A Classic Venue for Globe Ice Lanterns!

This last weekend, I was lucky enough to be a asked by to help decorate the entry of "The Chalet" for a  large corporate party. This charming building is located in the Theodore Wirth Park and is an absolutely stunning venue for any gathering - for a group of cross country skiers gathering over energy bars and water bottles to elegant brides surrounded by baubles, bows and beads. The Minneapolis Park Board website very accurately describes this magical place, "This quaint Swiss style chalet, Wirth Chalet, has an ambiance of a rustic lodge. An adjacent stone terrace creates the opportunity for your guests to enjoy both the inner elegance of the Fireplace Room and the peaceful wilderness of Theodore Wirth Park." So as you can imagine, I was really excited . . . and then saw the weather forecast . . . 

The front of the Chalet is vast, so just a few Globe Ice Lanterns would not cut it. And, with the weather saying 40° F/ 5°C, that meant that it was not going to be easy. I have 3 large freezers at my disposal, but given these temps, once you make them, you also have to store them. So, I was making them around the clock. And once my freezers were full, (and thanks to my dad for letting me use his, too!) I crossed my fingers and hoped that the rain would wait for another day. I install Globe Ice Lanterns with the large opening down and create a small chimney for the candle. Then they will stay lit in light rain/wind, but a heavy downpour and/or high winds make for a challenging adventure in luminary science! 

But as you can see, the heavier rain waited until the middle of the night and the guest walked easily up the paths to the festive, glowing party. 

The report came back the next day that all the globes stayed lit all evening long - through high winds and light rain. Yeah!

But the next morning, we went back to pick up the rain-wilted Globe Ice Lanterns and were surprised to find them in relatively good form. But, there was going to be a wedding that evening and given that it was going to maybe hit 50° F/10° C, we thought it would be nice to not leave big puddles everywhere. 

We had to explain the the bride, (seen below having her picture taken with the globes) who arrived early to start preparing, that she really did not want us to leave the globe there, as by nighttime they would not only be much smaller, but they would be hard to keep lit given how large the chimneys had become from use and rain as well as the threat of even more rain that night. I felt bad that she was disappointed, so I reset the globes on the pathway with mounds of snow underneath so I could make the candles really low in the snow. Then, far away from the wind and rain, they might stay lit! 

All in all, it was a grand affair, but I would love the opportunity to do it again with more wintery conditions. This was the sketch that I provided the client a few months ago when we first started talking about the possibilities. The idea was to light every corning of the entrance with Globe Ice Lanterns and accent with Bouquets of Ice Glass. Fun, right?

Thank you to White Peacock Events for inviting us to help!

Enjoy the Glow!

***

©Wintercraft.  All Rights Reserved. This blog post may be linked to and credited, however, the contents including all photos, videos and text may not be reproduced in any form without written permission.