my bridal shower!
first and foremost, I want to say that my bridal shower would not have been that amazing evening that it was without the help of my bridal party and family. they executed the shower beyond my dreams and i’m forever grateful.
in case you missed one of the 329 times I’ve told this story out of pure disbelief, my bridal shower was held over a wintry march weekend despite our wedding being in the late fall. though I wasn’t planning on it being this way, after we decided on the location, the date of my shower was the latest weekend date available for all of 2022 due to pandemic rescheduling and postponing. so yes, 8 months prior to the wedding seems far, but the reality is - I’m still a bride for the next 8 months. having my shower early doesn’t change anything, AND it’s a little easier on the folks who would need to travel from out of state for the wedding - no back to back travel. also, to anyone planning a wedding in this wacky time - do what you want.
as for some shower basics - it was planned and hosted by my mom and maids of honor. the only contact I had with the venue (other than choosing it) was to decide on the menu. though I provided input for “my vision,” they handled contacting vendors, actually securing and working with the venue, and set up. at one point in the night, I heard one of my MOHs tell someone that my shower was “maya as a room,” and it absolutely felt that way. though some of the design elements were my brain child, it wouldn’t have been done without my girls. with that said, i’m completely hands-off for my bachelorette party and they are fully, 100% in charge. I don’t even know where we’re going!
anything that I made (favors, signs, etc.) I gave to my MOH the night before the shower. my 3 MOHs, 2 of my bridesmaids, my dad, my fiancé, aunts, and cousin arrived early to set up. I got ready at home with my mom - and one thing I loved and recommend - used my shower as the trial for my wedding makeup. this let me get to know my wedding day artist early, and figure out what tweaks we’d make for the makeup for the actual day.
one other fun thing we did was make use of my film camera! we shot on 35mm black and white film throughout the night, and sent the film out to be developed.
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general
venue: terrain gardens (devon, pa). I can’t say enough kind words about the entire team at terrain. my mom and MOHs said they were a dream to work with, and on the night, they were so attentive to me.
invitations: minted
balloon wall + peacock chair: bitesizedsis
drink stirrers: kulgra (2 designs: ‘team bride’ and ‘magicallymarried’)
various bud vases: ikea and CB2
donut wall: etsy
donuts: duck donuts
donut favor bags: etsy
flowers: trader joe’s
outfit details:
dress: white gilded iliy tea dress by teuta matoshi (similar dress under $100). I had my seamstress alter the sleeves to make them adjustable for on/off the shoulder, and we swapped out the zipper for a corset back for a more romantic look.
shoes: jewel badgley mischka block heel
headband: jennifer behr
earrings: jennifer behr
bobby pins: jennifer behr
the gorgeous flower crown was a gift from my MOHs! they found it on Etsy!
don made an appearance towards the end of the shower, his suit is from express!
games + prizes:
template for games: etsy (I designed the background in canva and printed at staples!). we used bingo as an ice breaker while guests waited for me to arrive.
pencils: etsy
prizes: stoney clover travel pouch, olive & june nail polish, glossier balmdotcom, voluspa mini candle
image from etsy
DIYs
chiara arches: this was a project that my dad and I took on together! we had plywood cut to 7’, 6’, and 5’, then I shaped them into arches with a jigsaw and sanded (they aren’t perfect, but for my first time I’m really happy with how they came out)! dad handled building the support beams for each arch so they they were able to stand securely. I painted them (behr paints: 7’: marshmallow whip, 6’: peach sachet, 5’: creme fraiche). as for the florals on the 7’ arch, I attached single picks from craft stores to a floral foam block, tied cloth wire around the block and attached the other end to an upside down command hook on the back of the arch. we also decorated it with some cheesecloth, and I put a pampas-filled vase from my room by it for an additional decorative element.
favors: for my favors, I ordered beer can glasses from amazon, and arranged the daisy/initial wrap in cricut. inside of each cup was a small pouch with hershey’s hugs and kisses. I cut “hugs and kisses from the future mrs” on HTV with my cricut, and used my easypress mini to assemble each pouch. since they were personalized to each guest, I needed gift tags for the favor bags, so I dremeled a hole into some acrylic hexagons I had on hand, added a simple brush stroke on the back, and put each person’s name on it with vinyl.
signs: I ordered 3 acrylic blanks from etsy, and using my cricut, made signs for the open bar, photo backdrop, and dessert table.
on a related note: I highly recommend a cricut or a silhouette (I have both, love them for different reasons) for wedding projects.
