Ice Ice Baby: Lean Into the Season with These Sleek Winter Decor Ideas

Luxury wedding business summit Engage! traveled to the Great White North for its 24th event and to celebrate its official 10-year anniversary. Held in June 2018 at Fairmont Banff Springs in Banff, Alberta, Engage!18 Canada brought together wedding and event planners for a three-day conference that was produced by Engaging Concepts. The event's Great White North Gala, which was held on the final night, featured a white and metallic winter wonderland theme with illuminated laser-cut paper centerpieces and menus designed and produced by TPD Design House.

TPD Design House also designed and produced 15,000 laser-cut paper fir leaves for an installation, which was installed over the dance floor. See more: See How the Engage!18 Wedding Summit Captured the Canadian Spirit

For a corporate holiday party held earlier this month, Sterling Engagements created a stylish wintry retreat in a lodge-like setting. The space featured snow-dusted trees, serene blue lighting inspired by the winter sky, and a color palette complemented by shimmering metallics that were designed to catch the light. The centerpiece of the festive gathering was the plaid dance floor and eye-catching ceiling installation, which mixed different mediums including winter greens, pine cones, starbursts, and more.

Behind the dance floor was a lodge-like DJ booth.

Florals furthered the whimsical, wintry theme. Other fun touches included bartenders dressed in cabincore attire, wreath photo moments, ski footage projected overhead, and cozy fireside lounges. Throughout the space, soft velvet textiles were contrasted with pops of plaid to further the vibe.

Inspired by Alexander McQueen, the Chanel 2010 fall runway show, and the couple’s love of The Chronicles of Narnia and Game of Thrones, Kristin Banta Events created this Winter-in-August wedding at the SLS Hotel in Beverly Hills. It featured a palette of soft whites, grays, and natural wood, and an aisle lined with birch trees and wooden antler chandeliers.

Cocktail hour and dinner showcased metallic birch linens; snowy tablescapes of phalaenopsis orchids; and white succulents with crystallized tips mixed with birch, slate, quartz, cotton pods, silver antlers, and glass cloches. Stainless steel, pewter, and silver vessels were used to bring a contemporary feel to the icy-inspired decor that adorned the reception space.

At the table settings, guests' names evoked shards of ice. Another fun touch? Digital mapping of falling snow along with birch tree projections transported guests into an arctic retreat.

Attendees were treated to an ice bar and vodka luge while an eight-piece band played in front of a birch forest backdrop on a fur-upholstered stage. An interactive photo booth offered thematic props including bear paws, antlers, ice crowns, and earmuffs.

The right materials and lighting can evoke a sleek, wintry look—even without outwardly winter-themed items. Case in point: this design-forward event from fashion brand Dynamite, held in September at Toronto's Union Station. Designed to change perceptions—aligning with a shift in the brand's marketing strategy—the event had a “Style in the City” concept.

Decor featured mirrored and reflective elements, along with subtle black and white details. The event was a collaboration with experiential agency The Concierge Club.

In December 2021, Grammy-nominated artist Saweetie and Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Honey hosted their first in-person event together since starting their partnership in 2020. Guests were transported into a fully immersive winter wonderland in the heart of West Hollywood, where they enjoyed holiday decor, signature cocktails, live entertainment, and photo booths. The event took on an “Icy Season” theme, with guests entering through an ice- and snowflake-filled tunnel, grabbing drinks from bars made of ice, and enjoying performances from the ICY Girls.

Toronto-based event design firm CANDICE&ALISON recently produced a holiday event that had an “abstract” theme to suit the modern architectural environment of Walker Court inside the Art Gallery of Ontario. A 360-degree center bar covered in reflective chrome vinyl sat on top of a mirror chrome floor treatment to evoke an icy aesthetic.

Mirrored angular high-tops and cool-tone light-blue velvet soft furnishings continued the theme, while blended-up lighting had a tonal array from teal to violet.

Evergreen florals were accented with winter blooms and tinsel and blue velvet ribbons.

Coachella music festival isn't exactly known for its snowy weather and cool temps. But in 2017, Bumble cleverly helped festivalgoers beat the heat at Winter Bumbleland, a ski resort set amid the dust, heat, and palm trees of the Coachella Valley. Bumble worked with Kristin Banta Events on the ultra-chill soiree.

Highlights included a mountain chalet-inspired DJ booth, a frozen igloo offering a vodka ice bar and luge along with ice lounges and 360-degree projection mapping of the northern lights, and a ski lift chair photo booth.

There was also a tubing run (with faux snow, of course), a swim-up ice bar, and a snow angel garden, plus a digital kiosk that allowed guests to project custom snowflakes into the sky over a chilled desert igloo.

In January 2017, the Miami City Ballet celebrated its 31st annual gala, raising more than $1 million to support the organization’s work both onstage and in the community. The theme of the ball—an ice-kissed fairy tale with frozen ballet shoes as centerpieces—was inspired by the world premiere of Alexei Ratmansky’s "The Fairy’s Kiss."

A bar was made from ice and florals. See more: 17 Ideas We Loved From Winter Benefits

Furniture retailer Ashley recently teamed up with a cappella group Pentatonix and experiential agency CNC to create an immersive holiday-themed listening room experience at The Grove in Los Angeles. Aiming to connect consumers with current trends, the activation—which took place in November 2023—allowed fans to listen to Pentatonix’s new Christmas album while lounging in holiday settings filled with Ashley furniture pieces. “Houses” shaped like the Ashley logo took on different themes, including “The Yule Pod,” “The Modern Christmas,” and “The White Holiday.” Branded giveaways included tote bags and Pentatonix CDs; there were also photo ops and a DIY hot cocoa bar. Guests could shop the Ashley furniture items by scanning QR codes; they could also enter to win two Pentatonix tickets and a $1,000 Ashley gift card.