Masquerade Bridal Shower

My first time throwing a bridal shower happened this past weekend. I spent months planning this with my mom and the bridesmaids. My sister decided early on that she wanted a masquerade theme (she has always liked peacocks, feathers, and Phantom of the Opera), so I got to Pinterest and Etsy and came up with some great finds that I had to share.

Masquerade engraved mint tins (that we later embellished) were the favors. They say "Katie and David" and their wedding date on the back. Bridesmaid Mayra used engagement ring ice molds to make ice for champagne and drinks. My sister bakes a lot so her cupcake standards are high. She is a fan of Dolcissimo, so we chose a dozen lemon and lavender and a dozen mini chocolates to adorn with mask rings. These cupcakes were absolutely amazing and I don't even like lemon flavored desserts that much! Purple crystals made the tables glisten while we toasted with purple champagne glasses. All purple items (my sister's wedding color and favorite color) and balloon bouquet came from Party City. I picked up the perfect gift for my sister on Black Friday when Kate Spade had a great sale on bridal accessories, including these bride and groom stud earrings. I then got a great last minute deal on this bridal hanger from Etsy. This seller is wonderful! I ordered last minute and she made sure my hanger reached me in time. The "Miss to Mrs." banner also came from Etsy in record time.  I then used my Polaroid camera  to take actual photos and put them in an album with messages for my sister. Lastly, we all decorated actual masks with crafting supplies my mom picked up from Hobby Lobby and Michaels. We even glued dowels to the masks for an authentic feel. Of course I had to include the quilt my great grandmother made that my grandma gave to my sister. It will look perfect in her new home!

This experience taught me that attention to detail is what counts the most. By listening to my sister's wants and needs and working together with friends and family we made it happen. While the shower did feature some crafts, we made up for the work by having the food catered. The only decoration we actually made were purple pouffs. Now that the shower is over I can appreciate how it all came together. While it seemed stressful at the time, I am sure that the lasting memories are better than any gift off of a registry.

Wedding season is here. Will you be throwing or attending any showers? Happy partying!

Inspired by: the Saguaro

I'm still having trouble getting back to reality after my perfect stay at the perfect hotel, The Saguaro. As I was combing through my Pinterest, I realized that I could take the Saguaro with me anywhere. With the rainbow and color blocking trends being so popular right now it's easy to take a cue from this hotel and incorporate the Saguaro into clothing, shoes, accessories, or even your home. It was hard to whittle this list down, and there are more options on my pin boards, but my main focus is color blocking (not patterns) in bright hues (not pastels or primaries or neons, but a healthy mix of rainbow with no blacks or browns) and something summery. The exception to the summertime look is the color blocked coat at the top, but I thought it was a good illustration of how to transition this trend to fall.

Since these images come from Pinterest, it is hard for me to give them all credit or know their source. But here are the ones I know for sure. Starting from above: ASOS, Bejewelled Bespoke, Tom Binns, Shoe Mint, Nasty Gal, Stella McCartney, Charlotte Olympia, Felicity & Coco, Alice + Olivia, Juicy Couture, Anthropologie, Dannijo, Christian Louboutin, Kate Spade, Tibi, Jeffrey Campbell, Etsy.

Have a colorful and inspiring weekend!