A BRIDAL SHOWER

My mom and I hosted a bridal shower for a very close family friend. 

Our families grew up across the street from each other. All of us. Moms, dads and kids alike. Our every days were spent together. Friends that became family.

They are the people that brought my grandpa food when he was in the hospital, dying.
They've counseled me though so many of my big life decisions.
They are best friends to my parents in ways that are loyal, deep and forever.
They were never short on printer paper to "borrow"...

So a bridal shower was a no brainer. It's what Mom and I do. 

Something old.
Something new.
Something borrowed.
Something blue. 

This was our theme.

We've been collecting decor for months now, and by we I mean my mom. Blue with a touch of shabby chic, because that was the theme of the wedding. We were going for eclectic but modern. My style preference is more modern, so there were debates.

Let's talk tables. This is always the first step when we plan a party, mostly because it's our favorite. Glassware and plates. We love glassware and plates. It may or may not be a problem. Ok. It's a problem. 

We certainly went with something blue on the tables. Blue and white plates. Blue and white floral tablecloths too. To avoid pattern overwhelm, we anchored with white china and white cotton napkins. Cloth napkins are really worth the investment. They are cheap to buy in bulk and make the whole party feel more luxurious. Not fun to iron, but saves a ton of cash. I pretty much hate the word luxurious, but it's truth here. Silver at each table setting tied it together. Can you set silver and still serve food buffet style? We did. If we were doing place cards, I think it would be rad to put those in the prongs of the fork. This was just not that kind of crowd though. I lost this battle. 

We never rent anything. With such a strong community, we borrow. As a "professional event person", this is an exercise in letting go of perfection. The blue plates have different pattens. The china came from different sets. It's ok. This together, yet different approach facilitates a homemade vibe that really is authentic. It worked in our favor with this theme in particular, and my OCD only flared a few times. 

And for the center...

Flowers. We went to the flower mart. A friend took us downtown early one morning and we went to flower heaven. We picked out blue, purple and white hydrangeas, white roses and lots of greenery. Lemons and oranges ended up in the arrangements too. This was Mom's idea, though I wish I could take credit for it. Honestly, I thought it was weird at first. She was the visionary here. We learned the hard way, hydrangeas don't keep well overnight. Next time we will put these together the morning of the event. Always learning! The wooden boxes for the centerpieces came from our last trip to the Peddler's Fair, where my mom bought sixteen of them for $1 each. "A bargain!" They worked perfectly. We soaked flower foam in water and put it in the bottom of the boxes. Then, we arranged the flowers, making sure the stems were secure in the foam. We were pretty proud of ourselves. What? We were. 

I love the way the details all read together. 

For the next shower I am super interested in menu cards. It's all I can think about right now. We've never done it and I feel like it is a rad, next-level detail. Stay tuned. 

Hey! I'm Blair

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