4/4/12

a shower surprise

Surprises are not an easy thing to pull off. What makes them even more difficult is that the majority of the time you're planning a surprise for someone who you usually would be sharing all the details with! You constantly find that simple things turn into major decisions that could normally be solved by a simple text message to your friend.

I've attended many bridal showers, but last month was the first one where I was actually involved in planning the details. It was lots of fun (and work) planning the menu, cake tasting, and figuring out all the details. After some back and forth, we settled on the idea of a Sunday brunch at her future mother-in-law's house. Overall, the food was delicious, company was great, and most importantly the bride-to-be had a wonderful afternoon.






Throwing your own bridal shower? Here are a few tips:

  • First step - decide on a venue. I've been to showers at restaurants, country clubs, and houses. Afternoon brunches and evening events. All were fun and the bride-to-be left thinking "I have the best friends and family, that was the perfect shower." It really depends on what your bride-to-be is going to prefer (and if it's not a surprise, just ask her!), budget, and convenience.
  •  Don't stress about planning every detail up front. When we started the planning process there was no "theme." We started by picking an invitation that we liked, conveyed the bride-to-be's personality, and worked for an afternoon brunch. The end result - a simple, slightly modern invitation, brown and white with pops of blue and green. From there, the "color theme" of the event turned into blues and greens, with hints of chocolate.
  •  Decorations don't have to be over the top. When I saw these tissue paper decorations I thought they would add the perfect touch. The paper goods followed our blue and green color scheme, as well as the cake.
  •  Favors - I personally love edible favors. You can't go wrong - everyone loves sweets - whether it's a cupcake, cookie, or cake pop. Whether you make them yourself or get them from a bakery, you can add a personal touch by attaching a customized label.

Do you have any other bridal shower ideas or have experience planning one? I would love to hear your thoughts and see photographs!



Follow Big City Farm Girl

13 comments:

  1. Looks like you planned a really lovely bridal shower, the details are beautiful! Love the custom favor labels & boxes!
    xx


    The Urban Umbrella
    xoxo


    http://www.theurbanumbrella.com/

    ReplyDelete
  2. Isn't it so fun planning? I've planned at least a dozen baby showers and bridal showers and I love it! Great details, the bride looked super happy! -Valaya

    ReplyDelete
  3. Super cute! I love the cupcake favors and the lingerie for every occassion! Too fun!

    xx
    Giovanna
    www.oliveandanarrow.com

    ReplyDelete
  4. Thanks for your comment!
    Lovely blog. These cupcakes look delicious!
    We can follow each other if you want?

    Love, Joyce
    joycelovesfashion.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
  5. This looks lovely. I'm actually trying to plan a shower for my sister so these tips were wonderfully helpful. Thank you!

    Wren
    http://houseofwren.blogspot.ca/

    ReplyDelete
  6. Great post!! Love this.. you did such a nice job! The cupcakes look amazing and i love all of the decorations!

    xo everything-pretty.com

    ReplyDelete
  7. Great ideas and cutest shower ever! So crafty! Love the tips, I am obsessed with all things wedding and showers are my fave!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Thanks for your comment on my blog! Planning a party sounds like a lot of fun and look at all that yummy dessert. I just started following your blog, want to follow each other? :)

    http://bronsonbloopers.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
  9. awww!!! That's so fun! I just had my bridal shower :) it was a "Breakfast at Tiffany's" theme, super fun!! looks like you did a fab job of planning! it's nice to have a helpful network of family and friends when you're a bride! It's such a happy/stressful time :)
    xo, elle from Living in Color.

    ReplyDelete
  10. I just stumbled upon your blog and it's super cute!!

    I just planned and threw my sisters baby shower and it is a lot of work! But so worth it when it all comes together!

    That bridal shower looked like it turned out so well! Super cute!!

    Www.tippeecanoe.com

    ReplyDelete
  11. Looks like so much fun! I love bridal showers!

    xo,
    Angela
    headtotoechic.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
  12. Everything looks wonderful! I love the way the favors are wrapped -- super nice touch with the twine :). Also, I love the tissue paper decorations -- I'm going to have to keep them in mind when planning my next event!

    Catalina @ City and Burbs

    http://www.cityandburbsblog.com/

    ReplyDelete