My Best Friend’s Bridal Shower

It took months of planning (after years of friendship), but it was over in just two hours!

Last weekend, I hosted a small bridal shower for my friend of 30 years. Yes—30 years. G and I met in preschool and it is truly a lifelong friendship. It’s one of those where you can go months without talking regularly, but you just pick up as though no time has passed when you finally do connect. She is getting married in two months to a wonderful man and I was so honored that she asked me to be part of their celebrations.

G had few requests for her shower. She wanted color and she wanted games, despite the fact that everyone else in her family hates them! I shared my inspiration for her shower here and although I went for elegant simplicity rather than the over-the-top style in some of my inspiration photos, the bride and her mom enjoyed themselves, so mission accomplished!

I used the Flower Flourish invite from Shutterfly. I love anything navy and pink!

I have a go-to catering order at Kroger that I’ve used for my son’s baptism and first birthday party. I ordered a caprese salad, veggie tray, fruit tray and a cheese tray. I’m serious—the cheese tray that Kroger creates is legit. I usually move it off their plastic platter and onto one of my cheeseboards to make it look homemade and people believe that it is! Until I blab to them that it isn’t 😉 We also had pinot grigio, rosé and sherbet punch (a favorite from the parties G and I threw back in high school!).

In keeping with the bride’s request, we played two games. The first was a love quote game where guests had to match a well-known quote to the movie it came from. The second is one of my favorite games for a shower. A few weeks ago, I emailed G and her fiance and asked them to answer a few questions about themselves. During the shower, I’d read a statement about one of them and everyone had to guess who I was talking about. Even G’s mom got a few about her own daughter wrong! People always seem to learn something new about the couple and you’re guaranteed to get a few laughs if you’ve asked the right questions. The winners of the games received a Candlespice candle that I bought at one of my favorite local boutiques, Metallic Giraffe.

In addition to prizes for the games, we also had a candy guessing game (that my friend’s 7-year-old won!) and the option to leave advice for the bride. G selected one advice card and that person also won a small prize.

We ordered bundtinis from Nothing Bundt Cakes and they were delicious. They shorted me a full dozen which was a huge bummer, but the ones we did receive were excellent.

As far as decor goes, I had a few banners, a ton of flowers and these balloons. I was obsessed with creating a ballon arch and am so pleased with how it turned out. G loved it, too! I also replaced some of our family photos with pictures of G and her fiance, which added a personal touch.

I find that the more parties and events I host, the more I enjoy it. I feel like I understand where to focus my efforts now—for me, it’s definitely the decor. There was a time when I’d have made/prepared all the food from scratch and while I enjoy that, the time it takes is not worth the payoff. No one cares if I julienned the carrots myself!

All in all, everyone seemed to enjoy themselves. We celebrated G, enjoyed each other’s company, and (at least in my case) drank a little too much rosé!