How to: DIY Ice cream Bar (for the cheap and somewhat lazy)

I've been meaning to give step by step instructions for our DIY Ice Cream bar since we first came up with the idea two years ago, but I left the pieces with my parents, so I couldn't show you how all the pieces fit together. I finally had them after Kristen's Nautical shower a few weekends ago, so I took some step by step pictures for you. Let me know if you have any questions!

When we got married, I really wanted to serve ice cream at the reception.

I wanted to serve ice cream. At an outdoor wedding reception. In the south. In July.

I scoured the internet for just one idea that would make this possible. Just one! Aside from renting a huge softserve machine for a few thousand dollars, I found nothing.

I wanted something relatively inexpensive, because I'm cheap, and that wouldn't be very hard to pull off/clean up, because I'm lazy. Cheap and lazy. Always a winning combination.

 I talked with my dad, and this is what we came up with:

 
To make the container:

• A small barrel, crate, or tub. 
• A piece of plywood large enough to cover the top of your barrel/crate/tub/what have you
• A hand saw/electric saw
• Chalkboard paint (optional)
• Flour sack cloth (optional)

To serve:

• 1 block of dry ice
• Ice cream that comes in a round container (Might I recommend Blue Bell?)
• Decorative glass lid a little larger than your ice cream container (optional)

1) Find a barrel/crate/tub. (You can find these in basically any gardening section anywhere.)

2a)Cut the plywood in whatever shape/dimensions will cover the top of your barrel/crate/tub. 

2b)Cut a little donut hole out of the middle, the size of your tub of ice cream container (we cut outs to fit Blue Bell Ice Cream). 

2c)Paint the top of your little wooden donut with chalkboard paint, if you so desire.

 3) Just before you're ready to party, layer the sack cloth into the barrel (cloth optional). Plop your dry ice on top of it.(Publix, our local grocery store, sells dry ice for about $6.00 per block. 1 block of dry ice will keep the ice cream frozen for about 3 hours.)

4) Put the lid on, slip your ice cream in, and you're ready to go!

So, that's it! We've used our little crates a few times now, and they are always a hit! People are always SHOCKED when they find that the ice cream is still frozen after its been sitting out for a few hours. Quite the party trick.