I recently did sculptures for a wedding at a large country club in Jackson, MS. It was a big wedding and they wanted eleven ice sculptures. Eight of the sculptures were monogrammed stands to hold floral arrangements, one sculpture was a monogram luge, and another was a monogrammed three tier tray for seafood. These ten sculptures were brand new designs, and shared similar design characteristics to give the ice a consistent and elegant look. The ice was a featured decoration as the guests entered the reception and by all accounts, these ten sculptures were a big hit.

    But it was sculpture number eleven, tucked away in a corner room, that people talked about the most.

In fact, the coordinator told me that the groom was reluctant to leave that room because of the sculpture. What was this sculpture that made such an impact? It was Colonel Reb, the traditional mascot of the groom’s alma mater, the University of Mississippi.

    This is not the first time that I’ve carved a mascot for a wedding. For one wedding near Baton Rouge, I did a tiger head luge and there was a big screen tv nearby because the LSU game was on. Another Mississippi wedding featured the Southern Miss eagle (below). For this weekend, I don’t have a mascot sculpture to create, but I do have an Alabama “A” to deliver, which is pretty close.

    At least in my part of the country, mascot sculptures seem to be a minor trend at weddings, especially for young couples recently out of school. So far it looks like a mascot sculpture is usually for the benefit of the groom. I guess the mascots have graduated from the groom’s cake to full sized ice sculptures. And the brides don’t seem to mind. In fact, at an event that is mainly about her, she’s apparently happy to include something just for the groom.

    So what happened to Colonel Reb in the end? Some might have guessed what I also suspected would happen: the groom and his groomsmen tried to take the Colonel with them when they left. Alas, tipsy young men in tuxedos can rarely handle a melted and delicate sculpture, so the Colonel quickly made his way to the carpet. I didn’t witness the actual fall (I thought it was best to pretend I didn’t know what they were trying to do), but I got to pick up the pieces after the fact. There was less ice left than I expected, however, so maybe they got away with enough of Reb to keep them happy...