A Warm Shower

Clockwise from top left: We didn't make being gorgeous a prerequisite for being invited to the party, but somehow it turned out that all the guests were; a bucket of Izze sodas in the shower's color palette (they actually taste good, too); the floral arrangement contained flowers from the grocery store, the farmer's market, and my parents' garden; the beautiful bride-to-be and me; the imprintable letterpress invitation was from Smudge Ink; the lunch buffet; the tables were set with yellow tablecloths, mixy-matchy chairs, and centerpieces in vases of all different sizes.

So, I'm sorry I have been a little M.I.A. this week (those of you who are observant will recognize that I sneakily post-dated a post for yesterday, but it really went up this morning). However, I just flew back last night from my parents' home in California, where I hosted a bridal shower for my dear friend, Lea, this weekend. We wanted the party to be a fun, casual luncheon, and, since I wanted to actually BE at the party and not stuck in the kitchen all day, I chose a menu of all foods I could prepare ahead of time and just pull out when it was time to eat. The bride's sister, Amber (who is also my great friend and co-hostess), and I cooked up fresh cold salads, grilled chicken, shrimp cocktail, and a huge platter of delicious local heirloom tomatoes that made me miss living in California (as if spending time with my lovely friends wasn't enough!) To keep things feeling put-together, we chose a color palette of bright orange, yellow and fuschia for everything from the invitation to the floral arrangements (to the sodas!) Not pictured are the mimosas and bellinis that we all indulged in, or the desserts that ended the party on a very sweet note. Here's to the happy couple!