This weekend, I hosted a bridal shower for a dear friend. I chose a cherry blossom theme, and it turned out to be the perfect choice, for a lot of reasons. Here are some pictures from the shower and a few tips and tricks to make your next celebration a little more special.

Pick a Theme
The cherry blossom theme was kind of an accident, but a happy one. When I was looking for invites, I found one with white cherry blossoms and I liked the colors on it. After I ordered them I thought "Hey, this has to be my theme!" I already owned a lot of Asian home accessories, and I immediately knew I could create a beautiful party with this theme.

So that's tip #1: When picking a theme/color scheme, think about the decorative accessories you already own and the colors already present in your home:

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In this case, I already owned the vase, Buddha, and fan. I just had to get some faux cherry blossoms to make the display complete. And see all that greenery out the window? It's bamboo. Perfect.

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Here's a wider shot of the table. As you can see, my dining room is already filled with shades of green. So green became the primary shade in my color scheme, with accents of pink, white, and yellow.

Here are a few more photos of the party decor:

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Again, all I did here was add the cherry blossoms and a fan.

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I beautified my balcony by adding the irises (not in the color scheme, but I couldn't resist):

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Finally, I added silk fans to the flower pots I already had on the balcony (filled with blossoms from the 99 cent store):

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Make Your Own Linens
Once my theme and color scheme were set, I knew exactly how I wanted my tables to look, and I knew I was going to make them myself. I measured my tables and went directly to the sale section of my local fabric store. Here, I chose luxe fabrics on clearance and some no-sew fusible fabric tape. Of the green material alone, I was able to make two table runners and at least one pillow cover for about $24.

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Limit the Games
Or perhaps I should call this "Know Your Crowd." I knew the group I'd invited wasn't the type to go in for a lot of cheesy shower games, so I picked one game, and one "activity."

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When my guests arrived, I gave them each a "diamond" ring and told them the word of the day was "WEDDING." If you were caught by another guest saying the word "wedding" you had to give them all your rings. The guest with the most rings got a prize, which was in this case the DVD of "The Time Traveler's Wife."

See those fans next to the bowl of rings? Those were the party favors. I bought some inexpensive silk fans in the bridal section of Michaels and tied ribbons around the bottom.

The second thing I asked my guests to do was write advice or wishes for the bride on cards:

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I bought a few decorative pens and some stickers and told the guests to write their wishes for the bride on the cards, decorate them, and put them into the glass vase. This turned out to be my favorite part of the shower, and it even made the bride cry! People wrote some beautiful, funny, touching things and the bride will be sure to hold them as keepsakes.

As for the vase of cherry blossoms, I simply cut the blossoms off of my faux stems and filled it up. I also added ribbons to the bases of each vase. Very simple, but very pretty.

Food/Drink Stations
Besides the bride, the food and drinks were the star of this party. Unfortunately, I didn't get a picture of the food table (which was the table with the Buddha on it). Duh. But here is the dessert table (which was actually a bookcase):

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In keeping with my Asian theme, I hand dipped fortune cookies in chocolate and sprinkles. Very easy and I loved the way they turned out.

I also made red velvet cupcakes with cream cheese frosting that everybody loved. Not exactly Asian, but yummy, and that's what counts.

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To make things easier on myself, I laid out all the glasses in advance and told guests drinks were self-serve. I simplified this by having one choice in alcoholic beverages, mimosas, and set out a bucket with champagne, a cooler with more champagne and a pitcher of fresh orange juice. The non-alcoholic drinks were in a plastic tub on the balcony for easy access.

I laid out all of the food in advance to minimize guests congregating in the kitchen. As a hostess, I find a crowded kitchen really hard to deal with A) because it's usually a mess after I've prepared everything and B) I want it clear so I can easily access anything I need to once the party starts. I know a lot of hosts enjoy people in the kitchen as they prepare party food, but I am not that person.

Laying glasses, utensils, food, etc. in advance means less questions from guests and helps them feel more at home when everything they need is right in front of them. It also helps to keep me sane, as I tend to get flustered when too much is going on at once.

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And that, my pretties, is the way to throw a kick-ass bridal shower without breaking the bank. Now I'm looking forward to the Vegas bachelorette party and of course, the wedding!


11 Replies to “Cherry Blossom Bridal Shower”

  1. Susan Newton "The Shower Diva" says: September 5, 2010 at 7:26 pm

    Hi Holly!
    I stumbled here and just had to comment on your beautiful choices. There are so many options with this hot bridal shower theme, you hit the cherry on the blossom with this one. You know how to do it right. Theresa is one lucky Bride. And you are one great friend. I can read this by all of the lovely, heart-filled posts.
    I would be honored to showcase your bridal shower theme on my site with your permission. I created a cherry blossom theme designed specifically for my sister-in-law which is somewhat different than yours, so I think together they would lend so many beautiful ideas for my readers.
    I hope you will agree to this. This is a perfect, budget-friendly, yet tasteful solution that I often speak about at my conferences.
    I am so thrilled to find you! Not just because of the theme, but because your personality shows through here and we share a fav author, Judy Blume!
    Happy Showering!
    Susan “The Shower Diva”
    Where Fun Reigns!β„’

  2. Sharon O says: March 29, 2010 at 12:42 pm

    Holly, that was really beautiful. You did a wonderful job with everything. I know Theresa and friends loved it, too. Have fun in Vegas…..everyone!!

  3. Holly says: March 28, 2010 at 9:51 pm

    yay, I made T cry again!

  4. Theresa says: March 28, 2010 at 9:23 pm

    πŸ™‚ πŸ™‚ πŸ™‚ πŸ™‚
    I’m choking up just reading this and remembering one of the happiest days of my life. It was such a beautiful day and I’m so lucky to have a friend like you.
    T

  5. Holly says: March 28, 2010 at 6:06 pm

    It’s here!
    Thank you for all the food you brought, Queca. That really took a load off my mind. It was a great day.
    Love you!

  6. Queca says: March 28, 2010 at 6:04 pm

    I wrote… what happened to it? Confused

  7. Queca says: March 28, 2010 at 6:03 pm

    Holly: I cannot thank you enough! You are such a wonderful friend to my daughter Theresa and such a great person to me. The party was a success, everything was yummy, beautiful and appreciate the hard work you put on the preparation for it.
    Thank You.
    Love you

  8. Holly says: March 28, 2010 at 5:55 pm

    Thanks, Antoinette! I certainly hope everyone enjoyed themselves as much as I did!

  9. Antoinette says: March 28, 2010 at 5:47 pm

    WOW! I hope your friend was kissing your hard working booty. That’s the most beautiful shower I’ve ever seen. WONDERFUL theme & tips. The best part about having a big party like that at your own home is it forces you to spend time decorating and looking at your place with fresh eyes. You did a stunning job. I’m sure everyone felt lucky to be invited.

  10. Julie says: March 28, 2010 at 4:31 pm

    I love it! I am sure she was thrilled, and she will have many happy memories of the shower.

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