Over the past weekend I did my very pregnant sister a kindness.

I helped her with a Bridal Shower for one of her near and dear friends. To say that a lot goes into a Bridal shower may be an understatement depending on the Bride. My sister however handle this shower with lots of grace and some really wonderful ideas that everyone can do.

First we tackled the food, my sister asked that the bridesmaids bring in some sort of dish which made things a lot easier considering we already had so much to handle. We made a basic muskacholi, coleslaw, cookies and Dinner rolls.

The Dinner rolls are easy and quick to prepare, we used 3 different types of meat. Start by purchasing your rolls, she chose a regular white roll, and then at least two packs of wheat rolls for a total of 75 rolls.  You will want to purchase 2lbs each of Roast Beef, Turkey, and Ham, what is key is to make sure you tell the deli person you are making sandwiches with these so they don’t give you the shredded pieces of meat, but the whole ones. These three meats are common and at least one of them is sure to please everyone, unless they are a vegetarian. In order to make all the rolls you will need at least 40 slices of cheese, we bought regular American cheese and cut each piece in half. Assembly is fairly easy, cut your rolls, add the meat, and then the cheese. Place the top on and with some fancy toothpicks (you can get for cheap at any craft store,) simply slide the toothpick right in the center and some time later 75 dinner rolls all ready to go.  The fancy toothpicks made this a breeze because they had a color on the top so we used one color for each type of meat, this way it was easy for the guests to find the meat they wanted and not have to rummage through the rolls. We made the rolls the night before, set them on some disposable trays, wrapped them in plastic wrap and left them in the frige overnight.

Next up was a sweet, but easy dessert. My sister made heart shaped cookies, she used chocolate chip, but feel free to use whatever type you want. Purchase two Betty Crocker Cookie Icing bags, again you decide the color. Make them a head of time and the night before get to decorating. All we did was put the first letter of the bride and the first letter of the groom on the cookies. Some we did K-J or K+J, they were a big hit and so easy to make. Take care to make sure the icing is completely dry before you wrap these up, placing them in the freezer can speed up this process.

Food is a big part of the party, but what really makes it special is all the little decorating details you throw in. My sister created some really simple things that jazzed up your regular everyday Community center hall.

Plastic silverware is what it is, but with this easy decorating step you can make them  look extra special. Take a plastic fork, knife, and spoon and set all three on the edge of a paper napkin. Roll the napkin around the silverware and using some ribbon (we used the colors that will be in the wedding,) tie a pretty bow around the napkin. This will keep the whole package together. This simple decoration gives your plastic-wear a whole new look at a low cost price.

Setting up the tables ~ We purchased white disposable table covers which cost a dollar a piece and used them to cover the tables. The party favors were Hershey Kisses wrapped up in some white lacey netting and tied off with a ribbon (wedding colors,) attached to each was a saying that a lot of you have probably seen. Hugs and Kisses from the soon to be Mr. and Mrs. This saying was easily printed out on our home computer cut up and attached to each favor with another ribbon. We recommend using a hole punch to make things easier.

In the center of the tables is a mirrored tile which we rented from the craft store.  on top of them are simple vases which we bought at the craft store for 98 cents, which is cheaper then at the dollar store, don’t always assume you can get your items cheap at the dollar store, you might be surprised at the savings you will find at a craft store. Daisies are the Brides favorite flower, and since the day is all about her we got some daisies from the store (yes they are real,) and they even had them in the wedding colors.

The last thing I want to talk to you about is a fun game that we played. The make a veil game. You simply send a letter with the invites telling them to each make a veil for the bride, it can be any design they want.  We set up a special table for the veils to go on, before the bride gets to dive into all of those gifts she has to pick a winner. Of course she has to try each one on and model them for the whole room.  Yes the bride may be a bit embarrassed but hey the guest get a real kick out of it, and it makes for great pictures. We had three gifts and she got to pick three winners.

 This was my first time ever helping host a Bridal shower. I never knew how much work went into one, it isn’t just about all the food and decorations you make, but setting up and tearing down. Making sure the whole time everyone has what they need and that most importantly the bride to be is happy and content. Hopefully these easy but wonderful ideas will help make your experience as great as ours was.

Congrats to you Katy, I know you two will be happy and I wish you both a long, loving, strong marriage. Special thanks to my sister for all the fantastic ideas, you are truly amazing all of this and shes 8 months pregnant.

Filed under: Cooking, Desserts, Recipes, bakedblog, baking, family, friends, life