Project Wedding Blog

My sister Kathy of Elysia Desserts recently threw a gorgeous bridal shower for her dear friend Cynthia. The bridal shower theme was Antique French Library …

For bridal shower favors, Kathy presented the bride’s favorite candy - Swedish Fish. The candy was delicately placed in a mason jar with khaki fabric tied on the top with a piece of twine to give it a country feel. The label read “So Many Fish In the Sea… I finally found the one for me!” as an ode to the Swedish fish encased in the bridal shower favors.

Kathy took an antique and very budget-friendly approach to the bridal shower decor. She used glass milk bottles to serve water. Bell jars and spaghetti sauce jars were an inexpensive and charming way to hold the flowers pale lavender and white flowers she bought at a local farmers market. Small jam jars were reused to hold loose tea leaves, serving as both fashion and function. To incorporate the library theme, she found vintage books and stacked them artistically in the food display. She then took some of the pages of the books and created a paper wall-hanging made of pinwheels and other garlands so that the antique vibe resonated from floor to ceiling.

And to finish off the look, Kathy presented the tea in our mother’s antique porcelain tea set. Tea was served with an array of dainty sandwiches, and of course Kathy’s signature cupcakes - a green tea cupcake with cream frosting, and an earl gray tea cupcake with orange blossom butter cream frosting.

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How perfect are these little cupcake bouquets for a bridal shower? They look easy to make, can cost under $3 per arrangement, and were created by the brilliant ladies of Inspired Ideas, who reveal the step-by-step process for their cute creation. Love them!

Images courtesy: Inspired Ideas

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Give your guests or girlfriends a sneak preview of what your wedding cake flavors will be with these precious cake pops! These are perfect to serve at your bridal shower, rehearsal dinner, as favors or at any special soiree! These particular cheesecake pops are from the must-read Bakerella blog — she is famous for her many variations of cake pops!

Learn how to make them right here!

Images courtesy: Bakerella

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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

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How adorable and perfect for summer is this table setting from Sunday Suppers? If you haven’t visited their site, they feature gorgeous meals, recipes and fabulous table setting designs. I felt this would be perfect for any spring or summer bridal shower! Love the burlap tablecloth with the purple flowers!

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If you ever check the front page or the guide, you’ve probably noticed some absolutely gorgeous decor concepts from Lollipop Events and Designs. Their style and creativity never ceases to amaze me! Check out these two do-it-yourself decor concepts we just posted: Retro Citrus and Alice in Wonderland. Sneak preview below…

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My friend Grace is one of the most creative people I know, so it was no surprise that she came up with a brilliant idea for our gummy-loving friend’s graduation.  She individually wrapped little gummies in cellophane to create petals, and adhered them to form flowers using a glue gun (she tested the hot glue against the cellophane to make sure it wouldn’t burn through).  The strands were twisted gummy strings!  Talk about ingenious.  I can see this working as a great bridal shower favor or prize!

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This weekend I threw a wine tasting and french-themed bridal shower for my childhood best friend, with about 15 guests in attendance. Here are five secrets to the success of this bridal shower:

1) Have at least two good entree options. We got a casserole and a large savory tart and everybody raved!

2) Offer healthy food options like a salad and fruit. Many women are very health or waistline-conscious!

3) Serve plenty of wine or alcohol. Nothing gets conversation flowing like a little bit of liquid courage.

4) If you’re going to play a bridal shower game, the newlywed game is always a big hit!

5) Be prepared for your guests to stay 6-7 hours! That’s the advantage of having a bridal shower at home… because you definitely can’t stay at a restaurant for very long before they kick you out!

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