A Bridal Shower

Theresa and I

Today I got to help throw my friend, Theresa, her bridal shower.  It was a blast! 

I even wore pink for the occasion (she's a huge fan of pink).

Anyway, it was really nice getting to meet all the wonderful ladies who've been dropping me messages and phone calls these last couple months with their respective RSVPs.  Putting a face to the lists of names I now seem to have memorized is nice.  Ha!

Anyway, since this is one of the five separate parties I've been helping to coordinate, one of my friends asked me to list some of the things I ended up doing that weren't trashy or marriage / bride degrading. 

May this help her and the rest of you looking for fun things to do for a shower!

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Invitations

Vistaprint.  Seriously.  For anything printed, I use Vistaprint.  It's like the Salvation Army of print shops.  I chose a postcard format with a butterfly backdrop (since she loves butterflies) and went to town.

Games

I stayed super simple on this one.  I created my own crossword puzzle using an excel spreadsheet (for the blocks) and Word for the clues.  I used clues that were unique to Theresa and her fiance, but I tossed in some general "wedding" hints in there, too. 

We also had a candy counter filled with Reeses Pieces (due to Theresa's sometimes nickname in high school - Reeses).  Folks could guess how many pieces were in the dispenser and the closest number won the dispenser.  We ended up giving it to a woman to take back to her 1st grade classroom.  :)

Finally, little things like winning a prize if the bride opened your gift first, if you had a sticker on the back of your poem (part of the favors), or best "First Kiss" story (done at the individual tables) kept folks entertained as Theresa opened the line of presents.

Favors

I don't know if this'll help anyone, because these were really, REALLY specific to Theresa, but who knows? 

Keeping the butterfly theme going, I found these incredible Murano glass butterfly keychains online.  I tried to get them in pink (her favorite color), but they only made them in purple / blue.  I got them anyway, because I knew she'd still really like them (especially since they matched the invitations). 

From there, I knew I'd want to make her chocolate keys to go along with the keychain.  I found the molds online (Amazon, I think) and purchased the meltable candy from AC Moore.  I also got little pink heart candy to spruce up the key molds a bit.

Finally, to tie everything together, I wrote a poem entitled "The Key to Love." 

Back in high school, I used to keep a book that would keep tabs on all the poetry I'd write.  Theresa would sometimes keep track along with me, and after I hit the 200 mark, she said I'd have to write her wedding vows one day.  I replied that I wouldn't write her vows, but I'd definitely write a poem for her.  This was that poem, and it tied together the favors nicely.

This is what it all looked like:

Prizes - I admit I went a bit overboard on these, but I like variety!

I ordered a bunch of yummy smelling candles online.  They were wonderful, a great price, and who doesn't love a yummy smelling candle?  Theresa and her mom love those things, so I figured if we had any left over, they'd be more than happy to take them.

A couple nice accessory scarves found their way into the prize bags because I found them on sale while I was at AC Moore.

Two pretty (and sweet smelling) perfume spritzes were also found on sale, so they, too, found their way into the prize bags.

Oh, and the cake - Theresa's mother wanted to provide the cake, so when she asked me what should go on it, I said, "Just make sure it's pink and has butterflies."

This is what she came up with:

Cute, right?

So that's about it.  Lots of fun was had by all.  Happy planning to all you ladies out there!

Oh!  And the wording to the poem:

The key to love is simple
yet so very hard to find -
For some it's in a sonnet
or two roses intertwined.

For others it's a mystery
with an ever-lasing quest
to find "the One," a soul-mate
or the man most richly blessed.

There are those who search in vain
amongst novels, songs or plays
for this key that's ever hidden
in an ordinary haze.

The key is not some trophy
or a prize that's won and done.
It's a friendship that rekindles
with each rising of the sun.

So search out not a soul-mate
or a lover, god or spouse
Look not in romance novels
or in bankrolls, cars or house

The key is there before you
in a friendship strong and true
Love, sacrifice and compromise
The vows of "Yes, I do."

(She's a fan of rhyming quatrains... at least those were her favorites back in high school).