Desert Inspired Bridal Shower

This past weekend, we celebrated my sister in law with a desert inspired bridal shower. When my sister in law asked me to be her bridesmaid I’m pretty sure I asked if I could plan the shower before I said yes. You know I jump at the chance to plan a party!

Pallet Wall tutorial

I settled on desert inspired because she requested we serve Mexican food. In hindsight, not our most economical decision, but it was pretty much her only request, so we felt obligated to honor it. There are so many cute Mexican themed showers ideas swirling around Pinterest, but I wanted to do something a little more unique (especially since my sister in law’s best friend just did that!). The soft greens of succulents, coral colored flowers, hints of purple and rustic wood tones served as my inspiration.

Luckily, my go to graphic designer can also read my mind. Brittany Garner Design perfectly captured what I had in mind for the invitations.

Flowers were the focal point of the decor and my favorite part. I turned to local florist Laurel & Fig to create these amazing centerpieces.

I kept the table settings simple. A doily served as a placemat and the linens tied in the purple (the bride’s favorite color). We kept it simple with disposable plates and utensils, but opted for the cut crystal for a slightly fancier feel.

For favors, I reached out to Save On Crafts. They have the biggest selection of party, wedding and event supplies ever. Literally anything you could think of, they have. I went with faux succulents to continue the desert vibe. I filled these little mason jars and votives with river rock from the hardware store to hold the succulents in place. I was worried about a faux plant being tacky, but guests seemed to love them more because they were faux! Guess us black thumbs stick together!

For the cake, I reached out to the lovely and talented Annie of Wed Cake Studio. I gave Annie very little direction (I think all I said was the colors we were using and that I was thinking of a naked cake) and she created one of the most beautiful cakes I’ve ever seen! She was unbelievably easy to work with and I can’t say enough good things about her! She also did two dozen cupcakes since we had quite the crowd. Honestly, this cake was gorgeous and these pictures don’t truly capture how amazing it was. Inside was white cake with homemade nectarine jam filling. This cake was definitely the hit of the party!

Laurel & Fig also created the floral hoops that hung above the cake. Originally, I had planned to DIY these, but decided to leave it in the hands of these capable ladies, and I’m so glad I did! These would have been way beyond my skill set and these turned out better than I could have ever imagined! The plan was to hang them outside on the pallet wall photo backdrop, but it was about 105 º that day, and I just couldn’t let these delicate beauties out there to wilt. I think this ended up better than my original plan though!

Overall the bridal shower was a success! I had so much fun planning all the details and seeing it all come together!