As you guys know, I have the pleasure of being the Matron of Honor in my sister-in-law’s upcoming wedding. As soon as Russell and Meg started planning their wedding, Bo and I knew we wanted to do something special for them. After years of hearing about their wonderful co-workers and friends, we were finally able to bring families, friends and loved ones together this weekend for a co-ed wedding shower which we hosted in our Brooklyn apartment.

Over the past few weeks, in collaboration with Bo’s parents, we went from a simple idea to a perfect party that left everyone smiling. The entire night was near perfection.   Her fiance surprised her by flying in Amelia, her wonderful maid of honor.

We kept the decorations simple, chic and fun – just like the couple. We were able to prepare all the food ourselves, saving on expensive catering costs, and did our best to build in special touches along the way.  We rented the below, adorable LOVE sign from a local wedding rental company while we used the colors of the Spring season as an inspiration for the fresh flower arrangements we designed as well as the table runners and decor.

Instead of buying wedding theme decorations, we found this polka dot wrapping paper at Paper Source as well as this contrasting paper, these matching napkins and this fun banner to bring a pop of fun to the party.  I found these sparkly I Do cupcake toppers which we not only used on the cupcakes but also as a way to bring sparkle to the food and photo display. We used place cards to write little stories and notes for each piece of decor, explaining why we chose it. As you can see below, we chose the blue hydrangeas since those are the brides favorite flower. Buying the potted flowers was less expensive than cut flowers and now they are happily planted in our back yard! They also were the perfect way to hide our microwave. Last but not least, we printed ten photos of the couple and put them in picture frames and on display throughout our home which turned out to be an inexpensive, personal touch as well as something they could take home from the shower to decorate their own apartment.

 

In planning the shower, we knew we wanted to make it more of an engagement party than a shower. No embarrassing games or themes – just a night filled with laughter, good food and wonderful friends and family members.

Menu:

Upon arrival:

• Green Goddess Dip + Crudite & Pita Chips
• A few of their favorite cheeses
• Rosemary Roasted Cashews (addicting)
• A few of their favorite beer & wines

Dinner

• Grilled beef tenderloin served with potato slider rolls, homemade horseradish sauce and mustard
• Wisconsin Mac & Cheese (an ode to the grooms home state of Wisconsin)
• Green Bean Salad (one of the brides favorite dishes)

Dessert

• Assorted cupcakes and cake pops (an ode to the grooms enormous sweet tooth)
• M&Ms (one of the brides current clients)

 

It was a perfect party that allowed us to celebrate the bride and groom-to-be without spending too much money or getting too overwhelmed! Thank you so much to Bo’s parents who helped make this wonderful night possible!

Do you enjoy the typical games at wedding and baby showers?  If you’ve been to showers, what was your favorite detail?