Olympics Party

This is PDR's very first Olympic Games and we couldn't be more excited! We've been glued to the TV watching with anticipation as the US collects medals in swimming, gymnastics, and more.   The energy, dedication, sportsmanship, and let's not forget the muscles (Why, hello there, Mr. Lochte..) have wowed us each year and this year has already had its share of surprises. Are you planning to cheer on Michael Phelps, Ryan Lochte, Gabby Douglas, and your other favorite top athletes? This event only happens once every four years so make it special by inviting some friends over and watching the games together.  Here are some ideas on how to make your celebration extra festive:

1. A Small Snippet | 2. Netsy and Company | 3. Vox Magazine | 4. Examiner Via Pinterest |

5. dotcomsformoms via Pinterest | 6. Heart and Arrow Events | 7. GFetti | 8. Paper and Cake | 

9. Party Pinching | 10. Picking Daisies | 11. Hostess with the Mostest |

Go for the gold!

XOXO

Jen & Saira

Wedding Shower Inspiration: Daniela's Vintage Tea Party

Every girl dreams of her beautiful wedding day with formal invitations, lush flowers, elegant  details, white dresses, and ever so helpful bridesmaids.  But, would you dream that your bridal shower could be the scene stealer?  Today we are pleased to share Daniela's "vintage tea party" themed bridal shower, exquisitely put together by her thoughtful and creative bridesmaids.  From homemade Vanilla extract favors to handmade doily garland and paper pom poms, this is a shower is full of charming personal touches that helped to create an elegant and sophisticated day for the bride to remember.

We asked one of the bridesmaids to give us her take on how
they went about planning this event and here are some of the thoughts and
insite she shared with us:

Was
there an overarching theme for the shower?

Our initial thought for a theme was an elegant, soft, vintage
inspired tea party, but we didn't want to take it too literally and serve just
tea and put pictures of tea kettles and cups on everything. We wanted to keep
it as elegant and sophisticated as possible. Towards the end it had felt like
we broke pretty far away from our initial "tea party" idea but then
seeing it all come together and looking at the pictures now, I think it
translates as just that.

How
did you come up with the ideas for the theme/decor?

Most of the ideas stemmed from things we knew
Daniela loved and then we used our own ideas and inspirations found online to
embellish on that. 

It
seemed there were a lot of little details. How long did it take you to plan?

It's hard to say how long it took to plan since
I'm sure we both had been thinking of ideas since before Daniela was even
engaged. But I believe our actual planning probably began about 6 months ahead
of time. For example, our favors (Homemade Vanilla Extract) had to sit for
4-5 months before being bottled and ready to use.

How did you choose the venue?

We knew we wanted to host it at a place where we had complete control and constant access so we could be planning and setting up in the months, days, and hours beforehand, so that is why we decided to host it in Sheryl's backyard. We felt having it at a hall or restaurant, although less work for us in the long run, would limit us.

How long did it take you to set up?

As for the set up, we did a lot of prepping in
the months and weeks before the shower and stored everything in Sheryl's
basement. We began setting things up in the yard the evening before (once the
tent was set up and tables & chairs delivered) and spent the day of the
shower doing the final touches. After the shower and the following day was the
clean up...which with a lot of helping hands was a breeze!

What
types of games did you play?

For games there was bridal bingo, a word
search, and a Pat & Daniela quiz. We also placed LRC (Left Right Center)
games along the table for people to play at their own will, but I think people
were too busy chatting, eating, and drinking to be bothered to play .

Did you do it all yourselves?

We (Sara and Sheryl) did all of the planning and coordinating ourselves and tackled the majority of the decor and details. Thankfully both Daniela and Pat's mothers were very eager to help and were very generous in their contributions (tent, tables, chair & linen rentals, catering, and tons of additional desserts).

Was it a surprise?

The date, time and location of the shower were not a surprise to the bride to be -- we actually even placed an invitation to her own bridal shower on her front steps spruced up with some flowers. But we didn't let any of the details slip. 

Want to throw a shower like this?  Check the links these ladies have posted on Ruffled and Craig's List if you are interested in purchasing the china, glassware, server ware, and other items for your very own tea-party themed event!  Not all of the items are for sale, but it will certainly get you off to a great start!

Thanks to Sara and Sheryl for sharing these photos and detail with us and warmest congratulations to Daniela, the lovely bride to be!

XOXO

Jen & Saira

Tips for the Maid of Honor: Luau Bridal Shower

Happy Friday, dolls! Today we say "Aloha" to you as we revisit our "Tips for the Maid of Honor" segment and provide you with some helpful inspiration.  If you're hosting a bridal shower over the summer, a fun and easy option is to throw a luau! Theme based showers are a great way to get some color and energy at your soiree, and it's easy to find luau decorations at any party store this time of year. You can make it as over-the-top as you want, and your guests are sure to have fun and really hang loose.

1. Location: Once you have a theme, the next big decision is where to host your shower. We love the idea of throwing a luau because you have so many options in terms of location. You can throw it at a house, in a backyard, at the beach, or at a restaurant. Where you have it is really based on your budget, and you can easily transform any space into a Hawaiian getaway with some skillful decorating.

2. Invitations: Your invitations can be as formal or informal as you want. This really depends on your bride's style, your personal tastes, your guest list, and the overall tone you are looking to set. It's easy to find informal stationary at party stores, but for a more sophisticated look we suggest taking it to the web to find simple,  invitations with maybe one or two bright tropical colors, modern graphics, and crisp, clean lines.

3. Decorations: You have so many options for decorating for a luau. Just walk into any party store, and you'll be bombarded with giant inflatable palm trees, grass skirts and table cloths, coconut center pieces, tiki torches, and everything in between.  And, even if you don't have a huge budget to work with, you can make the biggest impact with colors. Luaus are all about bold and bright colors, so have fun with it!

4. Flowers: Flowers are important for any shower and are the perfect, natural decoration. While we don't expect you to get hibiscus flowers ($$$), try to opt for some "tropical" flowers. Our suggestion is to try to find beautiful and brightly colored lilies.  Now, these aren't always readily available, so talk to your florist to see what you can arrange. Or take a trip to Ikea and get their fun and inexpensive little bamboo plants! Flowers and plants not only  make a great table decorations, they can also pull double duty and serve as a party favor!

5. Food: You have a lot of great options when it comes to luau food as well. Not all of us are into roasting pigs over a fire (gross!), but you can definitely barbecue your meat of choice, have fruit salads, pasta salads, and of course some cute drinks with tiny umbrellas! Basically anything with pineapple, coconut, or mango is a safe bet, but here are some recipe suggestions to get your started:

6. Party favors: Party favors at bridal showers tend to be pretty standard: candles, flowers, candies, scented soaps, basically anything small and cute. To incorporate it with your luau theme, just get things in consistent flavors, scents, and colors: coconut candles, hot pink candy boxes, etc.

7. Attire: If your guests are party people, then you can really get them involved by having a strict dress code: Hawaiian shirts, coconut bras, and grass skirts only! Of course this isn't ideal for most of your guests (just imagine your boss or great grandmother in a coconut bra! yikes!), but most guests will come dressed for the occasion in pretty summery dresses and skirts. Plus, you can make a big impact on a little budget by channeling the island vibes and greeting your guests with colorful leis and flowers for their hair. 

Mahalo!

XOXO,

Jen & Saira