cheerio

Another weekend passed leaving another shower in the past. This one came with a unique theme. The bride’s favorite place is London, England so we brought Union Jack back. Picture lots of red, blue and a telephone booth.

Fortunately we skipped the British favorite entrée of fish and chips and just stuck to American cuisine. We didn’t have a fryer to make that happen and well fried fish just didn’t sound appealing to serve to 50 ladies anyway. Too bad London isn’t close to the Mediterranean or we could’ve snuck in some hummus…

We did manage to get some sugary, sweetness in the form of a telephone booth cake. It was tasty. I wish I still had some but I always wish for more dessert.  I love the phrase on the cake (not just because it has my last name) because it is more personal than generic Showers of Happiness or Best Wishes.

And a double decker bus cookie favor. Yum! I just love giving edible favors to guests.

I was introduced to some new concepts at shower throwing. Did I mention this was my 10th bridal shower to assist in throwing? I guess you can teach an old bridesmaid new tricks.

I had never heard of the Purse Game before in the category of, what else, bridal shower games. In case you haven’t either…you just make a list of items that can be found in a woman's handbag including bizarre items like a shoe, a rock, or anything weird you can think of. Give a point value to the items you list. The guest with the most points wins.  Just leave a list for the guests to keep track of on their own while you're playing hostess and waiting for the guest of honor to arrive.

Or don’t.

I personally hate shower games. I know. I’m a party pooper. Although finding out how consistently the bride and groom answer questions about their first date, favorite foods, future plans, etc. can be funny. I’m sure you’ve all played that one before. So basically, I like games where I can laugh at the bride (in this case, my future SIL) without having to actively participate or clean out my purse.

Here's the invitation I designed.  Relatively simple but of course I had to get some Olde English font in there.  It's a classic.

I came across this bit of fabulosity on Miss Mustard Seed's blog.  She's a repurposing genius with a paint gun (and sorta local!).  Look at the Union Jack dresser she created!  Too bad I didn't spot this gem sooner.  It would've made the perfect prop/gift for the London shower.

No more shower planning in my near future. This weekend I am kicking off 2011 wedding season on the Chesapeake Bay in Maryland. I will let you know how the country cover band brings down the house. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to go get a spray tan.

-The perennial bridesmaid

the nerve

A close friend asked for my advice the other day on how to politely decline the request to use her house to host a bridal shower. This sounds like a tough one but it actually isn’t. Once you hear more details, you too will agree that she needs to say no.

Let’s call my friend Sally.

Sally was recently married. She chose her family members as her bridesmaids. They threw her a lovely bridal shower. (Not totally relevant to this story.) One of these family members is now engaged and chose to have mostly friends for bridesmaids and did not include Sally. She was fine with this decision. Less responsibility for her, right?

Wrong.

The harem of bridesmaids decided that the shower should be held at a family member’s house so they asked Sally to host! Sweet Sally was put on the spot and quickly agreed. Only a few days passed when she realized that she didn’t really WANT this responsibility nor was her husband too happy with it. After all, she wasn’t asked to be a bridesmaid so why take this huge task on?

My advice? I told her that she needs to tell these girls that she is not able to host the shower at her house. Period. It’s not her responsibility!

The kicker is that some of these other girls have houses where they can hold the shower. Of course, there are other options like having it out somewhere if their budget allows.

The bottom line is that the bridesmaids are responsible for hosting the bridal shower (and the mothers of the bride or groom, if they so choose). That is exactly why a bride choses bridesmaids.  They are essentially friends and family chosen to host events and help the bride throughout the wedding process. 

-The perennial bridesmaid

bridal shower invitation by yours truly
note it says: Hosted by the Bridesmaids