: No more than three
flavors (four is OK if one is non-dairy) and no more than four dry toppings; too
many options will slow down lines as guests ponder their options. Whipped cream
and cherries are a must. In addition, she recommends having it catered and
staffed: “There’s a lot of finagling with ice cream to get the timing right; you
don’t want it too hard or too soft. It can get complicated when guests are
trying to serve themselves.”

Finally, make sure your venue and caterer are willing to accommodate your
wish. “Some are really into it, and some are not,” says Schultz.