Ice cream Theme

What could be better on a hot summer’s day than an ice-cream party? Definitely a theme your little one and their friends are going to love! This is such a fun theme to plan for as you can do so much with a ice cream bar with a range of toppings and sauces! Suitable for either a boy or girl and another theme with a range of colour scheme options! In this post I’ll focus on some pastel colour ideas as well as ideas for a traditional red/white stripe ice cream parlour colour scheme.

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Invitations

Here are a few invitation ideas to set the scene!

This lovely ice cream parlour invitation with striped border also comes in a girls colour option. Matching items are also available to help you coordinate your party table:

For a colourful circle invitation this one is a great pick as it also comes with a few matching items to coordinate your other bits and pieces with!

A summery invite with a mix of yellow, pink and blue make this a great option for boys or girls:

Love the pastel colours on this invitation:

Such a lovely unique shape invitation in this printable collection!

Decorations

To set up your party area, you’ll definitely want some bright pastel colours to continue the fun feeling that an icecream party should invoke! Or alternatively the bold red and white colour scheme for the traditional look:

 

A cute fun bunting that could work for either colour scheme:

This unique ribbon garland is made to match the previously shown ice cream invitation however due to it’s pastel colours it would match a range of party decor and would work great in bringing some colour into an outdoor setting:

How gorgeous is this? Good enough to eat! A beautiful ice cream bunting that would look stunning hung in a bedroom after the party:

Another classic decoration is the paper chain – revamped in this cute polka dot design it would look so cute with a bright ice cream party theme:

Hang a bunch of these lanterns down together to create a look of colourful ice cream scoops!

 

These pastel tissue pom poms would also help create an ice cream wonderland!

 

Use this red and white pom pom to create your classic ice cream parlour look:

For a unique centrepiece try these handknitted ice creams. Alternatively they would also look cute as hanging decorations as well!

Tableware

For your tableware there are lots of pastel & red/white items to choose from. Here are some picks but of course I’m not suggesting you use these items all together. Pick and choose what you like and work it in with other items:

Such a cute pastel pattern if you are going for a polka dot design:

This striped tablerunner comes in other pastel colours and could even be used as a backdrop to your table:

For the traditional ice cream parlour look this tablerunner is a must:

How perfect are these candy stripe cups and plate for an ice cream parlour look? Lovely!

Another ultra sweet option is this cute plate with a white seam border! Would suit the red/white theme but it’s also available in pink and blue for the pastel colour scheme as well.

The great thing about an ice cream party is that you can have a lot of fun with different colour combinations. These plates have a great mix of coloured spots to make the table look really vibrant:

Or for a complete colourful tableware pack:

Another great colour combination on these napkins! They would look great teamed with a plain coloured plate:

 Bright paper straws are fun to sip some milkshakes from for this theme:

 

For a complete retro icecream parlour look, pop your straws into one of these straw dispensers!

 Special Themed Items & Sweet Treats

Now onto what the little one’s will eat their ice creams in. Of course you could use ice cream cones, but when you see the fun icecream cup options below I doubt you’ll want to!

This plain cup is great for you to attach your own design onto if you wish! Or you can leave it plain and use cute coloured spoons (see further below) to add splashes of colour:

So many wonderful options for coloured ice cream cups, some of which also come with traditional wooden spoons:

 

How sweet is this ice cream truck which comes with this cups & spoons set? Would make a great decoration at the party!

Lovely for a yellow colour scheme, these cups will really stand out!

These tubs with lids are also a lovely way to serve icecream (Although you could fill them with sweets for a take home gift too):

These colourful gelato spoons would look great to brighten up the plain gelato cups or to match the patterned ones:

If you prefer just a single colour, these pink spoons (which also come in blue) will pretty up your icecream cups!

Little touches can really add something special to a party and this “enjoy” stamp which can be used on wooden spoons is just so delightful it would make eating ice cream even more enjoyable!

 

 

If you are using cones instead of cups, then you can’t go past these icecream cone holders:

 

 

If you want something sweet to serve the icecream from, then these 16cm buckets come in a range of colours and would look much nicer on your table than ice cream tubs:

Serving ice cream gets even more fun with these colourful ice cream scoops! The kids will love using them:

 

This set comes along with gorgeous spoons you could use for serving some of the ice cream toppings on the day:

Speaking of toppings, well you wouldn’t think these compote footed bowls could get anymore sweet but imagine them filled with sprinkles, berries,choc-chips…and yes, they would look amazing! Available in a few different pastel colour options!

 

This sprinkle set is lovely to display your toppings in also!

Another option is to serve your topping options in these cute cupcake wrappers! Perfect for a smaller party where you have smaller quantities of toppings:

 

Also love these scallop boxes for this them to fill with toppings or other treats:

A unique way to label your toppings are these fancy labels! Such pretty things really do suit a fun ice cream party – these would look so sweet on all the topping bowls!

Alternatively, here is a beautiful pastel option for your topping labels to present in front of each topping bowl:

Or look at these free printables – you can edit the topping and print & cut them out yourself:

And then show them off in these card holders:

These turntables work for so many different party themes and I love the idea of using them for an icecream party as another way of displaying/serving toppings or other items such as ice cream cones!

Silver scoops to use to serve the toppings will really add that extra special touch!

I can’t get enough of these milk bottles pictured here in their pastel colours!  Can you imagine a nicer way to serve your sauces for the ice cream? I really can’t!

I’ve seen a few icecream parties place their topping/sauce containers on beautiful french style cutlery drawers.  You can hire a similar one from Sweet Little Birdy (NSW) or buy this one from Shoppe with Lily:

A cake for a special celebration deserves an amazing cake stand and this bright red stand would look great if you are using the traditional red/white colour scheme. Red is a colour that works with so many party themes so although this may be the first party you use this stand for it definitely won’t be the last!

For a softer look to compliment a pastel colour scheme then I am loving the graceful look of these two cake stands!

 

Matching cookies look great on your dessert table and also work well as a treat for your guests to take home. Ice cream shaped cookies would be fun to decorate in an array of colours!

These icecream cone lollies are a sweet matching treat as well!

If you are having cupcakes then this striped cupcake stand (which also comes in other colours) would work well for an Ice cream parlour look!

For something cute to welcome your guests to the icecream bar, how about this gorgeous little blackboard!

 Favours/Take Home Gifts

For a little something for your guests to take home there really are so many fun options for an icecream party!

These pastel stripe bags would be lovely to send home with a cupcake or cake inside:

Also lovely are these favour boxes in various colours and with a cute combination of stripes and polka dots:

Cute polka dot bags if you are following a polka dot pattern for your ice cream theme:

For the more traditional red/white theme these treat boxes are ultra sleek and fun!

Also love this gorgeous pine food cone which comes perfectly shaped like an ice cream cone and could be topped with some fairy floss for an ice cream look! These could also be used as decorations as well:

These glass tubes would be great for housing different toppings which you could then bundle together for your guests to take home to create their own ice cream sundae!

Top off your packaging with this colourful gelati striped ribbon:

If perhaps you feel your guests have had enough sugar for the day you could send them home with these cute novelty gifts!

 

 

 

These ice cream towels would work brilliantly if you are combining a pool party along with your icecream theme:

For a delightful gift tag to finish off your thank you favour, this candy stripe tag (also available in pink and blue) would continue the cute ice cream parlour look all the way home!

For other colour options check out these free printables which are just so lovely !

 

And finally here are some sweet gifts for the birthday boy or girl – these are some great non-sugary ice cream toys, which you could also use as decorations on the day of the party as well!

 Real Parties:

I adore this icecream parlour table from the Eat, Drink, Chic blog

Some sweet and pretty icecream parties featured on Kara’s Party Ideas

The amazing icecream social party styled by Kara herself from Karas Party Ideas

A gorgeous icecream party from Mon Tresor

A lovely light and fresh icecream party from Style Me Gorgeous

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All these pretty things easily make me want to eat some icecream despite this wintery weather! Hope you have found some inspiring ideas to help you in your planning for this fun summer theme for your little one’s celebration! Enjoy!