Hosting parties is one of my favorite things to do, and this bridal shower was exciting particularly because it was finally time to celebrate my little sister getting married in October.
The venue was perfect for a shower, a boathouse at the South Portland Marina. It overlooked the marina and all of the boats, and the ocean breeze made the space comfortably cool without air conditioners. Fortunately my future brother in law had a best friend working at the marina and he hooked us up with the great space to use for a couple of hours. The wood paneling in the boathouse was a little dark for my taste, so I was sure to dress up the space with white tablecloths, blush and white balloons, a ballon strand (the best ones are available at Haight Avenue on Etsy! She’s the best and can customize any colors and lengths you want!) Keeping the theme or color scheme throughout the venue will really make your shower a hit! When people can see that the location, food, desserts, and decor are cohesive it really brings the whole thing together.
The focal point of the day, (besides the bride of course!) was the mimosa bar (Check out a FREE mimosa bar printout here!) and the brunch buffet table! Decorated with white and blush tablecloths, the flower arrangements and gorgeous desserts (from Baked with Love) added the perfect touches.
I decided to go with a brunch themed shower so we could start around noon and end around two without taking too long and keeping it a casual party without guests being bored. (We all know that bridal showers can be long and boring!) I wanted to go with easy finger foods that also looked elegant, so we spent the evening before making mini quiches, waffles. muffins, and small sandwiches. We had a toaster station for bagels, English muffins and pastries. I also set up a yogurt bar with fruit and granola. These were all a hit!
A main detail that can totally change a room around and dress up a space is the flowers. I found the most amazing florist right in Portland, Chris at CMSkeritt designs was so talented and beyond anything I could have imagined up in my head. He took the color palette I gave him and some of my favorite flowers ad designed up magic! Every single person at the shower wanted to bring home the arrangements that were made. From the huge blush dahlias to the eucalyptus, it was perfection. I can’t think of another word besides perfection. They were perfect. If you’re looking for a florist in the Portland, ME area, my first choice would be him. Find him on Instagram @cmskerrittdesigns
We spent the beginning of the shower mingling and chatting while music quietly played in the background. Endless mimosas were poured and everyone began eating. Once everyone settled down with their drinks and plates of food, we began the games! First up was “Put a ring on it” where contestants were chosen and had to hold a skewer in their mouth. They had to use their mouths to put peach ring candies around the skewer, whoever had the most on there at the end won a prize! We had prizes like candles, clutches, and gift cards! To be Portland specific we got a bag from Alaina Marie bags as a prize that everyone wanted to win!
The second game we played was He Said/She Said. We played a third game of “Guess What the Groom Said” and a final game of Minute to Win It where the contestants had to try to throw a ping pong ball into a champagne glass! (This was much harder than it seemed!) I got a lot of these ideas from this page.
After the were finished and everyone was done eating, it was time to open gifts. My best advice for gift opening time is to have the bride go quickly, but be sure to be thoughtful at the same time. You want to have a nice balance between taking four hours to open gifts while everyone falls asleep watching you and making sure that people feel appreciated for the gift they gave! Having someone with a large trash bag for wrapping paper is a good tip, along with having a bridesmaid or friend to write down who gave what for gifts. (This is a lifesaver for the bride’s thank you cards!)
On the way out of the shower there was the photo booth area with these props from Amazon, along with a couple favors to take with! I made a homemade sugar scrub (matching color to the theme of the party) and gourmet cookies were also a treat to take home! I ordered these from KaysCakesandDesserts on Etsy shop and they came out AMAZING!
Hosting a bridal shower can be very fun and exciting, yet also stressful. Stay organized and make sure to plan each detail far enough in advance where you don’t get stuck in the end and it’ll all turn out perfectly. My sister had an amazing day and everyone was thrilled with their time at the shower!
(The amazing photographs in this blog post were done by @harpola.photography. She was kind enough to come take the shots that I needed for this while I was busy hosting. If you’re anyone near Portland, ME and looking for a photographer, she is excellent! Find her on Instagram!
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