As my husband and I prepare to celebrate our 1st wedding anniversary, I will begin sharing favorite highlights from our pre-wedding and wedding events that are full of treasured memories. Up first on this "Wedding Wednesday" is my first of the three bridal showers that were held in my honor. It was extra-special because my then-fiance' Craig and my future in-laws traveled from New York to be a part of what would be a "double shower weekend", with our church wedding shower held the next day.
On a sunny Saturday afternoon last April, my first bridal shower was held in my hometown of Tahlequah, Oklahoma. The hostess was my Matron of Honor, who is my best friend and sorority sister Christy of Tulsa. She did her usual amazing job hosting the shower for me. The theme was a spring bridal tea-themed personal shower with a color scheme in my wedding colors of pink and green and butterfly detail, held at a local historic home.
I loved the Victorian bridal-themed shower invitations she chose.
Most of the festivities were held in the parlor of the Thompson House, such as the fun shower games she had planned and the gift-opening.
Here I am as the guest of honor in front of the wonderful gift table in the parlor. I chose to wear a Lilly Pulitzer "Franco" dress in the Patchtastic pattern, one of my favorite Lilly patterns because it is a pink and green pattern with butterfly designs and patchwork detail, along with a Lilly "Paley" cardigan in pink. I wore my mom's memorial necklace, a Swarovski crystal butterfly in an eternity circle.
The shoes I chose to wear were these silver shimmer slingback high heels encrusted with Swarovski crystals.
Here is the gorgeous food table Christy created for the shower. A pink rose tablecloth with matching pink rose plates, napkins and cups with pink cutlery and a fragrant spring flower centerpiece in a delicate vase that she presented to me at the close of the shower. She prepared all of the food, including cupcakes, divine tea sandwiches, dainty roll-ups, marvelous pasta salad, vegetable crudite' with creamy dip and an assortment of fresh fruit with tasty fruit dip, along with peach tea and pink lemonade.
I was crazy for the shower cupcakes she baked and decorated! She made my favorite cake flavor: traditional yellow vanilla-flavored cupcakes with buttercream lattice frosting detail topped with pink and green sugar butterflies.
I received so many wonderful gifts that day, including a number of pieces from my wedding china pattern of Lenox "Butterfly Meadow" and oh, so many gorgeous pieces of lingerie, most of which you will not see in this pictorial feature. Ha! Here is a picture of a favorite lingerie gift in lacy pink that I chose to share with you.
Here is another favorite gift I received at the shower, a gorgeous white satin gown, part of a set that came with a matching robe.
Christy presented several of her gifts to me inside this wonderful butterfly gift box that has since become my wedding keepsake memory box. Christy, wearing pink, is pictured to the right.
Christy also gifted me with this Precious Moments bride figurine, that she displayed on the shower food table. This figurine is a treasure of mine, now displayed in my living room curio cabinet.
Here is Christy opening her shower hostess gift from me: Thymes "Kimono Rose" body lotion and strawberry kiwi tea bags in a pink and green box from one of my favorite Southern gift shops: Tulsa's "Tea and Magnolias". Pictured to the left is co-hostess from the Thompson House board, my dear friend Frances.
Frances opening her hostess gift from me, a silver monogrammed mirror compact from Tea and Magnolias. It was very special to have her as a shower hostess. Here is a fun tidbit: one of her bridal shower hostesses was the "original" Mrs. Manning: Eli and Peyton's paternal grandmother.
Christy made me this wedding rehearsal bouquet using my pink and white ribbons and bows from my shower gifts. It was so fun to carry it at the rehearsal.
Christy closed the shower by presenting each guest and me with a beyond-amazing shower favor box full of divine items she hand-picked. The butterfly-embellished spring green shower favor boxes were filled with Bath and Body Works romance-themed hand cream, a set of pink-themed nail files, a set of Victorian note cards, a rose tea bag, Victorian pink high heel sticker, organza drawstring bag and a pink and white linen handkerchief with a hand-stitched pink butterfly.
It was a truly amazing day!
UP NEXT: Tomorrow I will share favorite highlights from our church wedding shower.
