Happy Monday! With all the Summer Weddings on the way it may be time for you to plan a Bridal Shower for your best friend or sister. Now, technically, according to the etiquette masters, family isn't supposed to throw the shower but it doesn't mean you can't throw it and ask for some help from the rest of the Bridal Party and then just say the Bridal Party is the hostess! Or just throw convention out the window and do it anyways...we won't tell the Etiquette Police, I swear!

So, of course we start out with the one item that sets the mood, lets your guests know what the theme is, what the color palette is and how formal or casual the event will be...the Invitation! These from Minted.com were just SO perfect for our "Lemon" theme. Cute, affordable and simple...with that wonderful punch of the striped envelope! Remember, even if your invites come with plain white envelopes you can use one of those as a template to cut out new envelopes out of fun paper instead and end up with your own cute envelope! I actually have a set of plastic envelope templates for just such an occasion!

Obviously, with a Lemon theme, you need to have Lemonaid to serve! It doesn't mean you have to make it from scratch. Of course, if you have an old family recipe or this happens to be one of your signature drinks then go ahead and make it from scratch. But if you, like most people, don't have a great lemonaid recipe then go ahead and cheat a bit. Buy the frozen concentrate or the bottled version and put that into your pitcher with some fresh sliced up lemons and lots of ice! 

Right before the party starts pour about a dozen glasses of lemonaid to set out in front of the decanter or pitcher and dress those up with decorated stir stick, like those pictured above, or pretty striped plastic or paper straws! These tall elegant glasses, all dressed up with their little pom poms and flags, are a perfect added decoration for a simple drink.

If you are thinking about a more formal event you can always put out place cards to help your guests know where to sit. These tiny envelopes are simply attached to stir sticks that are inserted into fresh lemons! Just write the guests name on a small card and let it peak out of the top of the envelope. Too Cute!

Here is another version of that same idea without the complication of the envelope. Just cut out ovals with a pretty edged punch and write the guests name on the oval. Then just use a push pin to attach it to the lemon. Easy peasy but so adorable!

Onto the flowers! Now if you are using green as your accent then this centerpiece would be perfect for your party. The use of green flowers with just touches of yellow sets off the freshly cut lemons in the vase. 

In case you don't know how to do this I decided to add another "vase" of lemons to show you how to stack the lemons around the sides before you add the water. Don't forget the second glass vase inside the vase...it helps hold the lemons in place. This is also another way to go with your color palette! The pinks and purples of the flowers work very very well with the bright yellow of the lemons giving another pop of color for your tables! 

Maybe another pop of color isn't what you want or need. Maybe you want to stick with yellow and white as your whole palette...well, there are plenty of pure white flowers you can use! From white roses to daisies to baby's breath, you can find a bunch of flowers to fit your vision. 

Lastly, think outside the box when it comes to the vases that you use. Mix and match containers so you have different sizes and shapes. You can use mason jars, pitchers, glasses and, of course, actual flower vases all on the same table to get more textures into the mix.

 Time for the food! Bridal Teas are all the rage this season so why not work your menu to include ginger scones with lemon curd and Devonshire cream! Not only are these totally yummy but they are easy to make and they will disappear quickly off the plate!

Going for a lunch menu...and a little more grown up? How about lemon drop drinks with a bit of whipped cream on top?! Serve in martini glasses with a paper straw that's been cut in half to make two and you have a gorgeous grown up drink for your guests! Ok, don't want alcohol at your party then make this lemon pudding, topped with whipped cream and make the straws little pirouette cookies!

Now onto the favors. how about a pretty jar of lemon body sugar scrub? Stick on a pretty label and ribbon and you have the perfect favor! Of course you can find these online to buy already made up but it's easy to make your own  and could save you more than just a few bucks. If you are crafty then you may want to consider this a DIY project!

 

But here is an even easier DIY favor for you to make. Michael's has these little apothecary jars that you can fill with lemonhead candies, put a label or tag on with a ribbon and you are done! Easy to do, affordable and nearly everyone loves lemonheads!

The beautiful tablescape featured above has all of the parts we have been talking about so far. The varied centerpiece vases, the favors on the plates, the use of green as an accent colors but there is another touch here that I simply love. Each wooden slat chair has a strip of yellow fabric draped over it. This is SO easy to do! You can actually have the people at the fabric store cut the strips for you and then just use iron-on adhesive to hem the ends. Then all you have to do is thread it through the slats and you have a wonderful way to add color and detail to your table. It's all the little details, like this, that make the party shine!

Lastly, of course, is the cake. This Martha Stewart creation is simply wonderful. Even a single tiered version of this would be simply adorable at your party. I would make this lemon chiffon cake with lemoncurd buttercream filling just to complete the theme but you could also pack a surprise in there like pistachio with mango filling or dark chocolate cake with an orange cream filling! YUM!

Hope we gave you some ideas. Keep in mind that even though we spotlighted these ideas for a Bridal Shower you could use them for any birthday party, summer dinner party or even a baby shower or engagement party! See you next week!
Cat