This past week has been about two things. The first was the gorge fest that is Thanksgiving! I am still recovering. The second was my friend Caitie's bridal shower. This just wasn't any bridal shower, it was a very magical one.
Caitie and Matt are two of my best friends. I've known Matt since high school and when he started dating Caitie I found a close friend. Eight years later they are finally getting hitched. They are a nerdie couple and traces of their fandom is going to be throughout the wedding. The Save-the-Date was created by our friend
David, who is an amazing artist. It's a perfect homage to their favorite movie genre, horror.
Since this set the stage for an epic wedding, the bridal shower had to live up to the reputation! Maid of Honor, Kim and I had a few discussions and we agreed this thing needed to be Harry Potter themed. After finding some pinterest inspiration I got to work making decorations. Over the summer we had our big Harry Potter program, so with the shower in mind, I made stuff that could be reused for both events. Now I can finally talk about it on here! I've had to hold back because Caitie reads the blog and all would have been spoiled! So with out future ado, here is how I helped with a Harry Potter inspired bridal shower.
I came across this amazing shower on
Hostess with the Mostess. There was a lot of intricate details and effort that went into this shower. I didn't want to go totally overboard for Caitie's shower though. However, I did love the sign with the quote 'From Muggle to Mrs.' Its so cheesie and perfect that I thought Caitie would love it. After an afternoon of antiquing with my friend Morgan. I found a huge gold ornate frame. It had potential! I snagged it for six bucks. I cleaned it up a bit and gave it a fresh coat of gold spray paint. Then I went to the hardware store and got a piece of scrap wood that fit the frame. I sanded the wood down and used a chalkboard recipe and painted it. After the chalk board dried I popped it into the frame. I gotta say I'm pretty impressed with how it came out! Caitie said it was one of her favorites. The chalkboard also doubled as a gift, because now she can hang that thing in her apartment.
I searched for really cute bridal shower activities, but stuff that wasn't too hokey. That is not Caitie's style. Since the other theme of the shower was natural wood and trees, I thought a wedding advice tree would work. I searched the backyard for the perfect branch that would hold up. I gave it a coat of white and paired it with a big wine bottle. To spiff up the bottle I gave it a coat of gray and added a 'C & M'. My friend and co-bridesmaid, Laura helped me decorate the clothespins that were used for people to pin their advice to. It kind of got hidden at the party and not everyone added their advice, however it looked nice and added to the decor so it wasn't a waste.
At any bridal shower, the bride's seat is very important! So I made some special stuff to hang above her seat. I used my silhouette machine and made a banner that said, "Caitie & Matt, Always" and we hung around a few flying keys. Any Potter fan will know the significance of the world 'always', if not its major spoilers and I'm not going to give it away! Anyway, the banner was a nice backdrop during the gift opening.
The night before the shower, we packed out Linda's car (Caitie's mom). She asked me to bring ALL of my Harry Potter stuff. Kim also brought a bunch of her stuff. I wasn't exactly sure how it was all going to be laid out but somehow it all came together. I used the potion bottles and they were spread throughout the house. My favorite little detail was the travel prop. I kept seeing it every time I searched 'Harry Potter parties' so I knew I really had to do it! I already had a broom and the old timey book while Kim had a trunk and we bought a birdcage.
The dessert table was another highlight of the party. My only contribution to that area was a 'Honeydukes' sign and some decorative bottles. Linda's friend made the cupcake stands. They look amazing and even featuring Caitie and Matt's initials. Kim is an accomplished baker and made the cupcakes. The cookies were made by another friend. All of the edibles tasted as good as the looked!
Working on the shower was a lot of work, however it was so much fun. I am so honored to be apart of Caitie's wedding as a bridesmaid and since Caitie through my shower I was glad I was able to return the favor.
