Warm fellings, cold medium Dave Van Camp of Ice Visions carves out a sculpture featuring two interlinked hearts for a local wedding. Ice Visions can bring an ice creation to life.
Phot: Kristi Foster

Ice sculptures add unique touch to any wedding
By Elizabeth Slonim Macanufo
Special To The Jewish Light

Couples looking for a "chill" wedding have the perfect decor by way of Mother Nature: ice sculptures. St. Louis ice sculptors can shape frozen water into many forms to fit any wedding.

David Van Camp, owner of Ice Visions, has created ice sculptures for 500 weddings each year since 1992. “An ice sculpture enhances the whole reception room. The piece can fit the ambiance of the event and adds so much to the whole feeling in the room." Depending on the temperature of the room, ice sculptures typically last from five-to-seven hours.

Van Camp has also noticed that his customers prefer unique sculptures. "We can do double hearts, swans, a bride and a groom, and monograms, but most people prefer custom work." Using a computer numerical control machine, Van Camp uses a computerized 3-D sculpture machine to produce the frozen art.

Ice sculpture offerings include more than just buffet or gift table centerpieces. Van Camp can create small, matching sculptures to be placed on each guest table.

He also forms full sized ice bars out of thousands of pounds of ice. Photos of the wedding couple could be frozen and visible within the bar. Another popular ice exhibit is an ice luge, which dispenses beverages.

Van Camp uses light to further decorate his sculptures. "Part of the whole package is to illuminate the sculpture," he explains. He can also freeze objects into the sculptures, such as bottles of liquor.

Brides and grooms searching for their ideal ice sculpture can visit ice sculpting events held during the wintertime in St. Louis. The University City Loop holds an Ice Carnival each January. The Fete de Glace ice festival and carving competition is held annually during January in downtown St. Charles.

Van Camp also recognizes the benefits of having ice sculptures at a wedding. "People don't realize how much an ice sculpture can fulfill an evening." The possibilities are endless.

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