Cupcakes and Cocktails

By Kate Davenport on Mon, 25 May 2009 06:50:00 GMT

April 26 was Michelle's bridal shower in Maryland. I had SO MUCH FUN planning it. I love doing parties. I tried to tie it in with her upcoming wedding as much as possible, using her colors (rose and silver) and trying to make it a Shores-style event, because, my, do they know how to throw a party!

I started planning back in the fall, starting with the theme and choosing a location. When Julie(the other maid of honor) and I decided that we wanted to evoke almost a summer camp skit kind of a feeling, I knew where the shower had to be: Bishop Claggett Center, the center for the Episcopal Diocese of Maryland, where Michelle and I spent so much time as children. Not only did we attend summer camps there but also a myriad of youth retreats and religious renewal weekends. GOOD TIMES! With my mom's help (she knows the directors) we eventually persuaded them to let us have the event there, which is something they do not typically do.

Next, I had to refine the theme and make the invitations. A good place to start is always to collect inspiration, so I visited a number of invitation websites and happened to come across a 30th birthday invitation titled "Cupcakes and Cocktails." Perfect! My good friend Ginger offered to help- she is the designated invitation maker and has quite a portfolio of birth announcements and party invites. The birth announcement for her son Andrew had been in a vellum pouch that she had sewn, and I loved the idea. Ginger can sew so she made the pouches, bound with rose thread, and I folded them over and punched them with an eyelet pattern. I worked on the wording and the next time we got together I had printed the invite on "silver" (gray) cardstock. We glued it onto some white cardstock for depth. Here's the wording:

How SWEET It Is To Be Loved!

Before all the I DOs and KISSES begin
Let’s surprise her with time with her family and friends
We’ll shower her with memories, fun jokes, and sweet food
That’ll put all attending in a “wedded bliss” mood!

Please join us for an evening of

CUPCAKES & COCKTAILS
Honoring
MICHELLE SHORES

Sunday, April 26, 2009
6:00 to 9:00 PM
The New Dining Room
Bishop Claggett Center
3035 Buckeystown Pike
Adamstown, Maryland

Hosted by Michelle’s Attendants: Kate Davenport, Julie Wagner, Carol “Nikki” Moore, Jenn Steen,
and Erin Papenfuse

Respond to Kate Davenport
803-243-0692 or davenportkate@yahoo.com

For wedding info visit www.michelleandkenn.com

I actually wrote the rhyme at the top! For some embellishment, I found some cute cocktail glass stickers, but I was not happy with the price of cupcake stickers. I decided to make my own with a cupcake punch, some rose cardstock, white cupcake stamps, adhesive diamonds, and mini cupcake liners. We put magnets on back of the pouch so people could hang it on their fridges. We stuck in a recipe card that I designed and printed with the date of the shower, stuck in a pink post-it note asking people to give Michelle a recipe, decorated the envelopes with a stamp and rose colored return address labels, and put them in the mail. I think they turned out pretty nice!

Next on the agenda was decor. I decided that the food would be the decor mostly but I also wanted really nice serveware and real plates for dining. I started buying dishes early, letting all the antique store owners in Camden know what I was looking for. I really had fun hunting cute mismatched china plates and I don't want to part with any of the pieces now. I bought some serveward at TJ maxx, all cute floral and pink, and also had help from my friend Emily, my mom, and Aunt Jody on providing dishes. I got lucky as my mother-in-law Peggy had a friend with round white table clothes and champagne glasses, enough for 40 people!

At Claggett, you cannot put anything on the walls, so I had to get creative. My friend Emily and I have been making hair bows for our girls so we decided to try to make bows for the chairs. Emily, Erika, and I made 36 huge bows for the backs of the chairs in one setting. It cost like maybe $15 dollars total, and I can't believe how much people pay to rent/buy them for their weddings! Those bows really added something!

As far as food, Aunt Jody's previous experience was very useful- she made the cupcakes, the flower brownies, the heart candy, and chocolate covered pretzels. She displayed them so beautifully too. If I had been in Maryland, I would have baked more, especially with my new Kitchenaid Mixer Roger gave me for Christmas, but I only really had time to get the cocktail drinks, punches, and chocolate-covered strawberries together that weekend, so I ordered most of my food on etsy- rumballs, homemade marshmallows, rugelach, and linzer cookies. My parents helped me gather and make the beverages as I do not have much experience in that department! Another bridesmaid, Jenn brought eclairs and cream puffs.

For some final touches, I made placecards that match the invites and also food and drink cards so that people knew what they were eating. I really wanted a seating chart because I wanted to encourage people from both sides of the family to mingle. I wanted it to be an icebreaker and to give them something to laugh about when they saw each other at the wedding. It all looked so cute on the table!

Fellow bridesmaid Erin made the adorable snap dragon favors, Jenn made a sweet memory board, and C-Nikki provide some karaoke. I had a lot of help at set up time and it all came together so quickly. I brought the soundtrack on my ipod and now I can't get Stevie Wonder or James Taylor out of my head! I think Michelle had an awesome evening and she was really touched. The guests had a lot of fun playing all the games, eating, and watching Michelle and her bridesmaids be silly :) I can't wait for the bachelorette party (which I am planning now!) and the wedding on June 19!