Bridal Tea Party Favors

One of my favorite things to do when I am hosting any party is to provide favors for the guests who attend.  Personally, I think it's a simple and easy way to show your guests how much you appreciate their presence at an event you worked so hard to create.  It's also another excuse to be creative and add detail to make a party feel even more special.  

When Mom and I started deciding on favors, we were overwhelmed with so many options!  I had just joined Pinterest a few weeks before we began planning, so that is one of the places I checked when we were trying to decide on the perfect souvenir to send home with our tea party ladies.  Here are some options we thought about:

Teacups & Flowers

Teacup Candles      

Teacup Rings

Mints in Dahlia Tissue

Tea Bags

Cookies

These are all great ideas and if we had more time, more money, or a smaller crowd expectancy, we may have chosen one of these options.  Although we were gathering a collection of teacups for the tea bar, we weren't sure if we would have enough to send home with everyone.  We thought Kim may want to keep some of them as sentimental reminders (she ended up choosing a set and so did I), and also...we wanted teacups to be available for their intended use and didn't want to sacrifice that by filling them with wax or dirt.  So, we disqualified any favor that involved actual teacups.  We thought about tea bags, cookies, candies, etc. but we were already serving a lot of the things we thought about sending home and if someone wasn't a tea drinker, they wouldn't be excited about getting tea.  And although the rings were super cute, we didn't feel that everyone coming would enjoy them enough to wear them.


So, we came up with an idea which incorporated some of the inspiration we got from searching and finding the above options.  One of my parents' tenants actually worked at a chocolate shop where she learned (and grew a passion for) making chocolate treats.  So, with some creative thinking and her help, we came up with these:

Aren't they adorable?  We thought these were the perfect favor because they still had a "tea party" vibe without being too theme-y.  These "Vanilla Creme" spoons are perfect for adding a bit of creaminess and subtle flavor to your cup of tea, coffee, hot chocolate, warm milk, or even eaten by itself.  And let me tell you...they were DELICIOUS!  Mom and I tried one when we first got them, and we were lucky to have a few leftover.  We tried to spread out the remaining few to savor them, they were so yummy!  You can check out more pictures, a better description, and other things DeAnna makes at her etsy store or facebook page.  

Mom and I got the idea while we were looking around, then asked DeAnna if she could come up with a flavor for us.  We purchased the plastic spoons (that look like real silver) at GFS, but I've also seen them at other party stores, Costco, and even in smaller quantities at Wal-Mart.  We dropped the spoons off to DeAnna and picked them up once they were dipped, decorated, and finished.  She sent them back to us in individual cellophane wrappers (shown) and a simple "Thank You" tag.  

I didn't get a picture of them before I added some extra touches, unfortunately.  They were ready to be handed out as they were when we picked them up.  However, Mom and I had just been shopping at an adorable little Scrapbooking store in Destin while we were vacationing and I picked these up:

I knew we'd be doing favors, but didn't know what that would look like when I got these.  But, I had purchased a few sheets of these simple, pretty "thank you" stickers and had to use them.  Keeping with our tea-party theme, I dug through both my mom's and my own ribbon collections to tie the tags on.  Of course, I had to stick the stickers to something, so I used a 1.5" circle punch to cut out small circles just slightly bigger than the stickers to give them a pop of color and a simple border.  I used card stock to do this...half in green and half in purple.  Once they were all cut, I placed a sticker in the center of each circle (pattern side up), then used my tiny hold punch to make holes for the ribbon.  If you don't have a tiny hole punch, you can use a regular size hole punch.  

When I threaded the ribbon through the holes (using a blunt yarn needle to help them along), they looked like this:

  

I didn't worry about matching the ribbon or using a certain number of each kind, etc. (Which drove my OCD tendencies a little wild).  I think the mixed patterns, textures, and colors made the bunch of them really pretty and eclectic.  

Mom and I also loved the idea of the ring, but thought it might be better to add a charm that could be added to a charm bracelet, necklace chain, or looped onto a key ring.  We purchased an assorted set from Oriental Trading Co. and I attached these to the ribbon with a smaller piece of yarn or edging.  The set came with a slice of pie variety, but we opted to leave those out and only used the teacups and teapots.  

I think these added the perfect finishing touch to our delicious favors!

Once they were all finished, I arranged them in a round wicker basket my mom had at her house:

Then the basket was placed at the table by the front door so that guests could grab a favor on the way in or on their way out.

Kim also chose to use DeAnna for her wedding favors.  Kim's wedding had a "Breakfast at Tiffany's" touch, so she wanted each guest to have a blue Tiffany's box at their seat when they arrived at the reception.  Of course, real diamonds would be a little pricey, so DeAnna made milk and dark chocolate diamonds dusted with shimmer.  These were then packaged into Tiffany blue boxes and of course tied up with a white ribbon:

Bridal Tea Games & Activities

Since this Bridal Tea Shower was a little bit more of a formal event, my mom and I didn't want to do too many cheesy games.  This was meant to be something sweet, sentimental, and rich with support and encouragement.  We still made sure to have things for the guests to do during the shower so that they still had a good time and made some fun memories.  So if you're looking for some ideas for personal touches or subtle ways for the guests to interact, you've come to the right place!

Last time, I showed you some unique ways that we decorated for this shower.  We tried to tie everything we did together with the "tea party" theme in mind.  There is a fine line to walk when you plan a tea party to make it classic and pretty without falling into the "grandma" category.  Not that the "grandma" category is a bad thing, but for a 23-year-old bride it's probably not at the top of her list when she wants to remember her bridal shower.  Lucky for us, one of the themes Michael's was selling was tea party!  We found pens, notepads, albums, blank cards, and more with teacups, teapots, and flowers on them!

We had one table set up in the main room where Kim would open gifts with all of our supplies for the games.  My mom found these adorable buckets filled with a set of tea towels and a teacup set for game prizes.  We made sure to gather all the materials we needed so we wouldn't be running around when it was time.

The Timer Game
We used an egg timer and turned it to a random spot when Kim began opening gifts.  The person whose gift she was opening when the timer went off got a prize!  So simple, but an easy way to involve guests.  I think it also helps them stay alert and paying attention when the bride is opening gifts.  You could alter this game if you have a larger number of guests by re-setting the timer when it goes off the first time.

Bridal Shower Poem Game
The second game we played I found here.  Since it was a Bridal Tea, I knew it would be a great opportunity to play a game involving what they were wearing.  Each guest was given a piece of paper and a pencil to keep score.  Then, I read this poem aloud and everyone added and subtracted until each person ended with a number.  Here is the poem:

This is a rather peculiar game


It really does not have a name


It’s simple to play, as a game should be


You just do as you’re told, you see


So now if you’ll please give me your attention


We’ll put an end to this suspension


In the end, whoever scores the most


Will receive a prize of which to boast


Now since you’re all fashionable girls


Give yourself 5 if you have any pearls


You may add 3 if your toes peek out


And earrings will give you 2 more to shout


Score yourself 5 if you show any red


Add 6 more for a curl on your head


Now before you think you are going to win


Take away 2 for each safety pin


Give yourself 6 if your pants are tight


Add 1 for a scarf which is just about right


Add 5 more if your shoes are black


And take away 3 for a zipper in back


Now count all your buttons, for each you get 2


And take away 1 for each button that’s blue


Give yourself 5 if your heels are high


And why not take 10 for the green in your eye


10 more points for a rose on your clothes


Take away 5 if you forgot to wear hose


If your husband you kissed today – add 9


If you didn’t subtract 12 – you’re subject to fine


This is the end…there isn’t anymore


Who is the lucky lady with the highest score?

Honeymoon Pig

This was a mix between an activity and a game.  I got this cute piggy bank at Target.  You could also search online to get one that matches the colors of the wedding, the theme of the party, I've even seen bridal pigs.  Then, I wrote a short little poem and framed it to go next to the pig.

In case you can't read from the picture, here's what it says:

Little piggy on the table

Will grant your wish if he is able.

Drop some coins in his tummy, 

He finds newlywed funds very yummy!

Don't wait, for now it's opportune

To help the new couple on their honeymoon!

A dime, a quarter, a dollar, or ten,

Your donation will be very well spent.

Couples' massage, dinner, a movie, or wine...

Let's help make their first days together shine!

At the end of the party, we'll see if you're wise.

The one with the closest guess wins a prize!

Throughout the shower, guests stopped by and added loose change from their purse, or a couple of bills.  When things started winding down, little piggy was whisked away, emptied, and the money was totaled.  Everyone wrote down a guess of how much was inside and the person that guessed the closest was the winner.

Besides these games, we had a couple of other activities for guests to participate in.

Thank You Envelopes
One of the duties of a bride is to send thank you notes for all the gifts that she receives at her showers.  To help Kim with the toughest part of sending these notes, we had the guests help by addressing their envelope for their cards to be sent.  All we did was purchase a few packs of cards (with the ones we found at Michaels, these were just $1 packs of blank cards).  We separated the cards from the envelopes, then put a small basket by the front door with the envelopes and a couple of pens.  I made another small frame with instructions for the guests.  By the door, guests can do this when they first come in, or be reminded when they walk out the door to leave.  Of course, this isn't fool-proof.  You may still have some guests who skipped over this task or didn't see it.  But the majority of guests will do this and it will save a couple of hours for your bride from gathering and writing out addresses.

A Year of Encouragement

As I mentioned, we wanted this shower to be a way for Kim to feel embraced with love and encouragement from the important women in her life.  One of my favorite things that we did for this shower was cards of encouragement.  Many have heard that the first year of marriage is a tough one.  There are sure to be a lot of adjustments, drifting from friends, figuring out what this new life is as husband and wife.  We wanted this feeling of love and encouragement to continue throughout Kim's first year of marriage.  So, mom and I found a cute set of blank note cards at Michael's and scattered them on a table with a frame and instructions.  

As guests had an opportunity, they took time to sit down and write a few encouraging words for Kim in a card that would be sent at some point during the following year.  At the end of the shower, my mom collected the completed cards and has been sending about one a month.  I think the coolest thing about this is that neither Kim or the author of the card know when a card is being sent.  My mom really doesn't either, she just chooses a card at random.  When my sister was over for Easter, she said she got my card and that I told her to call me to set up a date for sushi this week.  I had forgotten I even wrote that but now Kim and I are planning to have sushi when normally, we wouldn't have thought to make time for it.  I think this is a great way to remind the bride that she is loved and supported.

Dress-Up Photo Booth
One of the most popular things right now at weddings and other events is a dress-up photo booth.  We thought this was a perfect activity to add to Kim's Bridal Tea.  I mentioned in my previous post about this shower that it was planned and styled around a birthday party Kim had as a young girl, where we got to dress up in all kinds of fun stuff.  It was fun to gather things for this activity, and pretty cheap, too!  We asked friends if they had any old hats, scarves, etc. that could be used.  We scoured Goodwill, yard sales, and the attic.  We pulled random items that could be used from around our houses.  I think we ended up with a pretty nice collection.

For the backdrop, we hung a black sheet over the curtain rod in my parents' office.  We got a cheap clothing rack from Wal-Mart (which actually came in really useful later to hang our dresses the day of the wedding).  My mom had an old frame that she hung from the bar on the clothing rack, then draped another black sheet over and around the frame.  We set up all the hats, sunglasses, scarves, and boas on the long table against the wall and hanging on the side of the clothing rack.  Then, my dad set up the tripod facing the frame and zoomed to where the only thing guests needed to do was snap a picture or set the timer.

It was a little less fancy than some photo booths, but I liked the way ours turned out.  My favorite part was that it was so cheap!  Well, that, and that we had a ton of fun playing dress up and taking pics.

Overall, I think guests had a pretty good time.  There was a lot of catching up, giggling, and reminiscing on good memories years ago.  I hope that these ideas can stir up some of the same results at the Bridal Tea you're planning!

PS...If you're looking for more unique ideas and games that are aimed more for a bachelorette party, there are some great ones here and here.  Enjoy!

Bridal Tea Party - Decorations

Hello, friends!

Man, am I excited!  I mentioned in my last post that I'm planning to be a lot more intentional with this blog and start to make it a regular habit.  Part of my struggle has been that I wasn't sure what to blog about.  With the way life has been for me lately, I've had to put a halt to some of my creative habits so I didn't think I had much to blog about.  Sometimes all it takes is some focus.  I found a bunch of stuff to share that I haven't gotten around to for the past year.  So I've just planned out the next 18 posts!  I'm excited about making blogging more of a priority and giving you guys some more ideas.

Onward...

As most of you know, my sister was married last July.  Actually, most of my blog posts this year have been about the wedding gift I put together for Kim & Larry, the CHEAP Dates for a Year basket.  Head over and check out some of those ideas if you haven't yet.  I also shared some games with you that I used for her Bachelorette Party, but I guess in all the chaos, I forgot to tell you about the shower that my mom and I threw for her last June.  I can't believe I completely skipped over it, because we put A LOT of work into it, and were both proud of the outcome.

Mom and I wanted to throw a shower for Kim to kind of pull together a bunch of little groups of people and have one big gathering.  It was a way to get a lot of the people together that love her and share in celebrating.  So, we needed something that would sound fun to a variety of people, something that wouldn't be too expensive, and something that would easily fit in most everyone's schedules.  So, we decided on a Bridal Tea Party.  It's traditional, fun, super girly, and cost-conscious enough to feed a large number of people on a weekend afternoon, which most people have available.

Another reason is tied into a few of our family traditions.  I'll get to those in a second.  Like I mentioned, Mom and I put a lot of planning and detail in this shower, so there is no way that I could do a post that includes it all.  At least not one that most of you would read all the way through.  So, I'm breaking it down.  Today, I'll go over the general plan and share some of the decorations and special touches we included.  Later, I'll share four more posts; one for food, one for games and activities for our guests, one for the favors, and one with some tips for all you Maid of Honors out there.  Don't miss them!

DECORATIONS
We wanted this shower to be feminine but not too frilly.  Classic but not "grandma".  Traditional but personalized.  My parents' gorgeous home was the perfect setting because Mom's decorating style is right in line with what we wanted.  The flow of the floor plan and the neutral, classic decor left a lot of ease in the plans for decorating, so we didn't really have to do much.

The first thing we wanted to do was make sure that we had plenty of seating for when Kim opened gifts (we were expecting between 15-30 guests), places for people to sit and chat while sipping on tea and snacking, and different mingling centers.  It's important when you plan a party to provide opportunities for conversation that are natural and comfortable, even for people who don't know each other.  At something as personal as a bridal shower, all guests have something in common so this is pretty simple.

We wanted to include some flowers, but nothing too formal.  Mom had a great wildflower garden to pick from and I have a stunning hydrangea bush at my apartment, so that's all we used.  Use what you have growing in your yard!  It fits right in with your home and most importantly, it's free!

We saw this idea on the ever-helpful Pinterest!  So easy and different.  We just used some wine glasses mom had, put a cluster of wildflowers underneath, and topped with a tea light.  It was the perfect way to spruce up our plate and silverware table.  Mom and I used plastic white tablecloths, but got a couple yards of fabric to match the feel of the shower that we overlaid on top of the white plastic.  This dressed it up a little and pulled it together.

I didn't arrange the hydrangeas that well, just stuck them in a vase on the table.  But I had so much fun making the wildflower jars that hung in the window!

It was really easy but got a great response at the party.  I saw the idea original here.  I had several baby food jars that were sent to my classroom and never used.  My mom had a ton of old ribbon that she got from my grandma which I cut to fit around each jar.  It was as simple as hot gluing them down with a couple dots of hot glue.  Then I used some twine to tie around the lips of the jars and left a long enough tail to hang them over the curtain rod.  I think it's a more dramatic and whimsical to hang them at varying heights.  After they were hung, I used a pitcher of water to fill each jar about halfway, then added a good mixture of wildflowers to each jar.  I wish I had a better picture of them.  We liked them so much, mom kept them up for weeks!

SENTIMENT STATIONS

I know that's a silly title, but I don't know what else to call them.  One of my favorite things that we included in our decorations for this shower were personal items from Kim's past and/or heritage.  I typed up short descriptions for each of them and got frames at the dollar store to display them.  These explain more about why having a tea party was so perfect and fitting for Kim's Bridal Shower.  These also provided the mingling spots I mentioned above.  Once guests spotted a few of these, they talked with others about them and started searching for each one.  

When Kim first asked me to be her Maid of Honor, we spent one night in the pouring rain sitting in my car in the Arby's parking lot near a bridal store where we had stopped to look at bridesmaid dresses.  I'll probably always remember that.  During that conversation, I was asking her all kinds of questions about what kind of showers she wanted, things she wanted incorporated during this special time, etc.  One thing she mentioned was that she would love to have a party similar to one she had when she was younger.  For her birthday one year, mom threw her a tea party and a lady came with all kinds of dress up clothes.  So it was a dress up/tea party.  It was perfect, and definitely something I knew she had to relive as a grown-up before tying the knot!  To tie the conversation and the idea together on the day of the shower, mom pulled out a bunch of old photos of not only the party but other times we dressed up to display.

Phew!  I was still planning on adding more to this post, but realizing I can split the last bit into a whole post on its own.  I don't want to make this too long!  Stick around...I'll tell you more about this special shower soon!

Avoid Bridal Meltdown!

In preparing for my sister's wedding day, I looked up a lot of "Bridal Emergency Kits" to make sure we were prepared for ANYTHING.  What started out a small makeup bag with some aspirin and hairspray turned into this:

THE ULTIMATE WEDDING DAY EMERGENCY KIT!

I compiled all the lists I could find and also went through my travel size toiletries and every inch of my bathroom to put this together.  My sister was pretty calm the last few weeks before her wedding, which was awesome.  But to be honest, kind of scared the heck out of me because I felt like it was the "calm before the bridal storm".  I wanted to have everything possible so there would be no snags, no worries, and no meltdowns.  Result?  SUCCESS!  

So what is in the ultimate wedding day kit you ask?  Well...I'll tell you!  First, I started by searching for the perfect bin.  I found this cute stackable, durable plastic carrier at Target for about $7.00.  It was perfect, because it had a lot of different compartments and all locked together.  I thought it would be perfect, because I could unlock and unstack so bridesmaids and relatives could grab what they needed while getting ready.  

So, the first level had two removable trays that had smaller compartments.  Perfect for all the little odds and ends that would need to be found quickly:

• Meds (including aspirin, band-aids, eyedrops, cough drops, Benadryl, Midol, cold medicine, decongestant, Rolaids, anti-diarrhea, and nick powder which quickly stops bleeding after a nick or scratch)
• Clear Elastics
• Bobby Pins
• Cotton Pads 
• Q-Tips
• Safety Pins
• Sewing Kit (I took out my pincushion after this pic and replaced with the sewing kit)
• Blue Yarn/Ribbon for "something blue" if needed
• Scotch tape
• Craft Glues
• Shout Wipes
• Mini Tide-To-Go Pen

The removable trays had these lids, so I added labels for easy locating:

The next level includes:

• Compact Mirror
• Clear Nail Polish
• White Nail Polish
• Earring Backs (Wal-Mart had a combo pack that had every kind)
• Hand Sanitizer
• Deodorant
• Baby Powder
• Nail Polish Remover
• Static Guard
• Wrinkle Release Spray
• Tampons
• Nail Files
• Superglue
• Dress Tape (added after my sister's wedding)

And the final level:

• Pen & Paper
• Spare Toothbrush
• Toothpaste 
• Floss (Added after my sister's wedding)
• Tissues
• Scissors
• Lotion (Hand & Body)
• Mints
• Vaseline
• Hair Spray
• Hair Gel
• Drinking Straws
• Makeup Sponges

Believe it or not, there's more.  So, I grabbed this clear bag I had around my house to stash some other stuff that we *may* need and was too big to fit in my carrier.  Here's what else I brought:

• Bug Spray
• Sunscreen (I tossed both a 35 body and a 70 face bottle in since I had them)
• Spray Bottle with fresh water
• Makeup Remover
• Lint Roller
• Baby Wipes
• Wet Ones Antibacterial Wipes
• Pond's Facial Cleansing Wipes
• White Chalk

So there you have it!  I had pretty much everything we needed, and the things I was asked for and didn't have, I've added since then.  I am super excited because I get to use this kit again in less than two months!  Taylor, a friend of mine (sidenote...check out her awesome crafty, creative, DIY blog) recently asked me to be her day of wedding coordinator.  I am SUPER excited about this and can't wait to see what it's like and dip my toes in bridal assistance.  So, since I knew I had that coming up, I knew making this kit would be useful.  I hope you find it useful, too!  

CHEAP Dates for a Year Basket

If any of you are bloggers and DIY enthusiasts, I'm sure you've checked out Young House Love.  I found them about a year and a half ago while browsing some home decor ideas and fell in love.  I think for two days straight, I just sat and read their blogs.  Anyway...If you follow Sherry and John's wonderful blog, I'm sure you've heard of the Pinterest Challenge.


**Side Note**  If you are not on Pinterest yet, get on the ball.  It's SO addictive and so full of amazing inspiration and ideas for anything and everything.


Anyway...one tell tale sign that you are a Pinterest fanatic is that you pin things all the time, but never seem to get around to do most of them.  I've been trying to be better about that, and in fact plan to endeavor a Pinterest journey in the coming months (stay tuned).  But, I've got to say, most of the things I've tried are ideas, recipes, or something simple.  I haven't taken on a big "project" yet...until now.


If you follow my blog, you know that my sister just got married last weekend.  For their wedding gift, I wanted to do something creative.  I'm huge on gift-giving and try to make every gift I give meaningful, sentimental, creative, and/or memorable.  So, I didn't want to just get them a set of dishes and call it a day.


Enter Pinterest.

I came across this idea when I first joined Pinterest back in May.  In the midst of wedding planning, my sis didn't join until probably mid-June.  I crossed my fingers that she wouldn't see this pin (I pinned it, but deleted it once she joined, then just re-pinned it today).  I like the element of surprise, which is the reason I think I liked this gift.  They got back from their honeymoon last night and opened gifts, including this one, so now I feel like I have the freedom to share my first big Pinterest project.

The original idea uses a lot of gift cards to nice restaurants, activities, etc.  Well...being that I can't afford to do that, I decided to do a bargain/free date basket.  Which I think actually works better for a newlywed gift, because they'll have ideas and some supplies to re-do the dates they enjoy without breaking their budget.  Here's what my completed basket looks like:

Each month has it's own envelope that has card describing the date and (most of) the supplies they'll need for that date.  I also added one extra envelope to include a letter that explained the gift:

I got the basket at Big Lots for I think only $4, then decorated each envelope with scrapbook stickers.  I decided on 12 dates, made supply lists, went shopping, and decided which month to assign each date to. I used a pack of coordinating scrapbook paper, then created cards for each date which includes a short poem, where, what time of day, the supplies they'll need, and explanation of what to do for the date.


They were super excited, and I think are looking forward to open the envelopes each month.  Of course, I can't post what all of the dates are because that would ruin the surprise!  But...it does give me something to blog about monthly.  I told them to give me some feedback and take lots of pictures.  I'm sure this will be something that they enjoy and build great memories from.  That's the hope anyway.


Overall...this entire basket cost about the same that I would spend on an actual wedding gift for my sister ($100-$125).  So, really, it was not much of a stretch to do it.  If you're interested in doing this as a gift for someone, let me know and I'll be happy to send you the card document for each date.  This would be a great gift for an anniversary, Christmas, wedding, and even for a couple having a new baby.  They have a great variety of dates, no two are alike, and each of them I think will bring out a different aspect of their relationship.  I hope it keeps things exciting and romantic for them.  Stay tuned to find out what's in each of those envelopes...I can't wait to share!