Project Wedding Blog

Today’s post is from guest blogger Robbin, who recently planned a lovely shower for her sister Katie…

During the summer months, Bridal Showers seem to happen more often than you can throw a bouquet at. While there may be Showers going on every week, it isn’t every day that the Maid of Honor/small business owner in this Wedding Story manages the throwing of a themed Shower from across the country and lives to tell the tale.

So how exactly do you go about planning a bohemian Bridal Shower with a lack of bridal knowledge and a cross-country venue?

I should say that the process started months in advance. My lack of knowledge when it comes to bridal showers became all too clear, and I quickly consulted my parents for help. After learning about the traditional way, then morphing that into my sister’s style, I discovered that I would be planning a bridal shower, over easy.

The planning progressed after a weekend trip and a long discussion in a high-ceilinged Durham coffee shop. My sister, Katie, and I decided on a theme based around the idea of an early 60’s brunch: think vintage Americana at it’s best. The decorations would be vintage handkerchiefs, the napkins would be vintage handkerchiefs, the coasters would be vintage handkerchiefs, and so on. You get the idea.

I started the process by ordering (you got it) vintage handkerchiefs online to make the invitations with. Though I liked the idea of embroidery, I ended up settling for a typed invitation, sewn to the actual handkerchief. There were so many short, random jolts of activity on my home sewing machine that I was waiting for my landlord to inquire. Luckily, the invitations were sewn and hand addressed (some even by kind strangers in a cafe who saw what I was doing offered to help, no less) within the matter of a weekend.

With the invitations marked off the proverbial list, I moved on to the events of the Bridal Shower itself. Seeing as though my sister isn’t much of an organized games and activities-type, the main thing to focus on was the food. Being the cliché twenty-something city dweller that I am (my oven has not been turned on in literally six years), I’m not one with food. Luckily, my distance could be used as an advantage here. Since I was arriving in Durham the day before the shower, there would be no way I would have time to prepare the quantity of hors d’oeuvres and beverages that would be needed for the gaggle of girls that was expected.

K happens to have some amazing friends who are all in a supper club together. The girls came to my rescue, realized my fantasy of a carb overload in the form of finger sandwiches, pudding and punch, and saved the day with the treats you see below.

This left me time to deal with the thing I was beyond excited about: the decorating. I had fantasies of handmade recycled coffee filter garlands and rooms filled with balloons, all inspired by my personal dreams of a completely organic, DIY lifestyle. While those fantasies may not have panned out exactly as they did in my mind (nor have they in my own life), I think all in all the theme was realized, with a bit of help from K’s cozy bungalow of a home.

The shower itself was somewhat a breeze thanks to of all of the wonderful women in attendance. The punch flowed, the sun shown, and the abundance of carbs left me needing a nap. While not all of my shower decorating fantasies came true (re: recycled coffee filter garlands), we still got more shower packed into one genuinely beautiful and relaxing day. And the best part? Our sweet bride was as happy as she could be.

Now, on to the next step: the design and creation of K’s veil. Take one part jewelry designer, one part inadequate seamstress, too many cups of ideas, and what’s your end result?

photos by Carla Kucinski