Adriana's Bridal Shower

I am SO excited and happy for my older sister Adriana! She is getting married in May to Raul!

Adriana & Raul

As one of her bridesmaids (and favorite sister), I organized her bridal shower! We had several plot twists starting from the beginning of planning, which I started in November, til the end, when everyone was cleaning up. But it turned out great and it was a beautiful day! Most importantly, Adriana absolutely enjoyed it! 

(With the bride-to-be Adriana, sister Christine and best friend Elizabeth)

Since this was a rather significant party with an extensive guest list (we do BIG parties because we have A LOT of relatives + church family), Christine and Claudia, our cousin, worked together with me. The mothers made the meal and guests brought side dishes and desserts. My cousin Jessica made a beautiful cake! 

(Tables, centerpieces and place settings with party favors: blue & pink swirl lollipops with "I Do" tag) 

Claudia was in charge of the centerpieces for the tables. She painted mason jars gold, and some with pink, and made flowers out of coffee filters. She dyed the coffee filters in water with food coloring, let them air dry til damp, then finished drying them in the dryer. The mason jars were hot glued to small candlestick holders (also painted gold) for added height. 
Also on the tables there were hymnals tied with lace, a last minute addition by Claudia. I added tea lights and small wooden embellishments. 

(Hymnals with lace, birdcage, hanging decor, coffe filter flowers & gold mason jars with accents)

The two tables nearest the bride-to-be's table were decorated with birdcages instead of mason jars. (Adriana really likes the bird/garden theme!) 

Each table was set with a blue dinner plate, a flowered dessert plate, a game card, ring necklace (for a game), silverware, cup and a lollipop/candy stick favor. I had the most amazing crew help me set the tables: Joy, Eva, Elijah, and JJ (my younger siblings and cousins). 

(Wonderful table of desserts and Jessica's beautiful cake!)

The center table, where Adriana and the mothers sat, also had flowery tags I made for them to wear. They said "Bride", "Mather of the Bride", and "Mother of the Groom". 

(Brides Table with centerpieces and place setting) 

Claudia also provided two gold frames for the background of the guest table, one with ribbons and lace tied to it. 

(Gift & Games table with decor and card luggage box) 

One of the problems for me during the shower was my baby Ben got sick and threw up all over the front of my dress! Luckily it didn't show but I smelled like feta cheese for the rest of the day. 😕 My best friend, Elizabeth, helped clean up after Ben while I took care of him and tried to clean myself off. 

(A few random pics from the day) 

After this drama, I had to lead the games. We played Guess Who: Bride or Groom, bridal shower scattergories, and a ring-necklace game in which you can't say "bride" or "wedding". The Guess Who game was easily the most popular an the scattergories took longer than planned.

(I'll try to figure out how to attach a PDF of the games to this blog post.)

Finally the bride thanked all the guests and opened her gifts. It was a beautiful shower and I am so excited for Adriana! I can't wait to go back to California for the wedding! 

Special Thanks to Christine, Adrian & Rodica, Marioara, Claudia, Jessica, Elizabeth, Emmanuela, Simona, Yasmine, Joy, Eva, Elijah, JJ, and all the other ladies & girls who helped! Also, thanks to Raul for carrying all the heavy boxes!