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Holiday Party

Our Favorite DIY Projects

July 26, 2016 by icehouse Leave a Comment

Over the Past few years, new websites like Pinterest have provided us with a treasure trove of Do-It-Yourself ideas for home, life, events and more. Taking on DIY projects to use at your wedding is a great idea but it can be a little overwhelming when you see how many ways an old wine bottle or wooden palette can be used in a new creation. Before you stress and become a wine bottle hoarder, let the ladies at the Ice House and Crushed Iced Catering share a few of our favorite projects that we’ve seen online or in our Louisville venue!

 

DIY Party Favors: Party favors aren’t a necessary item for your wedding, but sometimes it’s nice to remind your guests that you truly thank them for sharing in your special day. There are so many cute, inexpensive ways to DIY small party favors that everyone will use and love. We love “living favors”, plants, seeds, etc. Succulents are very popular right now and look so pretty in your home. Why not gather up some small pots/buckets, have a planting day with your bridesmaids and put together some personalized pots for your guests to take home. Find cute paper that matches your colors and just wrap the little plastic pots they already come in- easy enough! Plus, succulents can go a long time without water and will be a perfect hardy option for your favors!

Pack up seeds for your party favor!
Seed from your favorite flowers are a fabulous and small favor for your guests
Wrap your pots in paper to match your theme.
Step by step wrapping for your little pots!

DIY Guest Book: Although the traditional Guest “Book” is a nice and classic way to have people sign and give their well-wishes, couples are experimenting with more fun options that reflect their personality and the theme of their day. Louisville loves their bourbon. If you do too, then maybe having guests sign a painted bourbon barrel head is a fun option for you. Frame your favorite quote or new monogram on heavyweight paper and have your guests sign around  it. Let your guests have a little fun adding leaves to your “tree of life” or go movie themed and have them stamp a balloon! Choose a design that allows you to hang it up or display back in your home instead of storing on a dusty shelf. All you need to make these is just a steady hand and a little creativity!

A "Tree of Life" guest book option
These little wooden shapes can be ordered at most craft stores and put together.
Use guest's thumbprints and names to create your picture
If a storybook romance is up your alley, then try something like this!

DIY Menu Boards: Let your guests know what thy’re loading up their plates with by labeling your menu. This can be one simple board at the front of a buffet line, or place cards by each individual item. The Ice House and Crushed Ice Catering use items as simple as small square mirrors with a paint pen/chalkboard pen. Grab your friend with the best handwriting and toss her a pen! Cute handwriting adds a personal touch and saves you money on printing fees. You can use whatever items you can find that go along with your theme.

Mirrors with chalk pen used for menu board.
Mirrors are a good way to reflect the lighting inside the venue.
Chalkboard bar menu.
Chalkboards are always a good option for listing out drinks or food items.

DIY Centerpieces: Centerpieces are going to be a huge component of your decor. Floral arrangements are most commonly used in the center of a table, but that doesn’t mean that you are limited to using only giant vases full of flowers. Here’s where your wine bottles can come in handy! Find a color of spray paint that will compliment your colors without overpowering, and spray different sizes and shapes of bottles. Place flowers or candle sticks in each. Glitter is also good for bottles or jars. However, before you go buying a bunch of glitter, know that it does not always stay where you place it and that you may be picking glitter out of your hair until the second you walk down that aisle 😉 Be sure to work with the season too! Colorful leaves,  pine cones for fall, or ornaments for winter make for very inexpensive centerpiece additions.

Bottle and flowers as a centerpiece.
Painting old bottles and pulling flowers from your other decor is a great way to make a centerpiece.
Winter centerpieces.
Pulling pine cones and other greenery is the perfect chance to reflect the season.

 

So there you have it! DIY can be a great way to add a fun personal touch to your big day and it could end up saving you some money in the long run (and who doesn’t love that). Have you done a DIY project that you feel the world needs to know about? Share it with us and maybe you can be our next feature! As for now, Happy Crafting!

 

Cheers,

Madeleine

Filed Under: DIY, Do it Yourself, Event Planning, Event Spaces, Holiday Party, Louisville Catering, Louisville events, Louisville Wedding, Rehearsal Dinner, Wedding Ceremony, Wedding Planning, Wedding Reception, Wedding Trends Tagged With: Crushed Ice Catering, Crushed Ice Events, Decor, DIY, Do It Yourself, event planning, Louisville catering, Louisville events, Louisville Wedding, Main Hall Package, Nonprofit event, The Ice House, The Ice House Lounge, wedding ceremony, wedding show

3 Holiday Planning Tips

November 24, 2015 by icehouse Leave a Comment

By: Natalie Dedas, Sales & Events Coordinator

Between the entertainment, decorations, menu and guest list, every planner needs a few tips on hosting the perfect holiday gathering without stressing over the details.  Many corporate planners tend to leave holiday planning until the last minute, because their schedules tend to get busy at this time of year. It’s easy for the holiday party to get put on the back burner, with these simple steps your holiday planning can be a lot easier:

  1. Great Service is Key- This is an employee appreciation event. Even if you have the smallest of budgets, do not cut back on this aspect of your event. If you need to lower costs look elsewhere such as decor expenditures. People always remember poor service when they receive it. The holiday party is an important event, it shows your employees how much they mean to your company. If there’s one thing you should never sacrifice it’s your event labor. Your team has worked hard for you this year and it’s time to repay that service.
  2. Food Styles with a Twist- It’s always fun to think outside of the box. If your company has hosted its holiday party at the same place, at the same time, with the same buffet for many years, it may be time to switch things up a bit! You can always get creative with food. Instead of a traditional buffet, try stations and bars to offer your guests variety. Offering multiple stations around the room allows your employees to mix and mingle around the event space. You can even host a family style dinner. This type of dinner setting encourages interaction between your employees, while offering a more family style setting rather than the typical corporate feeling.
  3. Get Creative with Entertainment- You do not need a headlining rock band to set you over budget on the entertainment expenditures. Local musicians, college orchestras and bands offer discounted rates. You can even hire within the office for entertainment services. If you really want to put on a show, a karaoke machine rental will definitely liven up the party.

Instead of stressing over details, now you can relax and enjoy a cocktail at the party you helped bring to life.

Cheers!

Filed Under: Corporate Holiday Party, Event Planning, Holiday Party Tagged With: cocktail hour, corporate, corporate holiday party, Crushed Ice Catering, holiday planning, Main Hall Package, The Ice House

Builders Exchange Holiday Party

December 17, 2014 by icehouse Leave a Comment

Cocktail Hour & Seated Dinner 

We hosted The Builders Exchange holiday party where guests enjoyed a cocktail hour on our second level mezzanine where Crushed Ice Events passed appetizers and they were surprised by a wonderful performance by the Dickens Carolers! After cocktail hour, guests moved into the main hall for a lovely seated dinner.

Filed Under: Corporate Holiday Party, Holiday Party Tagged With: cocktail hour, corporate holiday party, Crushed Ice Events, mezzanine, seated dinner, The Ice House

J&L Marketing Holiday Party

December 17, 2014 by icehouse Leave a Comment

The J&L Marketing holiday party packed the Main Hall Package with over 400 guests and a live band!

Filed Under: Corporate Holiday Party, Holiday Party, Hot Shots Tagged With: corporate holiday party, Crushed Ice Events, holiday party, Main Hall Package, The Ice House

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What We Do

We help people celebrate by focusing on all key elements of any successful event. We'd like to make your next event a true celebration by handcrafting an amazing experience.

Learn more about Ice House

OFFICE ENTRANCE

217 East Main Street
Louisville, Kentucky
Tel: (502) 589-4700
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VENUE ENTRANCE

226 East Washington street
Louisville, Kentucky

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