Tag Archives: favors

Citrus Twist Bridal Shower

I hosted this citrus themed Bridal Shower for my cousin. It was a small group, but I wanted to make it special and tie into her wedding colors without being too similar to her wedding theme.

Citrus Twist

The ribbon-bracelets and safety pins were used for the classic ‘don’t say the grooms name’ activity. Everytime someone said his name, they had to give a safety pin to the person who caught them in the act. You could play this game with various items. The close freind that hosted my own bridal shower played this game with inexpensive garter belts from the craft store. It was hiliarious to see the girls in the lead wearing them over their pants or stacked up their arms. Another activity we played is a spin-off of the newlywed game. At this shower, I was able to ask the groom-to-be a list of questions about himself and his future bride ahead of time and record his answers. During the shower, I had the bride answer the same questions in her own words and then we compared the two. This is a common shower game, but it’s fun for the guests to get to know the groom through his responses, and also fun to expose some of the more embarassing aspects of their relationship.

Favors & Prizes

Of course, the favors and prizes are the easiest way to tie in a color theme. Inside the favor bags, were orange jellybeans tied in cute little bags with orange ribbon, a small orange soap from a local boutique, and a coral lipgloss to top it off.
To drink, I served ‘fizzy blood orange flips’ in sugar rimmed glasses and garnished with an orange slice. I bought blood orange italian soda from Whole Foods, which come in nice glass bottles, and

Fizzy Blood Orange Flips

chilled champagne in an ice bucket so guests could poor their own drinks, with or without alcohol. For an afternoon shower, this was the perfect fizzy beverage.  I also served coffee and tea, which was perfect with dessert.  Having a specific color theme made the drink selection much easier to narrow down.  Choosing one theme appropriate beverage makes sense and is way easier to manage than offering guest multiple options.  It was clear what the drink offerings were, which made guests comfortable to help themselves if needed.

To eat, I prepared a simple spread including a farfalle carbonara pasta dish with peas and pancetta, toasted and sliced baguette for sopping up extra sauce, cranberry gorgonzola green salad, fresh fruit, and sweet vanilla cupcakes dressed in orange polka dot wrappers.

Simple Spread

I’ve also included a picture of a citrus floral arrangement that I made for another party.  This arrangement would tie in perfectly to this party theme, and I wish I had thought about it at the time.  The cylinder vase was actually purchased at my local dollar store (I stocked up when I found it, just in case).  I placed

Citrus Arrangement

another smaller cylinder shaped vessel inside of it, which is what was filled with water and the stems of the flower.  Between the inner vessel and the outer vase was the perfect space for sliding the lemon slices in.  They stayed perfectly in place, and the arrangement lasted about a week before the lemon slices really started to shrivel.  If you do these ahead of time for a party, I would suggest putting the vase in the refrigerator covered with plastic wrap to keep them extra fresh.

Pretty in Pink Baby Shower

I hosted this baby shower, with the help of another friend, for one of our best girl friends.  She was having a baby girl so we went all out with girly pink decor.

Barret Crafting Station

We kept the activities simple.  There was an ongoing station with supplies to make baby barrets, so guests who were interested could sit down for a quick craft session when it was convenient for them.  This activity was a hit!  The barrets turned out to be super cute and the guests had a lot of fun making them (and competing with each other to make the prettiest combination).  The supplies were minimal:  plain barrets, frilly buttons, scraps of fabric, various sequins, scissors and craft glue.

Tasting Game

The other main activity was a baby food tasting game.  We set out 5 flavors of baby food, with tiny tasting spoons and cards numbered 1-5.  Each jar had a number label on it, and only the hosts knew which number corresponded to which flavor.  The guests had to taste each one and write down what flavors they thought matched.  It was so funny watching the reactions people had to the mystery flavors, and some of the guesses were really strange.  The person with the most correct guesses won a prize.  Note:  Mac n’ Cheese flavored baby food is disgusting and unrecognizable.  I do not suggest using that flavor, or ever feeding it to your child for that matter.

It's a Girl!

We tried to incorporate the pink color theme into as many areas as possible.  Tags on the baby food game jars, layered pink tissue paper as the tablecloth for the crafting table, several bouquets of pink roses in every room, pink cupcakes, pink letters printed on onesies and strung as a banner on the mantel.

Trophy Cupcakes

Favors & Prizes

We also gave activity prizes in pink bags with pink tissue, and party favor boxes in pink polka dots were given to each guest filled with small goodies.

This was an afternoon shower, and we served a full buffet of asian inspired cuisine.  The menu included: veggie spring rolls with dipping sauces, thai chicken drumettes, jasmine rice, asian noodle salad, strawberries, veggie salad with sweet sesame vinaigrette, and of course those delicious Trophy Cupcakes.

Asian-Inspired Cuisine