Monday, June 2, 2014

A sunflower bridal shower


How is it that my baby brother is getting married in just a few weeks?!  Super happy for him and his soon to be bride.  We hosted a sunflower themed bridal shower for her a couple weekends ago, and i think it came together really well.  The wedding is being held in a barn, as they all seem to be these days, so we wanted to go with that rustic, ball jar, low key sort of feeling.  I also did something rather bold for me, and me as a blogger; i reached out to the owner of Wild Herb Soap Co. and asked if we could partner on the favors.  And i was truly shocked when she said yes. So in full disclosure this is not a sponsored post, but rather a partner post about her Etsy store.  And of course, i wanted to share the details of the shower with you all.


Does this invitation (also from Etsy) say casual and rustic or what.  We had the image printed on top of the cake, too, but it didn't come out that great. Perhaps stores who offer such services should then package the cake without material to smudge the icing of the image one carefully selected. Just saying. 

 

This was the display when guests entered, to drop off their recipe cards and to lay out the fabulous favors.  We used clip art of a giant realistic sunflower, printed with the words "Thank you for showering Julie with love" and then the soaps-the delicious smelling soaps-displayed in the box next to it.  Also a good saying would be "From Julie's shower to yours" but that one just gives me visual images i'd rather not have.  So "showering" with love also makes sense with soap, and doesn't give anyone mental images of Great Aunts they'd rather unsee.


I wish this was scratch and sniff.

From the moment we opened the box, they smelled  Hea.Ven. Ly. Heavenly.  They are bundled together with raffia, and come in flavors like Citrus Explosion and Green Tea and Aloe.  Individually, they smell and look amazing, but together is like Wow.  And the shape/size is absolutely perfect for a favor.  They are packaged with 3 handmade slices, 1.5 ounces total, nut oil free and soy free.  There was a slightly smaller option, but i would absolutely recommend the size we got as any smaller would be too small.  We opted out of customized tags, but you can go that route, too. I love the scalloped edges on some of them, and the color variation.

wild herb soap co.





The recipe cards had the same image as the bigger invitation, and the wood box was perfectly sized for guests to deposit them for the bride. We also encouraged guests to share a recipe for a happy marriage or a date night idea, and they were placed in two Ball jars.



The gift table early on, with more Ball jars, and more sunflowers.



To add some extra wedding-ness, i stuck these cake tooth picks in some of the desserts and hung the lanterns from the dining room chandelier. 




White paper lanterns mean instant festive feeling.



We were lucky to have great weather, and of course everyone had a nice time and loved their soaps.  Who wouldn't.  Seriously, i can't recommend Carol and her handmade soaps from Wild Herb Soap Co. enough.  She was super to work with, going above and beyond (like when i had a question but was leaving for vacation, so i asked her to email my mom instead) to make sure the customer was satisfied and up to date.


Please visit Carol's Etsy shop www.wildherb.etsy.com  or go directly to www.wildherbsoap.com if you'd like to order or find out more info.

Now let me ask you about some wedding etiquette-My cousin got married 9 months ago, when she learned that she was pregnant.  So she and her husband were married, in front of immediate family, by a rabbi, before she had the baby, who is now 7 months old.  She had a baby shower, as one should, for their first child.

Well, now i'm invited to her wedding.  But she's married. For almost a YEAR she's married, but, you know, i'll give her that and attend the wedding and buy a wedding gift (even though she chose to get married before her daughter was born, did i say that yet?).  But then-i get a bridal shower invite.  And here is where i draw the line and get all capital letters on you.  YOU ARE MARRIED! YOU DON'T GET A SHOWER!  I'm sorry you got pregnant and then had a shot gun wedding, but that is what HAPPENED and you have been MARRIED for almost a YEAR.  You don't get to go BACKWARDS and pretend you're NOT MARRIED and get MORE gifts and then MORE gifts!  Or is that just me?  I joked to my mom that i'm not married-nor am i engaged-but apparently there are no rules.  So with these no rules, even though i'm not engaged and not married, i'm gonna have me a "we've been together for 17 years SHOWER" and everyone can BUY ME PRESENTS.  How's that for ya?!

Am i being crazy to think this is just a ploy for gifts?  What would you do?  I'm not going and i'm not sending a gift.  This just bothers me to my very core. Tell me your thoughts on it. 


All opinions are 100% my own, i received a percentage off the favors in exchange for blogging about the store.

sharing is caring:  living savvy outdoor extravaganza, thrifty treasures @ southern hospitality, travel photo mondays @ travel photo discovery, places i've been @ the tablescaper,  travel photo thursdays@ budget travelers sandbox , Monthly projects @ Evolution of Style Make it Pretty Mon @ Dedicated House Throwback Thursday @ Sweet Pea, inspire me mondays and power of paint @ domestically speaking, Places I've Been @ The Tablescaper,  Before and After @ Thrifty Decor Chick,   Sundays @ Suburbs Mama  Mod Vintage Life, Motivate Me Mon @Keeping it Simple give me the goods @ rain on a tin roof, home stories a-z, nifty thrifty @ Coastal Charm, be inspired @ elizabeth and co, the scoop @ stone gable,  inspire me tues, lil luna, get your craft on, sugar bee crafts. inspire me weds @ 733, wow us weds @ savvy southern style,  work it weds @ the blissful bee, outdoor weds @ a southern daydreamer, whimsy wednesday, wicked awesome weds @ handy man, crafty woman,  whatever goes weds @ someday crafts charm of home, link party palooza @ tatertots and jello, Flaunt it Friday @ Chic on a Shoestring, open house @ no minimalist here, creativity unleashed @ shaken together,creative connection @ making home base,  inspiration gallery @ Craftberry Bush, Frugal Friday @ The Shabby Nest, my romantic home, jennifer rizzo, Weekend Bloggy Reading @ Serenity nowfurniture fridays @ mustard seed, Feathered Nest @ French Country Cottage, design it fridays @ finding fabulous, best diy @ 36th ave, overflowing w/ creativity @ it's overflowing, nifty thrifty sundays, under the table and dreaming. inspire me please @ liz marie blog,sunday best @ the girl creative  shaken together, seasonal sundays @ the tablescaper,   sunday soiree @ craftomaniac


















14 comments:

Linda @ A La Carte said...

What a cute shower theme!! Love Love the soaps! Just might have to check out her shop! Now for the other question...Honey I too draw the line. It does seem like a ploy for more gifts to me and it's just wrong. I can see them wanting a 'wedding' but a bridal shower after you have been married a year AND have a baby. I would rather attend a celebration of 17 years together and doing very well thank you very much!!

hugs, Linda

Anonymous said...

Adorable shower theme! The soaps are a great thank you for guests and work perfectly with the sunflowers. As for your cousin - it doesn't seem right that she's trying for a shower and a second wedding. I can understand the desire to want to do it right after you've saved and can throw a big celebration, but the shower is a bit much. It really does seem like a ploy for gifts, but maybe things are changing and we don't know about it. Weren't baby showers a first child only thing? It's pretty common to see second and third child showers nowadays.

Chrissy @ Adventures in DIY said...

Love this theme - it's wonderful! And those soaps look amazing.

Did you ever see that episode of Sex and the City that pertains to this whole business of never being married or having kids so people like us (I say us because I'm in that group) are always buying gifts for those types of occasions, but then we don't get gifts because we don't have occasions like that? I think I'm just babbling now. lol Anyways, I hear ya on that. She could have very well have had a shot gun bridal shower to go with her shot gun wedding. I think you are going to have to be busy that day. ;)

Pattie @ Olla-Podrida said...

What a clever idea!I am a nut for soaps -- have way too many of them like some sort of crazed collector. A shower, to me, is a one-time only thing. And let's face it, those of us who really need showers are the ones with the old, tired out, home goods, in desperate need of replacement. Just sayin'.

Custom Comforts said...

Lovely shower ideas. I love the sunflower theme and the soaps are such a great idea. How nice to come to a shower and get such a sweet gift. Going over to check out her Etsy shop right now.
Cindy

Custom Comforts said...

Lovely shower ideas. I love the sunflower theme and the soaps are such a great idea. How nice to come to a shower and get such a sweet gift. Going over to check out her Etsy shop right now.
Cindy

Unknown said...

I love your shower ideas! The soap is a wonderful idea and recipe exchange. I love handmade soaps. It sounds like you put together a beautiful party!

Because of Jackie said...

The shower favors and decorations are so cute! I love the little details and the overall rustic theme, now I want to be (re)married in a barn;)

Sunflowers With Smiles said...

Love the sunflower theme and soaps. I love the idea of a rustic wedding too!

Brandi said...

Congratulations to your brother. Such an exciting time! So generous of the Etsy shop owner to partner with you.

The Boston Lady said...

Love those soaps and what a pretty shower! Congrats to your brother and your soon-to-be SIL!

Hmmmm. I think the other bride must feel that she missed out with the first wedding. I think it's lovely that she wants to have something more memorable, perhaps with more friends and family attending if none came the first time. However, if it were me I would ask that in lieu of gifts something be contributed to a deserving cause. It DOES sound like a present-grab, but I would understand having a 'reception' to celebrate their 1 year anniversary, or something like that. I get how you feel. Ann TBL

Paula@SweetPea said...

What a fun theme for a shower! That soap looks amazing. I almost could smell it through my monitor.

Sharon @ Elizabeth & Co. said...

I love the sunflower & mason jar theme. The invitations are just perfect. And the soaps look so yummy! Best wishes to your brother and his bride-to-be! ... As for the other bride, a shower at this point seems pretty ridiculous!

Michelle {Jarrah Jungle} said...

You are a great sister, your brother is very lucky to have you!
What a great theme for a shower and I love the soaps what a nice touch :)