If there is one thing I love, it's decorating and decorating for a party is even more fun! Derek's sister Katy is getting married this August in the mountains near Shaver Lake and with a wedding comes lots of parties. Her bridal shower was this past weekend in California at her best friend's family home and you know who offered to bring the decor for the party.
In keeping with the nautical theme, I went "overboard" with decor. My motto is if you think you have enough decor...you better pack a little more. While we didn't have to rent a uhaul to get everything down to California, we packed every inch of the truck and left just enough room for us to sit in the front seats. Seven crates, three boats, plates, silverware, napkins, nautical swag and hundreds of seashells later, we were on the road.
The back of Derek's truck. This was the more organized part. The back seat was filled to the brim too!
We set up the party on Saturday night. There were lots of small details that went into the planning of this celebration. Four people and four hours later, we had almost everything in place.
Derek is the best boyfriend ever! He's always helping me with all of the details!
The day of the party we finalized all of the last minute details. When you walked up to the front door there was a chalkboard with the countdown to the wedding. Luckily, Katy's Matron of Honor, Becky, has nice handwriting, so she nailed this chalkboard! Mine tends to look slightly elementary, if you know what I mean.
The entry was our Message in a Bottle station where we asked the guests to write their marriage advice for Katy and Chris and put it in the bottle.
We had a nice group of 25 close friends and family of the bride. Tables were simply decorated with petite white lanterns filled with sand, seashells and a small candle. Napkins were tied with a nautical inspired ribbon and placed at each setting.
Once guests arrived they were invited to enjoy sandwiches and salads prepared by each of the bridesmaids. The buffet table had the most detail.
Mimosas were a must! Pomegranate, Orange and Mango to be exact and of course our ice chest was a boat!
The gift area had it's own set of decor with personal touches specific to the bride and grooms' relationship. One of my favorite details was the fisherman's ruler with the "keep or throw back" measurement. Chris is the definition of an outdoorsman, with hunting, fishing and hiking being some of his favorite hobbies. Obviously, when he reeled Katy in, he knew she was a keeper!
Last but not least, the dessert bar: where I spent most of my time. Vintage cake plates of all shapes and sizes overflowing with sweet treats. Macarons, lemon bars, chocolate covered strawberries, and a cute little anchor-topped cake. Love is Sweet: Take a Treat!
It was a beautiful day; filled with great people, lots of love and well wishes for the future bride and groom. I was delighted to go overboard with the nautical theme! The best part is being a member of this beautiful group of bridesmaids filled with ladies that are equally beautiful on the inside as they are on the outside. A big thank you to Becky for letting us come in a take over your family's home for 48-hours and for all of the planning you did to make this day special for Katy and an even bigger thank you to Katy for letting me be a part of your inner circle.
