The Garden Party Bridal Shower

A beautiful day to celebrate the bride!

 Family, friends, a few fun games, yummy food, and a sweet candy buffet, helped to create a beautiful afternoon garden bridal shower. The weather was gorgeous and of course so was the decor!

The shower was held back east, in Wilmington, Delaware, at my in-laws beautiful home and garden.  On the deck we used a tent to shade the buffet from the sunshine. Sweet berry flavored water, and a novel gin cucumber lemonade, were offered with colorful straws, and mason jars, for refreshment.

A selection of hearty, healthy, and flavorful salads were perfect for the warm weather. One of my favorites was a Greek pasta salad, with shrimp and feta made by one of the brides friends. It was delicious! Here's a link to her recipe.

 http://allrecipes.com/recipe/greek-pasta-salad-with-shrimp-tomatoes-zucchini-peppers-and-feta/

As for the buffet decor- we used a simple vase of red roses, burlap bunting with the day of the wedding date carefully painted on, printed red cloth napkins, and a brightly colored table cloth to pull it all together! The bunting banner was carried over from the engagement party that was held in Portland last January.

One of the highlights of the shower were the colorful French macarons, from Aux Petits Delices, a fabulous French bakery in Wayne, PA. There was much discussion about the difference between a macaroon, and French macaron, -besides the spelling. I can say I prefer the French ones! They came in rose, lavender, pistachio, salted caramel, and chocolate flavors.  Selected for color coordination they proved to be much more than just pretty!

  

  

We  rented a tent for the yard, and used slightly different sized round tables, each seating 3 people to create a garden party/bistro setting. I used old school crape paper streamers to bring in lots of bright fun colors. 

 An assortment of potted daises were used for the center pieces.

 

The wedding colors are red and turquoise so we emphasized those but also added some hot pink, green, and yellow to give this event its own distinct feeling. 

 

I think decor for the engagement party, shower, and rehearsal should all flow. The main function of these events is to celebrate the bride and groom, but they are also an opportunity for guest to get acquainted before the big day, and get a taste of what to expect as far as formality and decor on the wedding day.

Madilyn helping with candy selections :)

A gift table and candy buffet were front in center, with a fun throne for the bride's seat as the focal point. The candy buffet was so fun to put together! Colorful containers, and an assortment of sweets doubled as eye candy and a party favor.  The guest carried their treats home with green and white chevron patterned bags, that we personalized with an adorable tandem bike stamp.

 Just for fun, the bride to be was given sash, veiled tiara, and giant diamond ring to wear as she opened her gifts. She glowed away happily, as we showered her with love, and laughter. The excitement grew as guests chatted about their  up coming flights and accommodations for the wedding- just a few weeks away!

 As the party dwindled it was nice to hear the guests depart with a cheerful goodbye saying, "See you in Portland!!"

 

Shower Decor!

Like a kid in a candy store! I went shopping today for fabric. Its to make table clothes and napkins. For Lisa's upcoming garden party bridal shower. This is what I picked out.

We will have 4 30 inch round tables and 2 long 6 ft tables. We are going with red and turquoise like the wedding but with pops of other colors- pink, yellow, and green.

 

Along with the this fabric for the adorable napkins!

  Here they are together!

More pics to come of the beautiful shower!

My First Post- My big bunting project

My First Post!

My Big Bunting Project

I started work last week on a big and colorful project for my SIL Lisa's up coming wedding. She will be marring a wonderful guy named Kevin, this July in Portland, Oregon. They recently bought a home in Portland together, and are overjoyed to have their ceremony, at nearby Mt. Tabor. The reception will be at their home, in a block party Portland styled hoe down! Complete with a band, food trucks, and hay bales! 

Lisa has decided on a red and turquoise color scheme (love!) I happily offered to help her plan her decor. I have had a blast day dreaming, pinning away on pinterest, and skyping with her on every detail. Its wonderful! I love weddings!

So I am making her some bunting. Actually, I am making a lot of bunting! About 250 ft of it I think. I am not exactly certain but its quite a bit. The plan is for it to define the dance area in the street which is 30 ft x 60 ft.  So that's 180 ft there, and they will need more to decorate the band tent, house, etc. 

So I started with 10 yards of white muslin fabric (100% cotton- $1.99 a yard)

 I cut out a triangle template 10x10x10 inches and invested in some nice pinking shears and cut away into the night.

 The next morning I worked on dyeing them red and turquoise. I used 5 gallon buckets and RIT fabric dye. I started with "Cherry Red" and "Teal."  However the "Teal" color turned out very green. We couldn't have that! So I added a small amount of blue.

I was delighted when I achieved just the right color turquoise!

 

I rinsed and dried the colorful little dyed triangles.

 

 

Pressed them.

 

Rather than binding, I ironed a crease down the middle of some long, matching, red ribbon and started sewing a zig-zag stitch with matching, red tread.

 

I am amazed how quickly this project has gone! In only a few hours of sewing, (a little the last couple evenings) I have finished 100ft. That's 5, 20ft rolls of ribbon. I bought more ribbon to start on tomorrow, and will probably need to make and dye more triangles, but this project has been a breeze. I love to sew, and day dream about Lisa and Kevin's big day, how fun our week in Portland will be, and what a cute flower girl Madilyn will make! 

Pics of the bunting in action at the wedding soon to come!!