It's so surreal, I'm getting married in 2 months!
I had my shower this past weekend, at my mother's home in Longmont, Colorado (outside of Denver). The weather wasn't great, it hailed while I opened presents, but the shower was inside so it didn't matter! It was a beautiful day and I felt so loved. My mother is a great party planner & decorator, she hosted along with my maid of honor & her mother who flew in from California for the weekend.
Food: She had two pasta dishes & a caesar salad, as well as kids pasta dish, catered in by a local pasta restaurant. She made these delicious caprese on a stick appetizers, as well as two charcuterie boards. She had our wedding dessert caterer the desserts for the shower!
Drinks: She had a mimosa bar & white/red wine, as well as lemonade and pellegrino.
Guest Count: She invited 40 women. 25 RSVPed "yes", 22 showed up. Two texted me, one was a no show. My MOH and 2 bridesmaids came (my fiancé's two sisters), my other 6 bridesmaids live out of state. I bought buttons for my mother, my fiancé's mother, the MOH, and the bridesmaids. They thought it was really sweet.
Presents: This was REALLY awkward for me, opening presents as an adult in front of people. But everyone was really loving & happy, and my mother said "enjoy it, because after the wedding when you guys have kids, it will never be about you again!" Haha! My MOH made a cute bouquet out of all the bows & ribbons for me to carry during my rehearsal. I'd say 70% of the presents were off our registry. We got one rogue air fryer (didn't register for one, but I'm sure we will use it), I got a spa gift card, a gift full of lotions/face masks/etc., my MOH gave us picture frames with our engagement pictures in them, one girl made us a cute sign with our initials, and my mother & MOH's mom got me really cute silk pajamas and lingerie for my honeymoon. We got some larger gifts we weren't expecting (wine fridge, sound bar for our TV, google internet system, ring security system) but mostly the smaller gifts were purchased so I'm happy I added them!
Games: She had two games, my MOH's mother hosted them (she is a teacher and did a great job). We had a questionnaire of "what did the groom say about the bride" and a questionnaire for "what did the bride say". My mom had small favor bags with a candle & lotion in them. Everyone played & it was really fun! It didn't take too long at all.
Timeline: The whole day ended up lasting about 3 hours. Everyone arrived between 11:45-12:30 (event officially started at 12:00). We ate & talked from 12:00-1:00 PM, played one game, ate lunch, played another game, opened presents, and mingled.
Favors: My mom did a DIY olive oil bar, people loved it. She bought mini glass bottles & large bottles of olive oil. She had red pepper flakes, lemon zest, garlic, dried peppers, and rosemary for people to make their own! It was super cute, and most guests made one & took it home. In the same room, she had little "date night ideas", "advice for the bride" cards, and "favorite memory" cards for people to fill out. They were really fun to read later in the evening!
Decorations: She did a great job! The whole shower was an Italian lemon summer theme, so she bought a lot of decor from Hobby Lobby, Target, Kirkland's, and Amazon! She bought white table cloths for her table, rented one table/table cloth/6 chairs for extra seating, she bought cute charcuterie boards, and a ton of lemon themed decor.
Outfit: I bought my dress at TJ Max for $15, so happy I did! I've lost 10 lbs since we got engaged so I got a lot of compliments that made me feel even more special that day, LOL!
I originally wasn't going to have a shower, most my bridesmaids are out of state and I didn't want the pressure on them and my MOH, but my mother stepped in and it was so sweet. I'm so excited we had one and it really was super fun!
My mother's front door with the wreath & sign she made! We will use the sign at the wedding & hang it in our home after.
Me with my beautiful mother, maid of honor, and her mother!
The smaller of the two charcuterie boards.
Me right before we opened presents!
Table decor.
Delicious desserts! Cupcakes, cannolis, tiramisu shooters!
Mimosa Bar!
