Hello friends! This post is going to be a highlight reel of my amazing BRIDAL SHOWER that my mom and sister planned for me. This backyard garden party theme was FLAWLESSLY planned and executed on the most perfect sunday afternoon in June. Stay tuned for the highlights!

the menu

While the original plan was to host a Sunday brunch shower, the event morphed more into a luncheon. My mom and sister asked if I had any preferences on the menu and all I cared about was that croissants be included and that there were some gluten free options for a few friends.

They settled on chicken salad served separately with the option of eating plain or with croissants, these ham and cheese sandwiches halves on croissants, a garden salad, gluten free chickpea-based pasta salad with chips and fresh fruit available.

For dessert we had some REAL treats. We had an assortment of chocolate truffles, rainbow macaroons, chocolate crepes and merengue cookies to start. My grandmother graciously baked a 3-tier assortment of her famous sugar cookies all cut in shapes of flowers and other garden themes and coated in my favorite color sprinkles along with some coconut macaroons thrown in the mix. The showstopper of the event, though, was this epic 4-layered vanilla cake my sister baked and decorated in the prettiest colored icing shades of dusty lavender and sunrise pink. SO BEAUTIFUL!!!

the decor

The theme of this bridal shower was a simple summer garden party. My parents hosted the shower in their backyard and were able to borrow a few tables from my aunt and a few tents from my dad’s work. My mom found light purple tablecloths from Amazon to cover the tabletops and got potted flowers from Trader Joe’s as centerpieces. She found these stunning lavender and white lace paper plates from Amazon, and the stunning purple floral napkins from the Dollar Tree. My mom hung purple pansy flower baskets on the side of each tent, which really made the tents feel special.

the activities

My sister was the brains behind the activities here. One thing about bridal showers is that they tend to draw people from different circles of life that don’t necessarily know each other. We wanted to find ways to connect everyone so they could at least all get a sense of how I was connected to everyone.

After eating lunch and mingling a bit, all the guests completed a card with marriage advice for Curtis and I. My sister and future step-girls, Hannah and Rose, took turns reading everyone’s advice aloud. It was really sweet to hear everyone’s thoughts! My mom also suggested that each person briefly introduce themselves and share a little about how they know me. I really LOVED hearing everyone’s words and it made me so thankful they were there.

A classic activity we did was play the “shoe game,” (basically when people ask who is most likely to ______) and allow others to get a glimpse into our relationship dynamic. After this, Curtis and I opened our gifts!

Before any guests departed, we had them create a bouquet to go from an assortment of flowers my parents got from Trader Joe’s. We thought this would be a lovely souvenir.

All in all, this bridal shower could NOT have been more perfect. The only thing I would have changed would be to have all my friends from afar make it, too. I will cherish this memory for the rest of my life!