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Tuesday, February 25, 2014

Crafting... My Best Friend's Bridal Shower

I've waited for this day since we were a mere 18 years old.  Jenny and I have known each other since sixth grade, and if it's possible, we're closer now than we've ever been.  I couldn't be happier for her as she starts her life with her wonderful fiancé.  I also couldn't be happier to help plan the special events leading up to her big day!  The first of which ... the bridal shower!  Jenny and I have talked about her wedding for years, so we definitely spent some time brainstorming what she was hoping for when it came to the shower.  She loves stripes and who could blame her?!  They're fun and classic!  She wanted to go with a theme that was vibrant and different from her wedding colors, so we carried through a theme of black and white stripes, with fun colorful flowers, gold accents and a sprinkle of strawberries (she's getting married at Strawberry Farms in Irvine, so we wanted to tie that in).

I did a lot of research when it came down to planning on a budget, and found barely any information on how people found linens, flowers, favors, whether they rented tables and chairs, and all the nitty gritty.  So I hope my post will be able to help someone else when they're lost in the bridal shower world!  

All of the bridesmaids were involved in the planning and because we all live in and around LA/OC, we delegated duties - one 'maid on flowers, one on games, one on cake, one on the special Candle Poem, and one on the video from Zach - while I handled overall decor.  We hosted it at the Mother of the Bride's house where the bride grew up, and her mom made all the food for the day!

I was a regular at Michael's, Amazon, Etsy, Dollar Store, among other stores - picking up supplies over a month's time.  It's also pretty handy that I know my way around Photoshop and if I needed help, my own fiancé is a graphic designer - so that helped too!  I've never spray painted before, but found it super easy painting wooden letters and Dollar Store vases from my apartment patio.  And lucky for me, my mom works at a high school, so we were able to borrow the tables and chairs from there.  However, I did find some inexpensive rental companies who would've worked well too, and handled the delivery and pickup!  

You could feel the love in the room, surrounded by her best friends and family... Jenny was just glowing!  The day was SO MUCH FUN!!  Happy Bridal Showering!!

Our lovely dining room table

Before

Gold Glitter Tulle (Michael's)
White Ribbon (Michael's)
Wooden Pendant (Michael's) + Black Spray Paint & White Paint Pen
Wooden "MRS" Letters (Michael's) + White Spray Paint

Glass Vases (Dollar Store) + B&W Ribbon (Michael's) + Gold AND Gold Glitter Spray Paint (Home Depot)
Flowers (DTLA Flower Mart)
B&W Table Runner (Etsy: LaruesLine)
Pink Tablecloths (Tablecloths Factory)

 
Blue Berry Baskets (Amazon)
Peanut Butter M&Ms (Amazon)
Clear Bags for M&Ms (Michael's)
"Thank you berry much" tags (Michael's)
Personalized "Jenny's Shower" (Me & my Epson printer!) ; the backside had a nod to her favorite Disney movie, Wreck-It Ralph, except my fiancé and I photoshopped their faces on the characters for fun!
Wedding Dress Cookies (Etsy: Cloud9Confections)
See the little envelope (Michael's) behind the cookie?  This included a scratcher card (Etsy: InklingsPaperie).  It was a quick "game" where the girls were asked to scratch off and find out if they won - winning cards said "I Do!"

J&Z Wooden Letters (Michael's)
Paper Strawberries (Amazon)

"Friends" "Faith" "Love" Letters (Michael's)
Small Easels (Amazon)
Large Gold Glitter Frame (Michael's)
Black & White Striped Memory Box (Hobby Lobby)

This chalkboard was a gift from my mom, not sure where she picked it up :(

I bought a half-sphere oasis and faux peonies from Michaels, along with the b&w ribbon and white tulle.  Inspo pulled from Pinterest!

The B&W striped signs (Cards & Gifts, etc) were made in Photoshop by me, and printed at Walgreens on 5x7 Photo Paper (so easy!)
Gold Frames (Dollar Store)
Small Glass Vases (Dollar Store)
Faux Roses (Michael's)
Gold Sequin Table Runner (ahh i can't remember)
White Tablecloth (Amazon)

This beautiful cake was made by one of the bridesmaids, Nicole and her mom!

 
Drink Dispenser (Walmart)
Hashtag Garland (Etsy: HawthorneAve)

I created a soundless slideshow of pictures of the couple, which looped (thank you, iDVD)!

Gold Frame (Dollar Store)
Image (Me!)
Printed by: Walgreens

36-inch Balloons (Amazon)
Crepe Paper Streamers (Purchased: Crepe Paper Store; Cut by my fiancé)



Wedding Dress Sticks (Etsy: CreationsbyColett)
You can't see them here, but I also had gold engagement ring picks in brownies (Etsy: SeventhandJ)

The stunning bride-to-be!!

I was inspired by this blog post I initially saw on Pinterest
Then had the idea to make an ombré photo backdrop for fun pictures!
PS: Layering is KEY!

Crepe Paper Streamers (Purchased: Crepe Paper Store; Cut by my fiancé)
Gold Fringe Backdrop (Oriental Trading)







 
I wanted to step up the tradition of creating a Rehearsal Dinner bouquet.  I used the spool from the white tulle (used on the front door decoration), pulled off one of the white ends and used rhinestone sticker strips (below) to jazz up the handle.  Then I hot glued a paper plate to the white topper of the spool.  It was the perfect base for her bouquet (below)!



TIPS:
  • Track purchases on a shared spreadsheet on Google Drive.
  • Go to the Dollar Store!  I wish I had thought of it sooner, but thanks to them, we were able to get inexpensive glass vases for flowers and candles, along with frames for all of the signs.





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