mint & gold bridal shower

my sweet niece (who lived with us for a short time) is getting married!  i hosted a small shower for her with friends and family in our area (she lives in another town now).  it was so much fun pulling together the details!

because it was a smaller group of ladies (and a few little girls), i was able to serve a sit-down meal.  that’s my favorite!  i love being able to set a pretty table for a party!  i always do my best to use what i have on hand or can borrow, so it makes the decor side even more challenging and fun for me.

i had all the plates on hand as well as the silverware (i’ve bought a few sets of 6 forks and spoons from target – we host lots of big groups).   i borrowed the champagne flutes, bowls and some of the jadeite goodies from a friend.

i covered the tables with a couple vintage chenille bedspreads (my tablecloths aren’t large enough).  we used our large dining room table paired with 2 folding tables side by side.

i printed out a simple menu card and water colored them, heavier at the top or side and lighter toward the other edges.

i really wanted to step up from the mason jars, but i didn’t have enough water goblets on hand.  i had some glittered gift wrap ribbon in a drawer from last christmas that i taped onto the mason jar.  we wrote the guest’s names in metallic ink on shipping tags.

just another time to be thankful for the iceberg roses lining our front yard!  it was almost time to trim the latest blooms, so i just jumped the gun a bit and used the big blooms in square vases.  i love the casual, unfussy look they give.

see the table runner?  its christmas wrapping paper from target (similar) that i cut in half.  i love the metallic gold woodgrain!  if you ever need to try cutting a roll of paper in half, try this: while the paper is still in its plastic wrapper, mark the center with a sharpie all the way around.  then with a sharp exact knife, cut through the paper along the sharpie line.  i had to go around several times before it was cut through, but it was a pretty clean cut and easier than cutting a straight line down a long roll!

my niece’s wedding colors are mint and gold, so i wanted the shower to nod to that, but with a bit of a vintage twist.  i pulled out my sea glass colored vintage bottles and set them alongside silver and milk glass pieces filled temporarily with succulents.

besides my sister-in-law (the bride’s mom) and my mother-in-law, lily was my biggest helper.   when she wasn’t helping with the decor, she was helping in the kitchen, like cutting the cucumbers and lemons for the water. (find the jar here)

i wanted to try a new version of mimosa: champagne with orange sherbet.  but then i remembered that i don’t love champagne so i switched to ginger ale instead.  and it was still super yummy!

how pretty is my sister-in-law?  so pretty, in fact, that my kids call her aunt pretty.  no joke.

ok, so we need to talk about the food i served for lunch.  if you know me much, you know i am not a fancy cook.  but you know who is?  my friend joy.  she was so kind to help with planning the menu and recipes and answering my panicked texts while i was cooking.  we all need a joy in our lives.  but you can’t have mine ;)

here’s the menu:

pineapple with fresh berries

roasted potato & leek soup with crispy shallots (possibly the best soup ever)

turkey cranberry croissant sandwiches (made amazing with cream cheese mixed with orange marmalade and whole cranberry sauce)

and the cake.  that i remade a few times.  the first time i forgot to put in sugar.  then i switched the measurements for the oil and water.  sheesh it was ridiculous.  but in the end, it was super tasty!

one bowl chocolate cake with swiss meringue buttercream

(cake topper from lisa leonard designs)

i’ve slowly collected mismatched floral plates since we got married and i had just enough to serve the cake on.

believe it or not, this isn’t even half of the ladies in my sweet family!  amber, the bride, is the one on the middle.

congratulations amber & ben – we love you!