Beautiful Backyard Bridal Shower ... Sharing All My Tips

I had the honor of hosting a 

Backyard Bridal Shower

for the daughter of a dear friend!

I've literally watched the beautiful bride to be

grow up since before she was even born.

 

With my three children not only

Grown and Flown

but married as well

I jumped at an opportunity to host 

A Beautiful Backyard Bridal Shower 

at our home

because I know what lovely lifetime memories can be made

with family and friends

celebrating the union of two people in love!

I also remember how overwhelming and emotional

all the wedding activities can be

so it was 

my intention

to create a lovely afternoon

where not only 

the bride to be 

could be celebrated 

but her mother as well.

Hosting such an important event 

was also the perfect impetus I needed

for Jeff and I to get our house and gardens 

in tip top entertaining shape.

With a ten week lead time

my to do list was long 

so my working timeline kept us busy the last couple of months

to be sure!

There is nothing like 

wanting to give people a memorable afternoon

celebrating love and friendship

to keep home project motivation running high!

The last couple of months I have kept 

3 project lists going

and 

 after for years feeling like I had way too much time on my hands

it's felt exhilerating!

I have decided to un retire and relaunch 

my Fashion Accessory business.

This idea and goal 

 has felt so daunting at times

(read huge procrastination blocks)

but having a firm deadline

of a party and the necessary preparation as a must

it actually helped unblock my business progress!

The old adage of 

'if you want something done , give it to a busy person'

still works!

My three project list of

Business

House and Garden Projects

and 

Bridal Shower Prep

kept me motivated and accomplished!

I have entertained for decades now

so I feel very comfortable and organized.

The outlier and uncontrolled factor for this party

was our weather.

Here in Southern California we have two months of 

May Gray and June Gloom

in which drizzle and wetness can be an almost constant.

So for the bridal shower

I had to be able to transition 

The Garden Party Theme

inside if need be.

I decided I could easily embrace the cold and wet

even in June 

with a fire in the fireplace and an abundance  of candles

always reminding myself

of the most important part of any party

How you make your guests feel!

 

Decorations and Food are always just supporting players.

We actually go So Lucky with 

the party weather

it ended up to be 

a picture perfect sunny afternoon!

Before I go further with the party prep

a note about what I wore

and 

just how important an outfit I love is to me

 when it comes too  entertaining.

To have an outfit I am already familiar with

is comfortable

moves easily 

but with enough substance and drama

that make me happy to be me

is always one of my key entertaining boxes to be checked.

Pockets ...  always a big happy bonus!

And of course  a great shoe!

My cream wooden clogs

fit the bill.

Comfortable for backyard entertaining

yet still stylish and fun with my outfit!

For me 

an entertaining outfit 

that I love

gives me joy and confidence

so once my guests arrive

I can put all of my focus on them!

I always believe

the better we feel about ourselves

the more we have to give to others.

Now to the actual 

Backyard Bridal Shower

It started with

A Welcome Table

Our house is small and compact

but I never have wanted that to limit my entertaining.

I enjoy the challenge of getting my spaces to expand

to accommodate entertaining many.

To do so we moved our dining table back against the wall

to create a better flow to our gorgeous backyard.

Upon arrival each guest was warmly greeted 

and

 then asked for their  preference of drink

and 

then welcomed into the backyard.

I know as a party guest

I often come with a bit of nerves

so I always so appreciate not only a warm greeting

but also a glass

it's an immediate way to feel connected and a part of the gathering.

I also always appreciate a glass, glass as well.

Our welcome table was simple

with choices of champagne, mimosas, sparking lemonades

and sparkling  waters.

A wedding ring charm finished the champagne glass.

The Welcome Table

needed to be a focal point for the celebration

so I needed an extra large arrangement.

So to help keep the party on my budget

I started with a very large potted plant.

This beautiful potted dahlia was a Mother's Day gift

from my gorgeous girl!

I loved it so much it's been my dining room centerpiece for weeks!

But it was getting to it's blooming end

so to fluff it for the party

I just tucked in vases of fresh flowers!

I used vases of large white mums and  white peonies 

I  was so happy with the level of party drama it created!

I will certainly be adding

using potted plants

with vases of fresh flowers

to my entertaining styling ideas!

I always enjoy getting the most bang for my buck

whether it be what I wear or how I decorate!

Now that the party is over

the potted dahlias are planted in my garden 

in a place of honor!

Speaking of bang for my buck

I ordered Papel Picado banners 

also known as

 Mexican Wedding banners,  from Amazon 

HERE

to carry out my 

Bridal Garden Party Shower Theme.

For the table I just laid  them out for a contemporary feel

against my primitive hand crafted dining table.

A blue antique folding screen behind the floral arrangement

kept the eye from traveling back to the wall

so the focal points remained just where I wanted them

on the welcome trays and flowers.

For the

 Backyard Garden Party Theme

I pulled all of my colors from

these sweet invites I had printed from 

Minted HERE

I chose the invites because they encapsulated the 

gathered garden feeling 

I was going for.

I am a big believer in old school 

mailed invites

as a perfect way to set a tone and excitement 

for any event.

I also got really lucky at Trader Joe's 

for all of my flowers!

I was at ours first thing Friday morning

when they get their floral shipment in.

To make these simple arrangements 

I started with flowering privet I harvested from my courtyard.

The greenery provides a perfect framework

to build the petite bouquets.

Our backyard farm table is over 10 feet long

so running small arrangements down the length

makes for a feeling of simple abundance and luxury.

You can see how much 

Bridal Shower punch

 the Mexican Wedding Banners add

We also had them in the front

arched between trees for a dramatic

'the parties here' feel.

Lunch was served buffet style

so I had placemats set out throughout the backyard tables.

Personal Photos Folding Screen

 

Another party idea I was happy with

was bringing out my wooden folding screen

that Jeff made for me years ago.

I added the wedding banners to the panels.

Then I added photos of the Bride to Be

from over the years.

Her mother had collected the black and white pictures

the last couple of months for this project.

It ended up to be such a personal touch

and 

was such a fun talking point for guests as they arrived in the backyard.

I purposely put it in the far back corner

to help pull people further out into the yard

and 

it worked really well!

For a gift table I simply draped a blanket over our vintage cart.

It also helped pull people out and didn't take away from any decor

instead it created another fun focal point

once all the presents were there!

We replaced our fire pit and  awning chairs

with our round table and wire chairs.

I purposely designed our middle patio

to flex season too season.

In the chilly winter months

it's a cosy fireside space

in the summer months 

it's intimate alfresco dining space!

Our waterfall along with backyard speakers

always provides even more  outdoor ambience.

I added more of the banners to our backyard photo backdrop.

It was so fun to see the multi generational photos being taken during the party!

All of the food was  beautifully made by 

my amazing husband!

In our family Jeff has always been the chef!

In line with the gathered  garden theme

the light lunch consisted of a spring pasta salad ...

Homemade hummus with roasted vegetables, naan bread and pita chips.

These simple tiered treats were a huge hit!

The beautiful Bride to Be, Bria

and 

her lovely mother, Triana!

Our kids grew up together on the street.

So it was such a lovely opportunity to bring 

friends and  old neighbors together

to celebrate the upcoming nuptials!

I hope you've enjoyed your visit here

and 

found ideas that 

you can incorporate into 

your own entertaining life!

Thank you ever so much for visiting!

Leave a comment it you feel inclined

they always make my day!

As always my friends

I wish you love and joy

as you style your life