Wedding Shower Inspiration: Daniela's Vintage Tea Party

Every girl dreams of her beautiful wedding day with formal invitations, lush flowers, elegant  details, white dresses, and ever so helpful bridesmaids.  But, would you dream that your bridal shower could be the scene stealer?  Today we are pleased to share Daniela's "vintage tea party" themed bridal shower, exquisitely put together by her thoughtful and creative bridesmaids.  From homemade Vanilla extract favors to handmade doily garland and paper pom poms, this is a shower is full of charming personal touches that helped to create an elegant and sophisticated day for the bride to remember.

We asked one of the bridesmaids to give us her take on how
they went about planning this event and here are some of the thoughts and
insite she shared with us:

Was
there an overarching theme for the shower?

Our initial thought for a theme was an elegant, soft, vintage
inspired tea party, but we didn't want to take it too literally and serve just
tea and put pictures of tea kettles and cups on everything. We wanted to keep
it as elegant and sophisticated as possible. Towards the end it had felt like
we broke pretty far away from our initial "tea party" idea but then
seeing it all come together and looking at the pictures now, I think it
translates as just that.

How
did you come up with the ideas for the theme/decor?

Most of the ideas stemmed from things we knew
Daniela loved and then we used our own ideas and inspirations found online to
embellish on that. 

It
seemed there were a lot of little details. How long did it take you to plan?

It's hard to say how long it took to plan since
I'm sure we both had been thinking of ideas since before Daniela was even
engaged. But I believe our actual planning probably began about 6 months ahead
of time. For example, our favors (Homemade Vanilla Extract) had to sit for
4-5 months before being bottled and ready to use.

How did you choose the venue?

We knew we wanted to host it at a place where we had complete control and constant access so we could be planning and setting up in the months, days, and hours beforehand, so that is why we decided to host it in Sheryl's backyard. We felt having it at a hall or restaurant, although less work for us in the long run, would limit us.

How long did it take you to set up?

As for the set up, we did a lot of prepping in
the months and weeks before the shower and stored everything in Sheryl's
basement. We began setting things up in the yard the evening before (once the
tent was set up and tables & chairs delivered) and spent the day of the
shower doing the final touches. After the shower and the following day was the
clean up...which with a lot of helping hands was a breeze!

What
types of games did you play?

For games there was bridal bingo, a word
search, and a Pat & Daniela quiz. We also placed LRC (Left Right Center)
games along the table for people to play at their own will, but I think people
were too busy chatting, eating, and drinking to be bothered to play .

Did you do it all yourselves?

We (Sara and Sheryl) did all of the planning and coordinating ourselves and tackled the majority of the decor and details. Thankfully both Daniela and Pat's mothers were very eager to help and were very generous in their contributions (tent, tables, chair & linen rentals, catering, and tons of additional desserts).

Was it a surprise?

The date, time and location of the shower were not a surprise to the bride to be -- we actually even placed an invitation to her own bridal shower on her front steps spruced up with some flowers. But we didn't let any of the details slip. 

Want to throw a shower like this?  Check the links these ladies have posted on Ruffled and Craig's List if you are interested in purchasing the china, glassware, server ware, and other items for your very own tea-party themed event!  Not all of the items are for sale, but it will certainly get you off to a great start!

Thanks to Sara and Sheryl for sharing these photos and detail with us and warmest congratulations to Daniela, the lovely bride to be!

XOXO

Jen & Saira

April Showers bring MAY FLOWERS!

We haven't said it yet, so Happy May! We've already started posting some great flowers for spring, so here are some more of our favorites!  Another flower that is particularly seasonal to the spring is the peony.  This flower is large, full, and romantic and has layers of soft petals that make it look particularly lush and voluminous.  Peonies are gorgeous but expensive flowers, so if you live in our area we recommend them only for spring and very early summer... unless you want to pay an arm and a leg for them by having them shipped from who knows where.

This peony bouquet is absolutely charming! Romantic pink and peach peonies are paired together for a super feminine, vintage kind of look. We love how loose it looks, but at the same time how full and dreamy!  And it all comes together with a soft, feminine white ribbon!

 This simple, pink peony centerpiece would be perfect for any springtime event. And, we love how easy this look is to pull off! Just find a vintage vase at a local flea market and stick in a few blooms and you're ready to go -- these flowers are so full that it just takes a couple to really make an impact.

For reasons we cannot fathom, not everyone chooses to incorporate shades of pink in their lives. For these people, there is the romantic white peony bouquet. The clean, bright whites, fabulous texture, and soft contrast of the yellow center makes these the perfect choice for a little bit of a more subdued romance.

Again going for the vintage kind of look we love this antique-y vase and the very pale pink blossoms. They are subtle enough to satisfy any pink loving girl, but classy and muted enough to serve as a gorgeous decoration for any vintage inspired event without being overwhelming.

Is is possible for a bouquet to be too full? NEVER! We absolutely love how lucious this yellow bouquet of peonies is and wish we could just reach out and touch it. There is nothing more picturesque than a full, soft, texurized bouquet and this one certainly has it all. Plus the pale yellow makes it look good enough to eat!

And, for a more modern look, we love these pink and white peonies with the contrast of the chartreuse ribbon!  The ribbon plays up the yellow tones in the white peonies while adding a beautiful contrast to the pink ones. The simplicity of having just one type of flower, plus the casually tied bow, makes this bouquet both casual and elegant.

And, of course, the modern centerpiece. There's nothing sweeter than combining fresh fruits with gorgeous blooms and we think this is a great example of how the two can be paired harmoniously. The use of the white linens and the limes sharply contrasting with the fucshia and pink create a look that it crisp and fresh.

XOXO

Jen & Saira

Spring Flowers: Tulips

Here is our first of many floral inspirations.  One of the most common flowers that come to mind when you think of spring is the tulip. They are a beautiful spring flower and come in a variety of bright, fun colors as well as the traditional white. With long stems and simple blossoms they are the perfect flower for any modern springtime fete. Here are some great bouquets and centerpiece that feature tulips:

This centerpiece from www.weddingbycolor.com is a beautiful and elegant display of this spring flower.  These tulips have their stems cut short to create a low centerpiece and are loosely placed in the vase to give them that "just picked from the garden" look. The off-white tulip is a classic, clean and romantic choice for a modern, formal affair.

Here we have a modern spring bouquet featuring white tulips. The long stems and single flower design make this very modern and minimalistic and the flowers themselves have a look that is very clean and bright! Plus, we love the contrast of the black ribbon!

We are in love with these gorgeous purple tulips (and the cute favor box!).  This is another great choice for the modern spring wedding.  First of all, the shades of purple and glowing candles are beautiful and the centerpiece looks great with the contrast of the bright green stems!  But, what we are really enjoying is the height of these flowers and the square vase they are placed in - it creates great drama!  This is one wedding we would have loved to attend!!

Looking for something a little more on the frilly, girly-girl, traditional side?  Then we would suggest something like this pale pink bouquet of parrot tulip. Parrot tulips have kind of ruffly looking petals, as opposed to the very smooth petals of regular tulips, which is what gives this bouquet its light and feathery look.

This vibrant bouquet of tulips paired with cala lilies would be perfect for a fun and unique spring wedding.  The long stems are beautiful and elegant, but this bouquet is a bit more casual as it has that loose stems and casually tied bow.  The bright pop of the cheery yellow and bold orange is sure to be a show stopper!



XOXO,

Jen & Saira

Tips for the MOH: Garden party bridal shower

The Maid of Honor has a ton of responsibilities, including, of course, the bridal shower! If your bride is getting married in the spring, a popular theme for bridal showers is to throw a garden party! It's fun, pretty, and easy on the wallet. Plus after this long stretch of winter, relaxing outside in a garden sounds like a perfect way to spend the afternoon. Here are a few tips for the resourceful MOH:

Venue: The best part about having a garden party is throwing it in your very own backyard, or asking a friend or family member of the bride's to contribute. You will save big bucks on not having to rent a venue, plus the ambiance is already there! If you live in a city where space is tight, you could always reserve a space in the park, set up tables and chairs, and have your own intimate party. And of course, many hotels and restaurants have gardens that would be absolutely perfect, but pricey! 

Invites: Invitations can be very pricey, so be creative! Have an artistic friend create and print up invitations, check out your local party stores for pretty and affordable packages, or buy online! Here are some cute invites we found to help give you an idea:

What to serve: Finger foods and tea sandwiches are perfect for bridal showers. The best part is that these foods are made easily at home, and you have a lot of options! For those on a budget, veggie platters, fresh fruit, and cucumber sandwiches are a simple and classy option. Throw in some tea and lemonade, and you're set! For those looking for a more substantial meal, add in some appetizers such as stuffed mushrooms, pasta salad, and pastry puffs, and have homemade cobblers, pies, or petite fours for dessert! It will be tasty, intimate, and easy to serve. Here are some mouthwatering images to inspire your inner chef -- just click for recipes!

Decor: If you picked an outdoor location, most of your decorations are already taken care of! But to help keep the theme going, dress up tables with white or light colored table cloths, use napkins and silverware to add in a pop of color, and dress up all the tables with vases full of wild flowers. And whenever possible, try to incorporate the wedding colors as well as the bride's flower selections to help create a coherent look. Here are some examples of simple yet lovely garden party decor:

Favors: A great way to save money is to make your table settings your party favors. Decorate tables with vases full of flowers and candles, which can double as party favors for all your guests. Of course you can always get additional favors, such as scented soaps, candies, and little trinkets in addition to the decor (look for a post on shower favors in the coming weeks!) but this is a nice way to save money and keep things simple.

In the end, throwing a bridal shower can be confusing, overwhelming, expensive, and daunting. But with a little bit of creativity, and some penny pinching, you can throw a beautiful bridal shower that reflects your bride's personality and that she is sure to treasure forever! That's all for now dolls, have a great weekend!

XOXO,

Jen & Saira