My Blog

Clarissa & Jeremy - March 10, 2012

04/02/2012 10:43:00

We were so excited to begin our 2012 Wedding Season in March with our Portable Slab at Clarissa and Jeremy's reception at one of our FAVE-o-rite venues, Butterfly Gap Retreat!

Clarissa and Jeremy first met us last September when we were serving at Anna and Garrett's wedding at the Norris Tea Room. After talking a bit, the couple knew they wanted to include Marble Slab Creamery in their celebration, but our Portable Slab was already booked for their date. So what to do?

After consulting with Butterfly Gap on other possible open dates, and confirming that our Portable Slab was available, they moved their wedding up to March although they had originally planned to get married later in the Spring/Summer. Who knew we'd have sunny 75-degree weather in East Tennessee on March 10?? It ws PERFECT for an ice cream reception!

Check out their slide show to see other photos from the event. A special thanks to Joe and Kathleen of JoPhoto for sharing images with us so that we can share them with you. :-)

Elegant Displays for Marble Slab Creamery Sundae Bars

02/27/2012 10:01:00

Off-season has given me the opportunity to experiment with some new serve ware for our Marble Slab Creamery catering events. I'm loving our newest display for Ice Cream Socials or Sundae Bars that includes these pretty glass bowls and rod iron risers.

These photos were taken a couple of weeks ago by Expressive Moments Photography at the Wedding Row Open House event hosted by Lisa Foster Floral Design, Wedding Wonderland, and White Table. For the event we featured a simple Ice Cream Social with Sweet Cream ice cream and introduced a couple of new topping options, Balsamic Strawberries and Sweet Toasted Coconut, along with an assortment of other candies. I can't wait to implement these ideas into one of our upcoming catering events!

Marble Slab Creamery of Fountain City wins WeddingWire Award for 2012

01/23/2012 15:52:00

{Knoxville,TN} – January 23, 2012 – WeddingWire, the nation's leading wedding Marketplace, is excited to announce Marble Slab Creamery - Ice Cream Catering has been selected to receive the prestigious WeddingWire Bride’s Choice Awards™ 2012 for Catering!

The esteemed annual awards program recognizes the top local wedding vendors from the WeddingWire Network who demonstrate excellence in quality, service, responsiveness and professionalism within the wedding industry. While many industry awards are selected by the organization, Marble Slab Creamery - Ice Cream Catering was selected based on its stellar reviews from past newlywed clients.

Marble Slab Creamery - Ice Cream Catering is recognized as part of the top five percent of wedding professionals in the WeddingWire local vendor community, comprised of over 200,000 wedding professionals throughout the United States and Canada. The Bride’s Choice Award recognizes the best local wedding vendors across 20 service categories, from wedding venues to wedding photographers, based on their overall professional achievements throughout the past year.

“WeddingWire is thrilled to honor the success of the top-rated wedding professionals within the WeddingWire Community,” said Timothy Chi, CEO, WeddingWire. “Since the launch of the Bride’s Choice Awards™ program four years ago, thousands of outstanding wedding professionals have been recognized by the bridal community for their supreme service and dedication to the wedding industry. It is with great pleasure that we congratulate Marble Slab Creamery - Ice Cream Catering for their continued professionalism and commitment to enriching the wedding planning experience for engaged couples.”

We are happy to announce that Marble Slab Creamery - Ice Cream Catering is one of the very best Caterers within the WeddingWire Network, which includes leading wedding planning sites WeddingWire, Project Wedding, Brides.com, Martha Stewart Weddings, and Weddingbee. We would like to thank our past clients for taking the time to review our business on WeddingWire. Thanks to their positive feedback we were able to receive the WeddingWire Bride’s Choice Awards™ for 2012.

For more information, please visit our WeddingWire Storefront today at http://www.weddingwire.com/biz/marble-slab-creamery-ice-cream-catering-knoxville/715c612046fca364.ht.

To learn more about the Bride's Choice Awards™, please visit www.WeddingWire.com.

About WeddingWire, Inc.
WeddingWire™, the nation's leading marketplace serving the $70 billion wedding industry, is the only online wedding planning resource designed to empower both engaged couples and wedding professionals. For engaged couples, WeddingWire offers the ability to search, compare and book over 200,000 reviewed wedding vendors, from wedding venues to wedding photographers. WeddingWire also offers a comprehensive suite of online planning tools for weddings, including wedding websites and wedding checklists, all at no charge. For wedding professionals, WeddingWire is the only all-in-one marketing platform for businesses online and on-the-go. WeddingWire offers one simple solution to build a professional network, improve search visibility, manage social media and reach mobile consumers. Businesses that advertise with WeddingWire appear on WeddingWire.com, ProjectWedding.com and other leading sites, including MarthaStewartWeddings.com (NYSE: MSO), Brides.com and Weddingbee.com.

BLING in the New Year, Twenty-Twelve!

01/01/2012 18:56:00

Congratulations to all those couples who became newly engaged over the holidays! Now it's time to start 2012 with some wedding planning fun! If you and your fiance are Marble Slab Creamery fans, consider serving our gourmet ice cream at your wedding celebration. Please check our our local Marble Slab catering site to see highlights from some of our favorite 2011 weddings. Get the whole Marble Slab experience with our Portable Slab or choose one of our Ice Cream Sundae Bar options. Both are a guaranteed hit with your guests!

Sound interesting? Then we'd love to meet you at one of the following wedding planning events and consult with you on how Marble Slab Creamery can make your day extra sweet!

Sunday, January 8, 11-4 pm

The Knoxville Pink Bridal Show, Knoxville Convention Center

Sunday, February 12, 11-4 pm

Say YES! Bridal & Beyond Show, Knoxville Convention Center

Sunday, March 4, 12-4 pm

Whitestone Country Inn Bridal Show, Kingston, TN

For more info, contact Sheila Thigpen, Marble Slab's wedding consultant -- 865.603.2466 or info@marbleslabcatering.com.

Nikkiah & Jeffrey - October 22, 2011

12/18/2011 09:54:00

As we're wrapping up this year, it's my pleasure to feature our last wedding of 2011 and a very nice couple, Nikkiah and Jeffrey, who celebrated at Fox Den Country Club on October 22.

Nikkiah and Jeffrey, graduates of The University of Tennessee, live and work in the Washington, D.C. area and met through UT's Young Alumni Association in the Capitol. Funny how it is that you can be in the same town for four years and never meet until you move away!

Nikkiah attended one of the open house events in Knoxville this Spring, and after returning to D.C. decided that our Portable Slab would be awesome as Jeffrey's groom's cake. The portable slab was set up in the parlor at Fox Den (notice the "Fox Den" painting).

It's sometimes difficult to make a decision when there are so many yummy choices!

The menu included four of our most popular ice cream flavors--Vanilla, Cheesecake, Sweet Cream, and Chocolate Swiss--along with fresh strawberries and other sweet and crunchy mixins.

Part of the fun with Marble Slab Creamery's portable slab catering is not only choosing your combination, but also watching your ice cream dessert being blended on our frozen slab.

Jeffrey is saying, "I don't know about you, but I'm having Sweet Cream!"

The portable slab allows the whole Marble Slab experience for catering events.

Anna & Garrett - September 3, 2011

12/08/2011 12:49:00

Meet one of our sweet couples, Anna and Garrett, lovers of nature, music, swimming, and...Marble Slab Creamery ICE CREAM! Anna and Garrett chose the Tea Room at Norris Dam State Park as the setting for their Labor Day weekend wedding. The weather for our last summer wedding was HOT, HOT, HOT, so it was a perfect day for an Ice Cream Sundae Bar reception.

Anna is finishing up her Art Education degree and did a lot of DIY projects for her wedding in hues of sage green, orange, and yellows. The Tea Room fit her style perfectly. The burlap table runners, pots of wild flowers and paper lanterns along with the Tea Room's tables and cane bottom chairs created a fun atmosphere.

The bridesmaids carried sunflowers and all the guests were provided with a hand held fan for the outdoor ceremony that featured one of the couple's engagement photos by Jennie Andrews Photography--love it!

Marble Slab Creamery was referred to Anna and Garrett by our photographer friend, Jennie Andrews, who provided us with these awesome images of our service table--thank you, thank you, thank you! Originally, Anna and Garrett had booked our Portable Slab for the reception, but when we checked out the historic Tea Room we found that the doorways in the 1930's building were too narrow to allow us to move the equipment inside. So instead, we catered our very popular Ice Cream Sundae Bar with three of the couple's favorite flavors--Vanilla, Double Dark Chocolate, and Birthday Cake.

We also brought along fresh strawberries, toasted pecans, and homemade cookie dough and other candies as toppings. Guests are never disappointed, especially when we ask if they'd like our Hot Fudge and Hot Caramel to top their sundae creations.

Yes, this sundae is delicious, and Jennie Andrews gets the award for capturing the perfect Marble Slab Creamery sundae photo of the summer! Yum-O!

Anna and Garrett's ceremony in the outdoor amphitheatre included the old-fashioned tradition of "jumping the broom!"

Here's another of Anna's creative DIY wedding projects. During the reception guests added their thumb prints and signatures to this family tree as a momento of the wedding. So special!

Marble Slab had the honor of working alongside Jennie Andrews at two weddings this year, and I'm beginning to think she has a thing about couples in the back of a car *wink wink* (check out our previous post Jeni & Michael).

Thank you, Anna and Garrett, for choosing Marble Slab Creamery as a part of your special day's celebration. We wish you scoops and scoops of happiness!

Jeni & Michael - July 16, 2011

12/01/2011 08:50:00

It's been a few weeks since I've had the opportunity to share a wedding post, and I'm so, so excited to share these awesome images of Jeni & Michael's wedding by the famous Jennie Andrews of Jennie Andrews Photography! Three years ago Marble Slab Creamery catered our very first wedding in Knoxville and had the privilege of working alongside Jennie. She's ultra talented and always so much fun!

Jeni and Michael chose to get married at one of our favorite venues, Butterfly Gap Retreat in Maryville, Tennessee. BGR is in a lovely secluded setting and offers a ton of outdoor photo opportunities. Remember, I mentioned that Jennie is a lot of fun? Well, when we arrived at BGR to set up for the reception this is what we first saw as we drove up the driveway...

...Michael and Jeni being whizzed around the property in Jennie Andrew's little red Mini Coop for photo ops. Yep, our day started off with a big laugh!

Back to Michael and Jeni...we met this fun couple earlier this year at a Winter Open House event at Butterfly Gap Retreat where we featured our Portable Slab. Jeni decided right then and there that she wanted us to bring the slab back for her wedding and booked us on site (she wanted to make sure she snagged our SLAB for her date!).

Later, Michael and Jeni met with me for a Tasting Session where they chose four ice cream flavors to offer their guests--Birthday Cake, Black Cherry, Chocolate Swiss, and Vanilla--along with their favorite mixins.

Thank you, Jeni and Michael, for choosing Marble Slab Creamery to be a part of your special celebration! We wish you scoops of happiness!

Marble Slab Creamery Gourmet Sundaes for Very Special Events

11/16/2011 08:14:00

Hold on to your tastebuds....you will love these new custom Gourmet Sundaes I've developed for our East Tennessee Holiday catering menu! We're very fortunate to have something really delicious to start with--Marble Slab Creamery ice cream recipes have been developed with a chef-driven focus--so "kicking it up a notch" was easy.

These new holiday catering options all began as a result of our involvement with the March of Dimes Signature Chefs Auction last week at the Knoxville Convention Center. John and I have participated in this charity event for the past five years and it's always an honor to among some of Knoxville's best chefs and restaurant owners. Each year I try to introduce one of Marble Slab Creamery's newest flavors, but this year I added a touch of my own creativity.

Our menu for the evening included a Sonoma Sundae and a Carrot Cake Sundae (made with our newest flavor), and both received high praises from the patrons at the event!Since these were such a hit, I've decided to group them along with a few more as offerings for Holiday parties. I'm calling this option the Gourmet Sundae Bar. The full menu includes six Gourmet Sundaes from which you can choose two to offer at your catered event. Our catering is full service--delivery, set up, and service--with a tastefully decorated service table, and of course delicious ice cream desserts. We've already booked two events with our new Gourmet Sundae Bar, so call me today if this is something you'd like to offer at your Holiday soiree! (Sheila/Catering Consultant - 865.603.2466 - or email info@marbleslabcatering.com)

Here's our new Gourmet Sundae Bar menu (you choose two):

Sonoma Sundae - Sweet Cream Ice Cream with homemade Mulled Wine Dark Chocolate Sauce, whipped cream & chocolate sprinkle garnish.

Carrot Cake Sundae - Carrot Cake Ice Cream with homemade Cream Cheese Whipped Cream & toasted coconut garnish.

Peppermint Oreo Sundae - Peppermint Ice Cream with Oreo cookies, chocolate sauce, whipped cream & candy cane garnish.

Almond Brittle Sundae - Amaretto Ice Cream with Heath Bar, caramel sauce, whipped cream & toasted almond garnish.

Rocky Road Sundae - Chocolate Swiss Ice Cream with marshmallow creme, chocolate drizzle, whipped cream & walnuts.

Strawberry Shortcake - Vanilla Ice Cream and yellow cake with fresh strawberries, strawberry syrup & whipped cream.

Brittany & Erik - August 6, 2011

11/03/2011 18:28:00

Get ready, friends, for some really fun wedding photos by Chelsea B. Photography of Brittany and Erik's sweet Southern wedding reception at The Reserve at Bluebird Hill! It was definitely a pleasure working with Brittany during the planning phases of her reception because she is so genuinely sweet. After graduating from UT this spring, Brittany became a full-time Young Life staff member. And, what do you know? Myniece is in one of Brittany's high school groups! She tells me "Brittany is awesome!"

The wedding ceremony was held at Cedar Springs Presbyterian Church with the reception for 400 guests following at Bluebird. Buffets by Abner's Attic were set up inside the pavilion as well as in the garden. Dessert consisted of Bridal cupcakes (for the wedding cake) and a Marble Slab Creamery Ice Cream Social for the Groom's Cake.

At our Tasting Session, three favorite flavors were chosen--Vanilla Bean, Chocolate Swiss, and Birthday Cake--along with Oreos, Reece's Pieces, pecans, graham crackers, gummy bears, and fresh strawberries as toppings. I just LOVE this homemade chalkboard menu that Erik made for our service table featuring the "Swan Bomb" which was Erik's favorite combination.

Just hours before the reception, Knoxville was hit with some major rain so needless to say we were ultra happy that the skies cleared up in time for the reception (even though we were under a lovely tent!).

This wedding season we began offering "self-serve" topping stations and I really like the fun display we can achieve with some of the topping choices brides make. Gummy bears, M&M's, and other colorful fruits and candies make for a fun and festive table.

And here they are...a couple of our favorite Marble Slab Creamery fans, Mr. and Mrs. Swan!

Now, I can't help but mention a couple of fun facts about this reception (and share a couple of my own snapshots):

1. We served the GOVERNOR at the reception! Yep, Governor Bill Haslam really likes Marble Slab ice cream. His choice for the evening was Chocolate Swiss topped with Oreos and fresh strawberries--a very nice combo. Actually, Governor Haslam was the officiant for the ceremony, a special treat for his daughter's best friend.

2. Brittany and Erik's wedding was featured in the October issue of the Knoxville Magazine's Say YES! section. It was a lovely spread featuring more photos by Chelsea B. Photography and included this description about the reception's sweets:

In lieu of a traditional groom's cake and bridal cake, the couple wanted to share their favorite treats with their guests. Brittany chose a 6-tiered cupcake "cake" from Cities Cupcakes in an array of flavors. Erik chose a Marble Slab ice cream bar complete with three flavors and six mixins. One of Erik's handcrafted chalkboards listed the options along with the Swam Bomb: Birthday Cake and Graham Crackers. They say, "We loved having all of our favorite treats there and hope our guests liked it!"

Sunshine in a cup!

07/29/2011 10:46:00

Sunshine in a cup! That's what I think of when I see this sweet, refreshing ice cream dessert Marble Slab Creamery created especially for Mandie and Patrick's June wedding reception at the Knoxville Zoo. Being the truest of Marble Slab ice cream fans, when Mandie and Patrick met us at a bridal event last year they knew we would be perfect for the fun wedding reception they had in mind.

After deciding on our Premium Sundae Bar, which included two flavors of ice cream, six toppings, sundae fixins' (hot fudge and caramel, whipped cream, sundae nuts, and cherries) plus pound cake and brownies, the idea evolved to create signature Bride and Groom sundaes. The results were Mandie's Wedding Cake Sundae and Patrick's Chocolate Covered Strawberry Sundae. They're both dee-lish-us!!

A couple of weeks before the big day, Mandie and Patrick and their awesome wedding photographer, Christy Foreman, stopped by our creamery for a special wedding Sundae photo shoot. We dished up their creations in glass bowls and Christy shot a few photos that were used as menu cards at the reception. Guests could choose one of these signature sundaes or had the option of creating their own using the toppings the couple had chosen to offer.

Remember that "sunshine in a cup" stuff? Well, Mandie and Patrick's wedding theme included plenty of happy yellows. I loved the table arrangements of bright yellow sunflowers and yellow roses in custom bamboo vases with black satin ribbons. They were the perfect touch for the Knoxville Zoo's exotic outdoor pavilion. Kudos to the Zoo's wedding coordinator, Ashley Shaloup, for an awesome job!

The Marble Slab Premium Sundae Bar included our Strawberry and Birthday Cake ice cream flavors, pound cake, brownies, fresh strawberries, gummy bears, yellow M&Ms and sprinkles, Oreo cookies, pecans, as well as hot fudge and caramel, whipped cream, sundae nuts and cherries. Yep, pretty much sunshine in a cup!

Thank you, Mandie and Patrick, for choosing Marble Slab Creamery and for making our job so much FUN! And thank you, Christy Foreman for sharing these awesome photo memories!

P.S. For more fun, be sure to check out Christy Foreman's blog post Mandie & Patrick Are Married!