My Daughter's Shabby Chic Bridal Shower

Of all of the events that I have been asked to plan, none has been more rewarding than my current project, the wedding of my only daughter, my beautiful Elizabeth Katherine.  

My daughter met her fiance Eric during her first year of college.  After dating for a year, he asked her to marry him.  They decided to wait to get married until they both obtained their Bachelor's Degrees, which they completed this past December.  Last year, they set the date, and my extreme planning began.  

My first event to help plan was her bridal shower December 14, 2014.  Unfortunately, the maid-of-honor had situations that took up the majority of her free time; so, last minute, all of the planning fell to me.  MOH and I had discussed what kind of theme we would like to have.  We knew that we wanted to surprise Elizabeth with as many of the details as possible.  MOH and I had hoped for a shabby chic theme.  The only problem with this was that my daughter hates, and I mean HATES, anything girly, pink, prissy, shabby chic... you get the picture.  She loves very clean lines, modern, black, silver, and even sometimes, a little on the dark side.  It's okay.  She has cookies there.  ;)   So, my challenge was to plan a shabby chic party in such a way that my daughter would see the light, be converted, and adore it.  

My first step was to choose a venue.  Since it was shabby chic and we needed a room for around 50 ladies, I chose to return to the site of her graduation party, The Wigwam Room at the Potawatomi Inn & Resort.  With it's beautiful brick walls and flooring and the wonderful fire place, it set the perfect backdrop for our event.  

Next, my goal was to let the bride know just a few of the plans so that she would not be completely blind-sided by a barrage of pink fluff and lace and wonder if the shower was for MOH and me (who are EXTREME girly girls) or her.  One of my all-time favorite sites to order essential party items from is Etsy.  I looked and looked and looked and finally found an invitation that I thought would impress her.  When I showed her, she said, "Ooo.  That's cool."  I HAD HER!   YESSSSS! 

Before I had the invitations printed, we had to decide what type of food we wanted at the shower.  We knew we wanted something very classy where the ladies that attended felt very spoiled while they were with us.  Elizabeth perused the Inn's menu and decided that she would like the event to be an early afternoon luncheon.  This fit perfectly with the theme.  The bride chose house salad, followed by a chicken salad croissant, Potawatomi Inn's House Chips, pretzels, with pink lemonade and raspberry iced tea for the drinks, and strawberry cheesecake for dessert.  Perfection.

I sent the pertinent information to the Etsy seller, the invitations were designed, and PDF files were sent to me through DropBox.  I also added some other options the seller had to offer as a package so all of the paper items would match; thank you notes, place cards, and a shower game.  Allison was very helpful and also designed a Directions Card insert to match the invitations.  I forwarded the approved proofs to our local print shop which printed them on heavy card stock.   

Allison with DulceGrace is amazing!  Her Etsy shop: DulceGrace

The invitations didn't come with envelopes.  So, I searched the internet and found some ivory linen envelopes for the invitations and smaller, burlap ones for the thank you notes on Amazon that were perfect.  They even had a peel strip so you didn't have to moisten the envelope flaps... a nice added feature.  

Linen envelopes from Amazon   

Burlap envelopes from Amazon

I started Googling images to get ideas for shabby chic/vintage bridal showers.  Would you believe there were only two that even piqued my interest?!  I was shocked.  I don't even know why.  It seemed like everything was tired and done already.  I am really, really, REALLY tired of dessert bars that have all of the assorted apothecary jars.  I'm sorry if that's your thing, but EVERYONE is doing it.  Be bold!  Be daring!  Break out of the mold!  At least take an idea and tweak it; make it YOURS!  

I found this chalk board and easel at Hobby Lobby.  You'll see that I find a lot of wonderful things at Hobby Lobby.  Ha!

To decorate the rest of the room, I knew that I wanted to do some type of a garland to cover an unsightly projector screen.  The Inn said that they could remove it, but when I searched the web, I found the absolute neatest idea and the projector screen could be used as a way to display it.   It's a garland idea found in a February 7, 2014 post, "Put Some Flowers on It" from blogger BecomingWhitney.  You'll have to scroll down about three posts on the page to get to it or search "pom pom garland" to find it here: Pom Pom Burlap Garland.  I was inspired by her idea to create my own.  See below for the finished product. 

I chose 3 1/2 yards of calico fabric with a similar flower motif and coloring as the invitations.  I found the fabric at Hobby Lobby and used it to cover the 10-foot projector screen.  I used that as a base to attach the pom poms and other garlands I made to create one large garland. 

I found the pom poms through Etsy.  I'm sure you can find less expensive pom poms through local craft and party supply stores.  But, since I wanted very specific colors, I chose to order them through this shop:  PartySupplier4U   It takes a super long time to fluff these bad boys.  So give yourself enough time.  Do NOT think you are just going to show up at the venue and fluff them right before you hang them.  It took me hours.  For the pom poms attached to the calico fabric on the large garland, I fluffed all of the layers to one side, making the pom pom flat on the back.    

I hung others by ribbon.  The pom poms from the seller I got them, came with a narrow white ribbon that is also really short.  If you would like your pom poms to hang like in the picture on the seller's site, you will have to purchase matching ribbon through your favorite craft/fabric store.  I bought mine through Hobby Lobby.  You will have to remove the white ribbon and attach the colored ribbon before you fluff them.  Make sure your ribbon is perfectly centered.  Overestimate the length that you will need to hang your pom poms that way you won't have pom poms attached directly to the ceiling. :)  Fluff them so they are rounded, to the back and front.  I staggered mine at varied lengths above the bride's table. There's one pom pom hiding out of site in the picture on the right side.  It hung a little higher than the photographer shot.  My OCD is bothering me.... lol. (Photo credit for all party photos: Mindy Strayer Photography)

Back to the large garland, I drew a template and made mini wedding dresses out of card stock and hot glued them to little, wire clothes hangers that I found at my favorite local scrapbook store.  I then tied them to jute.  For another smaller garland, I cut 4-inch squares of white tulle and knotted them to jute.  They looked like little tulle wedding dresses.  They were so sweet.  

I made the huge mistake of trying to make my own gathered burlap garland out of 3-inch wide burlap ribbon.  The reason I say it was a mistake was because it took about 60 feet of burlap (expensive!) to do what I did and a ton of time, when I saw pre-made burlap garland at Hobby Lobby.  So, I leave that up to you.  If you love a challenge and have no other pressing matters, go for it.  I had so much to do and so little time to do it in that I did not love the challenge. 

There was a banner that I wanted to attach to the main garland to really make a statement.  I had seen this little gem, yes, on Etsy.  Yes, by DulceGrace: Banner  This became the focal point of the room.  It was AMAZING!!!!!  I just printed off the file at home on regular paper, cut it out, and attached it to the chocolate brown card stock and cut trimmed that.  I hole-punched each corner and tied ribbon, attaching the cards together, two-by-two.  

I laid out the calico fabric on my living room floor and attached the pom poms by the knotted ribbon to it by medium-sized safety pins.  This helped me to know the positioning of the pom poms and how long I wanted the other garlands to dip and swag.  I didn't attach the other garlands ahead of time, but I did attach the pom poms.  I rolled the fabric up with the pom poms on it and put it in a large box for transport to the venue.    

I needed a large ladder to get up high enough to hoist the fabric over the projector screen.  I had to have help to hold it in place while I fastened it with safety pins to hold it.  It looked amazing!  After having the calico fabric in place over the screen, I draped 10 yards of stretch lace over the top of the screen, unevenly swagging it on top and letting the sides waterfall down and the excess fabric to pool on the gift table below.  Then, I attached the other handmade garlands one by one with safety pins to the calico fabric.  

I had the open, gold, wooden 16 x 20 frame already.  My Auntie Sue gave me the old barn windows from her farm.  They were perfect!  I attached some of the ivory stretch lace to the back of one for some great detail.  I just stretched it out and tacked them with white thumb tacks.  Easy peasy.  I finished the display with a rose heart wreath on the corner,  two 8 x 10 engagement photos, and a copy of the bridal shower invitation which I just stuck to the front with Scotch double-sided, removeable tape. 

Years ago, our Aunt Joy gave us an antique typewriter that was our Aunt Hazel's.  It was perfect to use for the party.  I typed a message on linen paper and rolled it into the typewriter.  Behind it, we found these neat wood and wrought iron wall hangings at Hobby Lobby.  I added some accent pieces of antique Ball mason jars, two suitcases from Hobby Lobby, a 1912 wedding dress replica, antique books, and one of the shower favor boxes.   Magnifique!  

   

I made a burlap and lace ribbon garland to hang between the two wall hangings.  I cut various ribbons in 8-inch strips and alternated textures, knotting them to a base ribbon that was about 4 feet long.  

On the opposite end of the gift table, I placed items from home.  I turned a lidded box from Michael's into the card box.  I made a banner that said "CARDS" out of cardboard and lace.  I added some of the beautiful pale pink, floral, tulle and lace ribbon and doilies that Aunt Irene crocheted for me 23 years ago.  I love adding heirlooms to event decor.  It's so personal and a beautiful tribute to important people in your life.  I found the shutters at a primitives shop in Marshall, Michigan.  The bird cages are from Hobby Lobby. 

This entire display was on the opposite end of the room from the entrance door.  It was the major focal point of the room.  It also became the backdrop for all of the formal photos of guests from the party.  The ladies loved it. 

In the displays in the front of the room, I incorporated some of my own antiques and a few given to the bride from her grandmother and two great aunts.   

Engagement photos displayed on the old farm cabinet doors. 

I kept the tables simple.  The lanterns I bought on Amazon.  I made the burlap and lace bows from burlap and lace bought at Hobby Lobby.  The MOH made the burlap utensil pockets from an idea she found on a Google search.  The burlap runners were from Hobby Lobby.  They were in rolls and I cut them to 7-foot lengths.  The gold chargers are a simple melamine from The Dollar Tree.  The place cards were an add-on feature available as part of the invitation package from DulceGracePrintables. The black lace damask favor boxes were from kppboutique on Etsy.  I can no longer find that shop on Etsy.  If you do a search for "lace favor boxes", all kinds of beautiful items pop up!       

I arranged for every course of the luncheon to be served so that the guests would be spoiled.  The meal began with house salads followed by:

Chicken Salad Croissants

Homemade Potato Chips and Pretzels

Macadamia White Chocolate Chunk Cookies 

Pink Lemonade or Raspberry Iced Tea

and ended with Strawberry Cheesecake for dessert.

.

After lunch, we played two games.  One was "He Said, She Said, or Both" where guests guessed if the statement was made by the groom, the bride, or both.  I found that game on Etsy from this seller: Party Games The other was "How Well Do You Know the Bride-to-Be?" where the ladies guessed the bride's answers to pre-asked questions.  This game was part of the invitation package add-on I spoke of earlier.  These were so much fun and absolutely HILARIOUS!  

After all of the fun.  It was time to open gifts.  We sat the bride in front of the gift table in a queenly chair.  :)  

The Bride was so excited to get the crystal lotus candle holders she had registered for at Macy's.

The day was absolutely beautiful.  Lady after lady told me that it was the most beautiful shower they had ever attended.  I was so thankful that it turned out so well.  

Mother-of-the-Groom and Mother-of-the-Bride

Mother-of-the-Bride with the Bride

Mommy loves her baby girl!

2013 Valedictorian Open House

Be careful of whom you invite to your parties.  If they like what they see, they will probably ask you to plan their next event!  Which is exactly how I got roped into, er, I mean, asked to plan another graduation party this year.  ;)

Joking aside, I was truly all-to-happy to plan this event since it was for my daughter's future brother-in-law.  The only problem was that I only had six weeks in which to plan a party for 100 people.  I had planned my daughter's graduation celebration for six months.  But, because it was for people who are so close to my heart, how could I refuse?

I met with the graduate's father to get an idea of what kind of party he wanted to host for his son.  This one was going to be pretty fun since the graduate was the high school valedictorian and the function would be an outdoor celebration with outdoor games and a live 80's band.  Fitting 100 guests was a challenge which we remedied by using the garage and also renting a tent.  We transformed the garage by covering the unfinished walls with white material to give a better backdrop. 

I can't really explain from where my decor ideas usually come... they just pop in my head.  I just begin to "see" the finished product.  I Google images, but never quite end up doing what I find.  I tend to go to my local dollar store, scrapbook shop, Walmart, and Hobby Lobby and see what is available and then build around cool things I find. 

For my daughter's graduation, we ordered a huge banner with her picture.  She had three graduation open houses in which the banner was displayed.  For the first open house (which was her actual high school graduation, since she was home schooled for high school, and was a very formal celebration with only 25 guests), we hung it high to make a statement.  For the church open house and my extended family's open house, we hung the banner lower and used it as a guest book to sign.  Everyone LOVED going up and writing on it.  I thought that it would be a great idea to do for this valedictorian, too.  

 I hung his cap and gown on a hanger and then on a nail on the wall.   It made a huge impact on the display.  Everyone "oooo-ed" and "ahhhhh-ed".  

The graduate's school colors were black and red, which I love together, so it made planning fun.  So off to Hobby Lobby and the scrapbook store I went.  I found these cool foil sprays and I just started imagining the larger centerpieces. 

I found the mini diplomas, "Congrats Grad" cake topper, and mortarboards at our cake supply store and attached them using glue spots to red bamboo skewers I found at Hobby Lobby.  The plastic tubs were at our local Dollar Tree store.  I shoved the foil spray pic into a piece of floral foam, double-sided-taped it into the bottom of the plastic bin, then dumped landscaping rocks around and on top of the foam to hold it in place.  I then covered the foam with red foil and black crinkle shred.  It was great to be planning a party with a red color theme since the stores were filled with Fourth of July flavor.

I had to make several smaller centerpieces.  I found glass cylinders at The Dollar Tree and continued with the black crinkle and red foil shred.  I filled the cylinders with glass beads for weight, but covered the inside bottom half with black glitter card stock.  I added a finishing touch of chevron ribbon to the center.  

I purchased graduation-themed die cuts at my local scrapbook store.  I hope to one day own a
Cricut machine in order to make my own.  I attached the die cuts to white card stock, then red card stock. to make them pop.  I added red and black glitter stars and thought they turned out fabulously.  I placed red table cloths on the tables and tied black tulle around the center to look like a runner.  Not only was it cool, but when a breeze would blow, the table cloth stayed put.  

The graduation boards are always the most fun, but also the most time consuming to plan and execute.  I always love seeing the end result and watching guests' reactions to them.  I love making boards that are over-the-top.  I always let the boards tell the grad's life story with milestone events and include the people that are most important in their lives.  This first board took me eight hours just to put it together.  That does not include the picture choosing process.  It probably took me about a week just to plan it, then a full day to put it together.

I made an additional board that commemorated his high school and year of graduation and featured him delivering his valedictory address.  It was simple, but really impressive. 

I also wanted to showcase his valedictory medal.  I created a shadow box in a scrapbook page style and included his graduation tassel.  He was amazed and appreciated such a beautiful keepsake. 

The main display table...

I made two banners from scrapbooking card stock.  I traced each letter with letter templates and cut out each letter by hand and added two colors of card stock behind.  I laced them together with paper twine and we stapled them directly to the garage wall.  One read "Valedictorian" and the other expressed the sentiment, "Good Luck".  I draped one above the main table and the other above the buffet table.  

The grad's father also asked me if I would make the desserts for the function.  (Okay, kill me. haha)  He had tasted the cake I had made for my daughter at her graduation.  Instead of a cake, I chose a cupcake tower for this event because of the number of guests and the ease of individual servings.  I also chose cherry cheese tortes since the red would fit in beautifully with the color palette. I put the cupcakes in red cupcake liners with white butter creme icing and topped them with black grad theme picks.  The tortes were placed in gold foil wrappers which was a salute to his gold valedictorian medal.  When placed on the red foil table cloth, the gold foil actually took on a red look and was fantastic!

As a finishing touch to the walls, I filled in bare spots with a "clothes line" of photos on either side of the room.

And, of course, the band was a huge hit.  Unfortunately, we had a threat of rain and had to move them into the garage.  But, it worked out well.  Those that danced moved just outside the door and had a great time. 

The Valedictorian and His Event Planner :)

I didn't get a picture of the outdoor activities or the tent.  I can assure you that it was just as beautiful and fun.  Everyone had a great time celebrating the valedictorian.  We're so proud of you, Tom!  We wish you the Lord's blessings for a bright future.

The Grad's Dad... giddy with how the event turned out.
He said, "This was WAY more than we expected." 

His Beautiful Mother and I

To God Be the Glory. Amen.

Home School Graduation Celebration

I find myself reeling today from an amazing weekend full of celebration.  Not only was it my 43rd (ugh) birthday, but we also graduated my daughter from high school the same day.   I am exhausted, but every moment was worth the effort and the event was more beautiful than I had imagined it would be. 

I started home schooling my children four years ago after my daughter's freshman year of high school and my son's sixth grade year of middle school.  The public school system had failed us.  My children were honors students, with my daughter being first in her class of 169.  So, our decision was not one of desperation over our children not learning, but one of the public school system itself and some very negative experiences with the administrators and its environment.  Maybe sometime I can share about that in another forum.

When it came time to graduate my daughter, I really didn't know where to begin.  I googled everything I could think of to get ideas, but sadly, couldn't really find much information on it.  Sure, I could find several images of party decorations, but nothing on how to go about arranging the affair or what to do for the actual ceremony.  This is why I decided to post about our experience and, hopefully, help others to celebrate their own momentous occasion without feeling overwhelmed.

We chose not to be a part of a home school group.  Since we are so involved with our church and community, socialization and extra-curricular activities are very much a part of my children's lives already.  I also had wonderful family and friend support, along with mentors full of wisdom and helpful nuggets that helped me tremendously along the way.  After all, home schooling high school subjects can be pretty intimidating at first.  I would like to give a special thank you to Lee Binz, The Home Scholar for all of her help and support during what could have been a very scary, lonely, and overwhelming time in our lives.  You can find her information here: http://www.thehomescholar.com/ 

A home school group would have had its own formal commencement ceremony and we wouldn't have had to worry about what to do for our daughter.  But, just because our daughter was not a part of a large group with a formal ceremony, it didn't mean that she should not have her own beautiful celebration of equal or greater quality.

I started planning about three months in advance by talking to my daughter to see what important elements she wanted to be a part of her special day.  (the emphasis is there because the day is about your graduate, mom or dad, and not us... remember to honor your graduate's wishes for the event).  She wanted only our closest family members invited and she wanted to showcase one of her many talents in some way.  We made a guest list which included 23 of our closest family members and this helped to set the criteria for a room for the event.  I did all of the decorating and chose to have the party at an all-inclusive venue.  My daughter wanted to have her ceremony on my birthday.  That was so precious to me.  Once we had the date, we chose a rustic resort near our home, Potawatomi Inn and Resort in Pokagon State Park in Angola, IN.  We rented the room which included a luncheon buffet of our choice with drinks, white table linens with black table skirting, china, stemware, and set up and tear down of the room.  I didn't have to cook or clean up the mess!  Glory! 

Once we had the date and the venue, it was time to get a cap and gown and her diploma.  I am so thankful for the website: http://www.homeschooldiploma.com/.  It had absolutely everything we needed to have this ceremony feel as formal and official as possible. The diplomas are so elegant and of the highest quality.  I ordered the cap, gown (also of high quality), diploma, and an honors medal for my daughter in a package the site offered which was a really good cost savings.   

Then came time to invision the decor.  We decided to decorate with our home school colors which my daughter chose to be black and gold.  This, along with white, made a beautiful, formal palette.  I had been working on a graduation video which featured a song in it that has a line which says, "You're so amazing; you shine like the stars."  So, I chose to have stars as the basic theme for the party.  I sketched out what I wanted the room to look like and where the tables would be and that set the tone for how many decorations I would need at each station.  I wanted two long tables lining the back wall that would anchor the room and draw the guests' attention as they entered.  These tables would hold the main grad board along with her featured school work and accomplishments.  Then, I needed a four-foot round table in each corner, one for the cake and the other for the gifts and sign-in registry.  I googled ideas and found elegant ideas for centerpieces on this website:  http://jenniferstonebarger.blogspot.com/2010/07/it-was-such-nice-break-to-do-something.html  The centerpieces were so sophisticated that I had to try my own version.  I thought they turned out beautifully.

I bought the vases at The Dollar Tree store.  I placed black foil paper in the vases along with white paper shred and added glitter star picks which I found at http://www.dazzlelace.com/packagingsupplies/decorations.htm.  I added to that a silk, black and white flower with a cluster of pearls I found at Hobby Lobby to make the arrangement.  I then added cardstock to one of her senior photos and added a black-painted dowel rod and stuck it in the center.  I printed out the inspirational phrases of "Go, Lizzie!" and "The future is bright" using WordArt and attached a smaller, black-painted dowel to the back of those.  I added three black and yellow tulle bows as filler and spiraled some wired stars throughout the arrangement.  Voila!

After making five vase arrangements (one for the gift table, two flanking the grad board in the center of the long tables, and two flanking another grad board at the front of the room), I needed to come up with a unique graduation board or two to showcase my best girl.  I had never seen such a creative graduation board as the ones on this website:  http://creationsfrommyheart.blogspot.com/2010/08/graduation-memory-boards.html  I had never thought of doing boards like this in a scrapbook style!  The first was a lifetime of photos, past to present.  The second was one showcasing her beautiful senior pictures.  Scrapbooking is another one of my passions and it had never occurred to me to do the first board that way.  Go figure.

I got the side vases at The Dollar Tree store.  I lined them with Hallmark damask print wrapping paper.  I then painted a dowel rod black and free-hand drew stars on glitter card stock and hot glued the dowel to the back.  I bought several yards of tulle fabric and cut it into strips and made bows and wired them and stuck them in the arrangements as filler. 

Next, I wanted the tables to be exquisite.  My daughter is a bookworm and so, of course, I used a beautiful floral fabric in the center and topped it with books as an anchor.  I used my long-stemmed, gold-rimmed crystal stemware to layer on the books and filled them with mini-diplomas I made.  I then made mortar boards from foam core boards, button centers, and yellow ribbon for the tassel.  I then added a senior picture and a younger picture.  They turned out great!

I ordered personalized favor boxes for each guest and used lace paper doilies as name cards then printed out an agenda for the luncheon and ceremony.  This gave the tables the polished, elegant look I was hoping for.

I situated the main graduation board in the center of the two long tables and flanked her college acceptance letter and scholarship awards along with another senior picture on either side on easels that my dad made for the event.  At either end of the two long tables, I added the side arrangements, more pictures, past and present, a large bouquet of balloons (I ordered 37 balloons in all) and binders with milestone documents in them.  I found a reasonably-priced, personalized banner at CelebrateExpress.com.

My amazing dad asking the blessing for the luncheon.

The cake table with the cake I made for my best girl...

The gift table...

I completed the room with adding a large bouquet of balloons in the front of the room near the podium where we addressed the crowd.  This provided a very festive backdrop for photo opportunities. 

My husband, our daughter the graduate, and I...

The presentation of the diploma...

I added a special display outside the door to the room for guests as they arrived.  My dad made the floor easel.  I added a welcome board and balloon and her graduation gown.

We had the luncheon first so that the guests would be well-fed and content. (there's nothing I hate more than going to a function and it being FOREVER before you actually eat).  For the graduation ceremony, my daughter wanted me to give the opening address as her home school instructor.  I delivered a brief speech and read a glowing letter from one of her college professors (she has been taking middle college courses on-campus and earning both high school and college credit during her junior and senior year of high school. Upon her graduation, she became a college sophomore with a 4.0 GPA... not bad, not bad at all).  I introduced her to perform a dramatic, interpretive sign language routine... one of her many talents.  I then turned the festivities over to my husband as the home school administrator to present her with her diploma.  While he addressed the crowd, my daughter and I stepped just outside the room into the alcove to get her into her cap and gown.  Immediately after the presentation of the diploma, the graduate addressed the guests.  Then, we had a time for our families to pose for photos with the graduate.  We ended with the cutting and serving of the cake.

The ceremony was so powerful and there was much cheering, happiness, and sweet sentiment, mingled with many tears.  What a joyous event!  My daughter just became engaged, as well, and will marry in three years upon the happy couple completing their Bachelor's Degrees.  I will also graduate my son that same year at the same time.  Time to start planning!  Ha!  I wish you a happy, successful event!