Katie Wanders : June 2014

Bear with me and the "non running" related post.
But this is one of my best friends,

and go-to running and workout buddy.

So that counts... right?

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If there was ever someone who was made to wear J Crew,

it would be this girl.

Perfectly proportioned figure, long blonde (natural) stick straight hair, and a gorgeous smile. Every time I pass a shift dress on a hanger (that makes me look like a stump) I sigh, walk away and think that's a dress made for Lizzy.

She is a very classic and simple kinda gal. While I am the one in obnoxious neon wearing low cut dresses and crazy prints, you can find Liz in a classic neutral, something with clean lines, or maybe just an oxford. A no "girly-girl", a wonderful friend, and a true athlete.

She is the girl you want to be best friends with in high school.

And I am so lucky I did.

So how do you plan a bridal shower for someone so wonderful?

Follow Liz's rules.

Clean lines, classic style, neutrals, and absolutely no pink. Liz's bridesmaids, maid of honor, and mother, got together to plan a wonderful shower for this beautiful person.

And might I say, I think we did a really good job.

(Bridal Shower invites designed by a bridesmaid, Madison)

Every little detail was made by someone who loved Liz. We didn't buy banners online, call a florist, or order a cake from the bakery down the road. These ladies who adore her got to sewing, cooking, baking, arranging and prepping to make this day as great as it was. It was all of the little personally details that really make a bridal shower come together.

(Mother of the Bride, and the Bride)

The shower was hosted at Liz's parents home, in our hometown of Old Lyme, Connecticut.

Christine and I put together the beverage table. Freshly made lemonade, unsweetened home-brewed iced tea, and cucumber water. Also vodka and simple syrup to add at your liking. Christine found these wonderful little black stickers that could be drawn on with chalk. She also found those adorable striped straws, little wooden Adirondack chairs, and that lovely little drink tray. I brought some burlap and this adorable little lemon print fabric I found at Jo-Ann Fabrics.
(check out their clearance section- they always have fun prints back there for really cheap- also download their app, they always have great coupons!)

The mixture of vodka, iced tea and lemonade was the perfect refreshing cocktail on a warm spring day. It is the alcoholic cousin of the Arnold Palmer and titled the John Daly ;) These cute little napkins I found at Marshalls were a fun addition.

The bride enjoyed a Jon Daly - and have you seen a prettier more unique ring?

Swoon.

You can;'t forget the adorable and classic paper straws.

And the bunting.

I was up late Friday Night making this.

I am a sucker for cute bunting!

I got a few of the pre-cut squares at Jo-Ann's and used this template to cut out the triangles. No sewing required! I used ribbon and fabric glue to attach the squares. Make sure you iron your bunting once you are finished for a nice clean look.

Meredith made up the amazing flowers while Lauren put together the floating candle burlap centerpieces and shells. The center pieces absolutely looked like they were done by professionals. The navy and yellow napkins were a fun touch and the tables looked amazing.

Meredith put together a little "Meet the Bridesmates" display. Each bridesmaid had a little bio on how they met the Bride and some funny little stories to share. These were adorable and really fun for everyone to read and reminisce. Except for one college friend, we all went to middle school and high school together, and some of the girls even go back to diapers.

Obviously there was a wall full of awkward, embarrassing, and adorable pictures of the bride, her family, and her friends.

Guests were mailed recipe cards (designed by Madison) with their invitations, to bring with them filled out. Recipes were collected in this adorable nautical box for the bride to use in her new home.

Then there was the champagne on this amazing old rustic cart the bride's mom had.

The gorgeous (and scrumptious!) mimosa bar.

This was all Madison's doing and she did a fabulous job.

This mimosa bar was such a hit and everyone had a great time playing around with fruits and flavors. Really refreshing on a warm summer day.

The mother of the bride even rented these gorgeous Adirondack chairs.

A personalized banner made by Madison displaying their wedding date.

I wanted to make a light and healthy dish so I put together this crudite (and had a lot of fun saying the word three bajillion times). It just sounds so fancy, doesn't it?

The trick is to get a fun variety of shapes, sizes, and most importantly, color!

Obviously the best part of the shower, was the people there.

Friends, family, and this handsome little stud spent the day with the Beautiful Bride.

Bridesmaids and mothers.

When you live in a town as small and wonderful as ours,

everyone else's mom sort of becomes your second mom (and third, fourth, and fifth!).

Madison, Meredith, and Liz.

Bridesmaids and the Bride!

Meredith and Christine.

Christine was the true mastermind behind the planning.

You need someone super organized like Christine to make a bridal shower planned by 8 girls go smoothly!

Of course, the bridal shower needed silly games.

This game was put together by Elisa and was a sort of a memory game. Liz walked around the room in this silly get up for a few minutes. After, the guests were told to write down as many items as they could remember.

The guests with the most items received a surprise!

There was also a fun survey/game of "guess who said what". The bride and groom were asked a series of questions before the event, and the guests had to guess who said what.

(I like to frame the shower invite and wedding invite to put on the tables as a fun little touch- simple and easy decor!)

And gifts!

Showering that pretty girl with gifts!

Liz received so many wonderful and beautiful gifts from her friends and family. And lots of great ribbons and bows to work with for her "bouquet".

Some of my favorite gifts were:
This stump! Christine found this stump, and engraved it for the Bride and Groom to use on their wedding day. Apparently there is some form of a drinking game that involves a hammer and nails and a stump! Another gift was a box of wines with a cute little poem from Meredith. The box had about six different wines for the couple to celebrate their "firsts". First home, first anniversary, first baby, etc. This was such a great idea and the poem was absolutely adorable.

Bridesmaid Kristin made these amazing cake pops as favors. Not only were they absolutely gorgeous and looked like they came out of a high end bakery, but they tasted AMAZING. I never really understood cake pops (so much work for such a little bite), until I had ~~one~~ a few of these. So moist and delicious and personalized with her wedding colors and the logo from her invites.

(So a little pink snuck in, these were too cute to keep away). We had these out on the dessert table.

This beautiful cake was made by Christine's mom, aka Liz's "second mom". One layer vanilla, one layer of red velvet. I loved the look of the clean white cake with the striped ribbon.

There was no shortage of desserts,

that is certain!

Liz and her bridesmaids! She was so happy to have all of her ladies together.

And we had so much fun planning and hosting this bridal shower for our wonderful friend! All of these ladies came together to plan an awesome day for Liz.