Few things are as special as your best friend getting married. The events leading up to a wedding are some of the most memorable and meaningful times in a young bride's life. The bridal shower certainly fits within this category. As the Maid of Honor (MOH for those of you who love acronyms), hosting the bridal shower is a huge deal and I had to be sure that nothing fell short of perfect for Kristy. I thought long and hard about the person she is and tried to theme the shower around her stunning personality. In short, Kristy is a calm and collected (for the most part!), and down to earth girl, who at the end of the day shines through her simplicity. A spa themed event was practically perfect for her.
The day took place in the back yard of a private home, providing the level of intimacy I wanted for Kristy on her magical day. Decorated in pinks, purples, and greens, the shower exuded a sense of relaxation through the use of bamboo table mats and simple orchid centerpieces. In addition to bottomless mimosas, the shower featured a lush spread of sensible appetizers, salads and dishes all provided pot-luck style by her bridesmaids and close family friends.
It's probably pointless to say that I am overly picky about party favors. I knew I had to come up with something creative, fun, and useful for the bride and her guests. The end result was a spin on the ever-so-popular candy station - a "spa station". Bath salts in three different scents, as well as lotions and instant manicure scrubs provided by Party Light, were spread across the spa station with bags and containers to be filled by each guest. In addition to the beauty products, a take home pamphlet with tips and tricks on how to relax was provided to each girl.
Games for the shower included a 20-item questionnaire I asked the groom to fill out and give back to me. Kristy was tasked with trying to match his answers, and it provided for a pretty funny session of the shower. We also played round-robin style game where a poem about a couples' journey to the alter was read. Each time the word right or left was used in the poem, the prize got passed to holders applicable direction. The poem was read faster and faster as it went on, and more rights and lefts were added in to confuse the players. Bridal Shower Bingo was also played while the bride opened her gifts. Since this part of the shower typically takes a while, I felt it was important to keep the guests entertained and involved in the process. Categories such as linens, cookware, china, lingerie, and wedding necessities were on the bingo card. Each time the bride opened a gift, guests marked off which category it fell into until someone had bingo. Lastly, I wanted Kristy to be able to take home something personal from her shower. I had each guest fill out a card with kind words of advice for the bride as she prepares for her big day.
