there’s nothing like hosting an ice cream party on a hot summer day!
a couple of weeks ago, on national ice cream day, i partnered with Tillamook Ice Cream to host a fun ice cream party for our friends and family. i’m excited to share some ideas with you on how you can host one too!
first and foremost, make sure you have quality, delicious ice cream! I was so excited to show off Tillamook to our party guests, as the Oregon-based, farmer-owned dairy cooperative’s ice cream just launched in stores in Ohio! to find specifically where you can purchase Tillamook Ice Cream, visit their site HERE.
you may have heard of Tillamook before, as they’re the #1 natural cheese brand in the West and they also have been producing premium ice cream since 1947! what sets them apart from other ice cream brands is that they use real ingredients. plus, I can attest that their ice cream is sooo creamy and rich!
you can’t serve ice cream without toppings! as Tillamook is made with real ingredients, we chose to forgo toppings with preservatives, such as sprinkles, and instead, we offered a variety of fruits, including cherries, blueberries, and strawberries as well as chopped nuts.
some of our guests chose to add the toppings to their milkshakes and ice cream cones but everyone shared that the Tillamook Ice Cream was incredible by itself!
next, be sure to serve your ice cream in multiple ways. We loved the idea of having a milkshake bar and as some of our first guests arrived, they sipped our freshly blended milkshakes.
pro tip: Use a lot of Tillamook Ice Cream and just a small amount of milk to make the milkshakes extra creamy! We also offered waffle cones, sugar cones, and cups to our guests.Also, be sure you have multiple ice cream flavors available for guests!
i opted for a blue, pink, and white color scheme, complete with balloons, beach balls, and small flower arrangements.My brother and sister-in-law were so kind to make us an awesome ice cream stand (that you all LOVED when I shared via Instagram) to serve the ice cream from. The stand provided a unique background for photos but also allowed the ice cream to be the star of the show at the party!
we served Tillamook Ice Cream’s Oregon Strawberry, Old Fashioned Vanilla, Chocolate, Rocky Road, Cookies & Cream, Mint Chocolate Chip, and Vanilla Bean, although they offer many more flavors as well!
we set out small tasting spoons for guests to sample the various flavors.Tillamook’s Cookies & Cream was a personal favorite and I normally am more of a chocolate girl, but their vanilla was absolutely delicious!In terms of party decor, my advice is to keep it simple but fun!
it’s not easy to pull little ones away from a pool in the summer but let me tell you: I’ve never seen kids run as quickly as I did when I announced it was time for ice cream! be sure you have a few adults serving ice cream, and with that, you’ll of course need a few ice cream scoops to do this!
last but definitely not least, ENJOY!!! we served ice cream multiple times during the party! the kiddos kept asking for more and to try different flavors and we kept it coming!
i had an absolute blast hosting this party and I know you will too! It was pure joy to see the excitement that both children and adults have for ice cream! I’m thinking a Summer Ice Cream Party may have to become an annual event 🙂
thanks for reading! xoxo
PIN for future reference:
photos by the talented Sweetbriar Studios.
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