Planning A...Garden Party Bridal Shower

Up first in our Planning A... series is a garden party theme bridal shower! This event can take place inside or out, however we have planned the event for an outside celebration.

Set the Tone
Obviously the invitation does this. However, you can also set the tone for the party before the guests enter the house, or backyard. Line the walkway with candles in lanterns or luminarias. String a bay leaf garland along the walk or place small potted lavender along the way (picture by Elizabeth Messina) which guests can take home later as favors. Anything that will give your guests a good preview of what they'll find inside.


The Decor
We'll start looking up. If you are outside, umbrellas are always nice. I'm a big fan of hanging votive candle holders. Even if it isn't dark outside, these pretty little things will add ambiance, such as shown in the picture below right by Elizabeth Messina. If you don't want to use candle holders, the ever popular paper lantern will do the trick as well. Hang them from trees, an awning, or string fishing line from your house to, say, a tree, and hang the lanterns on that. Lantern picture via The Bride's Cafe.


Moving down to tables. There are so many ways to decorate your table. Find a pretty cake stand or plate and place fruit mixed with herbs on it. A tin vase or mason jar with flowers is always nice. You can never go wrong with an arrangement of small potted plants either. For the napkins, even if you use paper, tuck a sprig of fresh rosemary or other herb into the napkin for a little added something.


(Pictures from top left clockwise coco+kelley, Jennifer Skog, coco+kelley, brides)

The food. If you are doing a full on meal, you can decorate the table with the ideas above and not have to worry about decorating your serving table. However, if you are having snacks or a buffet, consider how the food is presented. Food intermingled with flowers, as shown below via brides, is an excellent idea. Cake stands, bread baskets and pretty bowls and plates are great ways to present snacks to guests. Other picture from Martha Stewart.


Food to serve. Snacks are usually the easiest thing to serve at a bridal shower. Fruit, cheeses, crackers, sliced artisian bread are all a good start for the snack table. I love the idea of displaying a beverage such as tea or water in something beautiful, like the picture below right by Elizabeth Messina. The picture at left is some lovely Cheese Bite Hors d'Oeuvres. Ice pictue from here.


Gifts
Since this is a garden party, you can either go for garden inspired gifts, or just use the garden party theme as a base for your decor and have regular bridal shower gifts. To decorate the gift table, you can also use the ideas presented above.

Activities
Finding fun bridal shower games seems to be a bit of an issue these days. This book has some really fun ideas that should help get you started. Used from amazon its only $4.99!