Building the Ice Cream Sundae Bar

wabanzi

I'm kinda crazy for ice cream, so we are having an ice cream bar. This is separate from our caterer, so I'm selecting and putting together the ice cream bar myself (we will have staff available to set it up and tend to it). We'll have a soft serve machine and I already have a list of the usual suspects (sprinkles, m&ms, sauces, etc.). But I just want to know what people's favorites are. 

So there you are, a bowl of creamy cold vanilla ice cream in your bowl looking over all the goodies you can add to it to build your sundae. What topping(s) would you be happiest to see?

jessicabessica

Is this your only dessert?  I would suggest having some brownie bites and small cookies so people can make brownie sundaes.  Are you going to have staff portion out the ice cream?  I think that would be best since people will be all dressed up.  I would add hot fudge and butterscotch, and some cut up fruits (definitely berries) and chocolate chips. 

wabanzi

jessicabessica said:

Is this your only dessert?  I would suggest having some brownie bites and small cookies so people can make brownie sundaes.  Are you going to have staff portion out the ice cream?  I think that would be best since people will be all dressed up.  I would add hot fudge and butterscotch, and some cut up fruits (definitely berries) and chocolate chips. 

Not the only dessert.  We will have cake and a dessert bar (and a candy/popcorn bar).  All will be within close proximity of the ice cream bar.  We will have brownies on the dessert bar. As I stated we have staff setting up and tending the ice cream sundae bar. And, I do have a list of the usual toppings/sauces.  

However, what would you be happiest to see as an item in the ice cream buffet?  Would that be the brownies? The cut up fruit?

I'm trying to get a feel for what is most popular.

3ringnecklace

I love ice cream! I wish I was going to your wedding haha I love Reeses anything so that's what I would want

Llikotdesserd

The chocolate crumbles you find in a carvel cake! Also, mini gummy bears. Maybe break up some waffle cones into small-ish pieces for some crunch without having the ice cream IN a cone? Sometimes I like fresh fruit - cut up strawberries, sprinkled with sugar to create a sauce with its own juices. Warm Apple Pie "filling" is my favorite on vanilla ice cream- Cooked apples with nutmeg, cinnamon and sugar. YUM

wabanzi

Llikotdesserd said:

The chocolate crumbles you find in a carvel cake! Also, mini gummy bears. Maybe break up some waffle cones into small-ish pieces for some crunch without having the ice cream IN a cone? Sometimes I like fresh fruit - cut up strawberries, sprinkled with sugar to create a sauce with its own juices. Warm Apple Pie "filling" is my favorite on vanilla ice cream- Cooked apples with nutmeg, cinnamon and sugar. YUM

You have made me so hungry for ice cream!  I love the idea waffle cone pieces!

3ringnecklace said:

I love ice cream! I wish I was going to your wedding haha I love Reeses anything so that's what I would want

Mini-Reeses----Check!  They can also supplement the candy bar.

jenna8984

Whenever I go for fro-yo I say I'm going to try something new. I never do. I always go for a fruity flavor (pomegranate, pineapple, blueberry) with mini reese cups, DARK chocolate chips, and rainbow sprinkles...I'm always like oh the fruit looks good...nope. Chocolate. 

Sammyantha13

Where is your wedding going to be??  I am entertaining this same idea for our wedding in Columbus, OH.  I just started looking in to it, so I have no idea how much the machine rental would cost.  Would you mind letting me know how much yours is?  You can message me if you'd like.  

I LOVE my soft serve with rainbow sprinkles.  It just gives me happy memories of my childhood.  For every 4 oz serving of soft serve, I need about 1 cup of rainbow sprinkles.  HAHA!

wabanzi

Sammyantha13 said:

Where is your wedding going to be??  I am entertaining this same idea for our wedding in Columbus, OH.  I just started looking in to it, so I have no idea how much the machine rental would cost.  Would you mind letting me know how much yours is?  You can message me if you'd like.  

I LOVE my soft serve with rainbow sprinkles.  It just gives me happy memories of my childhood.  For every 4 oz serving of soft serve, I need about 1 cup of rainbow sprinkles.  HAHA!

I'm in Indiana.  The machine with 200 servings is about $220.  They deliver & set up.  My city is smaller than Columbus, so I'm sure you can find a party place that rents them.

Have to have the rainbow sprinkles.  I ordered 5 lbs of rainbow sprinkles. I really have no idea if that is too much or not enough.  But it was cheaper than buying 2 10oz size and probably the least expensive/most popular topping.

00kim00

When I go to a froyo place, or Cold Stone, I always get fruit (usually berries). My next favorites are cheesecake chunks, caramel sauce, and graham cracker crumbles. Apple pie filling is great, too.

lookame3639

My favorite ice cream is cinnomon, however I love a good vanilla with sprinkles or vanilla with caramel sauce and whipped cream.

MrandMrsMongoose

I love crushed oreos on my ice cream. And now I desperately need some ice cream in my life like right this second. 

mysticl

On soft serve I like strawberry sauce or hot fudge.

wabanzi

MrandMrsMongoose said:

I love crushed oreos on my ice cream. And now I desperately need some ice cream in my life like right this second. 

My favorite is crushed Heath bars.  But crushed oreos sounds delicious too.  

Gina0887

We are doing one as well and are having hot fudge, strawberries, cherries, whipped cream, sprinkles, m&m's, Reeses (my fav), Oreos (my FI fav), Heath bar (my mom's fav), and chopped nuts.

theartistformerlyknownas

Crushed Oreos, chunks of peanut butter cups, bits of waffle cone or graham crackers, cheesecake pieces, brownie pieces, dark chocolate chips, peanut butter syrup, cookie dough bits... and like 1.5 strawberries so I can tell myself it's healthy.

wabanzi

Lolo8383 said:

Crushed Oreos, chunks of peanut butter cups, bits of waffle cone or graham crackers, cheesecake pieces, brownie pieces, dark chocolate chips, peanut butter syrup, cookie dough bits... and like 1.5 strawberries so I can tell myself it's healthy.

Hilarious :-)  But you gave me a great idea.  We are having chocolate covered strawberries on the nearby dessert bar.  We should order half covered and half plain for the ice cream (or just to eat).  That will save some $$ too.

We won't have brownie pieces, but there will be brownies on the dessert bar.  There will be cheese cake slices too.  Oh…so hungry…

AprilH81

Resee's Pieces (althought I like the mini Reese's Cups too...)

TeddiD34

Damn, I should have skipped this thread. I totally want all of this now!!!

wabanzi

Thanks again for all your input ladies.  From this and asking around/other threads this is what we will have (maybe helpful to someone else ???):

• chunks of Health bars (my favorite)
• Rainbow sprinkles
• Dark Chocolate chips
  
• gummy bears 
  
• crushed graham crackers/nilla wafers/waffle cone crumbles (still deciding which one)
  
• crushed nuts 
  
• crushed oreos
  
• Pirouline stick cookies 
  
• Sauces: Chocolate, Caramel, Butterscotch, Strawberry

Nearby (next table over) on dessert station & candy bar 

• M&ms (plain, peanut, peanut butter 
  
• Reeses mini pb cups
  
• Brownies
• Various cookies
• Fresh fruit (including strawberries)
• cake (of course) and some cupcakes -chocolate, marble, white, red velvet, carrot
• cheesecake (I'll eat ice cream with anything)

There are a few other desserts and candies, but these are the ones that go with the ice cream, I think.  I know several people like hot fudge topping, but we do not have a way to keep it warm.  Same goes for the warm apple pie crumbles.  This list is also missing one of may favorite all time combo: cobbler & ice cream.  I just think the cobbler is too messy and too labor intensive for pre-cut servings and it is best served warm.

McKaylaH19

Hi, I am from Indiana also and came across this post. I am wanting to do an Ice Cream Bar for my wedding. What party store did you look at to rent this? Also, not sure if you already had your wedding or not, but if so, how did this go over with the guests?

wabanzi

I'm in southern Indiana and there is a company (a lady really) that rents soft serve machines.  It was about $200 for the machines and 200 servings of ice cream (which was way more than enough).  Tropical Twist was the company name.  

And it was a huge, huge hit!  We did all the toppings ourselves (about another $200)-four types of sauces, 10 toppings, cherries, cookies and yummy brownies.  Keeping in mind that we had a separate full dessert and candy bar too, for 120 guests, there were roughly 40 servings of ice cream left (out of the 200) so people were definitely digging into the ice cream all night.  I know I made a few trips myself :-)  Here are some the pics:

jacques27

Edited:  Duh - I didn't pay attention to the dates on this post.