Comfy Country Bridal Shower

A very dear friend of mine is getting married next month.  As soon as I heard the news I knew I wanted to throw her a bridal shower.  It seems most of my friends got married before I was settled into a home where I could host a decent party so, now that I am, I jump at the chance to throw a little soiree.

My friend is laid back and as a casual, rustic theme started to develop for the wedding I thought it would be fun to incorporate that into the shower.  It was a small gathering where men were welcome and pulled pork (lovingly smoked by my husband overnight) was on the menu.  I brought in some rustic elements with burlap runners and red and white gingham fabric.  The flowers, picked up from the local big box store, brightened up the tables with blues and yellows.  I didn't get as many photos of the finished product as I would have liked because I forgot to do it before the guests started arriving and when I thought about it I realized my battery was almost dead which didn't help the quality.  So much for being prepared...

I made the invitations from craft paper and added a raffia ribbon.  I came across these "Love" stamps at the post office that fit my color scheme and I ended up using the lettering in some of the other decorations.

 

I love that bite sized snacks are so popular right now so I created a dessert/appetizer table for the guests to munch on before getting to the main course.

Most of the recipes were old favorites like pecan tassies, vanilla cupcakes with fondant hearts and blackberry cobbler in individual mini mason jars.  I stumbled upon this mini corn dog recipe and this spinach dip recipe on pinterest and they were both a big hit.  I'll be adding both to my list of recipes to repeat. 

(Note:  I used regular sour cream and Miracle Whip rather than the low fat suggestions and left out the water chestnuts in the spinach dip, very yummy, although slighlty less figure friendly)

I added the veggie bites for a bit more color on the table.

To carry the "Love" theme through to the end of the party I sent the guests home with a small jar of Strawberry Chipotle Jam with a tag that read "Spread the Love" followed by the couples' name and wedding date.  This was my first attempt at jam and I was worried that it didn't firm up enough, but I got good reviews from the party goers.  The strawberries I planted in my garden last year should produce fruit this year so maybe I will get some more practice and perfect my jam making skills.

The wedding is in a beautiful lodge in Northern Arkansas and there will be a lot of DIY touches.  I'm looking forward to sharing the details after the big day!