DIY Frozen Wine Chiller

BySugar & Cloth Last Updated onFebruary 5, 2026

Make a beautiful DIY Frozen Wine Chiller with fresh flowers. This easy ice bucket tutorial keeps wine chilled and adds an elegant touch to any party.

Entertaining season or not, this DIY frozen wine chiller is one of those creative projects that instantly elevates any gathering. This beautiful floral ice bucket idea uses fresh flowers frozen in ice to create a functional centerpiece. Keeps your wine perfectly chilled while doubling as stunning party decor!

Whether you’re hosting a holiday dinner, summer soirée, bridal shower, or weekend get-together, a floral frozen wine chiller adds an effortless wow factor to your table. One of the best parts about making a DIY frozen wine chiller is how customizable it is. You can dress it up with seasonal blooms, keep it minimal with greenery, or match the florals to your party color palette.

Hosting a crowd or setting up a mimosa bar? Make a larger wine chiller or create multiple ice buckets to hold several bottles at once. Planning something more intimate? A single frozen wine chiller paired with a cheese board, fruit platter or dessert tray makes an impressive yet easy display.

Ahead, we’ll walk you through exactly how to make your own DIY frozen wine chiller, plus tips for arranging fresh flowers so they freeze beautifully and stay secure. Once you see how simple it is, you’ll want to make this elegant wine chiller for every celebration.

Table of Contents

Materials and Tools

Fresh or faux flower petals and blooms: Choose flowers that complement your event or color palette. Use small, flat flowers for best results. Pressed-style blooms, petals, and greenery freeze more evenly and stay visible in the ice. Large or bulky flowers can trap air bubbles.
Ice bucket: This will act as the outer mold for your DIY Frozen Wine Chiller. Select a bucket or ice mold that fits the number of wine bottles you plan to chill. Larger chillers are great for parties, while a single-bottle size works perfectly for smaller gatherings.
Small container (wine bottle size): Just large enough to fit a wine bottle. We used a quart-sized container.
Water: For filling and freezing the chiller. Distilled water (or water that’s been boiled and cooled) creates clearer ice for a more polished, glass-like look.
Weights: To keep the inner container from floating. We used frozen ice packs, but any heavy, waterproof weights will work.
Wax paper (optional): Helpful if you need extra stabilization for the inner container while freezing.

Tip: If you don’t already have an ice bucket, you can use a plastic ice mold instead. This all-in-one option eliminates the need for a separate bucket, inner container, and weights, making the process even easier.

How to Make a DIY Frozen Wine Chiller

1 — Create the base layer:

Start by adding 2–3 inches of water to the bottom of your ice bucket. Scatter in fresh or faux flower petals. Then place the bucket in the freezer and let this base freeze completely.

Tip: Pour water slowly. A slow pour reduces air bubbles and prevents petals from shifting out of place.

2 — Position the wine bottle mold:

Fill your smaller container with weights and carefully place it in the center of the frozen base. This container will form the opening that holds the wine bottle in your DIY frozen wine chiller.

3 — Build the floral ice walls:

Add more flower petals around the edges of the bucket. Slowly pour in water until the bucket is about one-third full. Freeze again until solid.

Tip: If the center container starts to shift, use small bundles of wax paper to hold it in place while freezing. The wax paper will peel off easily once frozen.

4 — Fill and freeze completely:

Once the previous layer is frozen, add more petals and fill the bucket the rest of the way with water. Return it to the freezer and allow the DIY Frozen Wine Chiller to freeze fully.

Tip: Press flowers against the sides. Gently place petals and blooms along the edges of the mold so they’re visible once frozen. Smaller flowers and flat petals freeze best.

5 — Unmold the frozen wine chiller:

When you’re ready to use it, remove the bucket from the freezer and run the outside under warm water. This will loosen the ice and allow the frozen wine chiller to slide out smoothly.

Important: Try to keep the inner container from touching the water while freezing. If it slips and makes contact, it may freeze in place and be harder to remove.

Tutorial Tips & Tricks

Skip drainage holes for frozen wine chillers: Unlike traditional ice buckets, a DIY frozen wine chiller should not have holes. The solid ice structure is what keeps the wine cold and holds the flowers in place.
Partially freeze in layers: Freezing the chiller in stages helps keep flowers suspended instead of floating to the top. This also gives you more control over placement.
Anchor flowers to the sides: Gently press petals against the mold or bucket walls before freezing so they show clearly once unmolded.
Freeze overnight for best results: A fully frozen wine chiller is sturdier, lasts longer, and unmolds more cleanly.
Run warm water briefly to release: When unmolding, warm the outside just enough to loosen the ice. Don’t overdo it or the design may melt.
Store in the freezer until serving time: Keep your DIY frozen wine chiller frozen until right before guests arrive to maximize its lifespan.
Have a tray or towel ready: As the ice melts, a tray underneath helps catch drips and keeps your table dry.

frozen wine bucket for your next party - sugar & cloth

More Entertaining Ideas

If you couldn’t already tell, we love incorporating fresh flowers to our decor in creative ways. We’ve used them to make floral and sage smudge sticks and even use them to decorate cakes. For some more stunning entertaining decor ideas, check out a few of our favorite below: