This week we continue our "Colors" series with a Bridal Shower all decorated in "Jewel" Tones. This color palette allows a lot of range for your decorating choices. All you have to do is think "Bright" and "Vibrant" and you have it covered!

The theme of the Bridal Shower was "Alice in Wonderland" so we set the mood of the shower with this adorable Alice invitation. You can find almost any Disney Character in invitations for your event. We found these online and knew they were perfect for this event! Your invitation is the very first presentation of your theme to your guests. They not only set the mood, they set the expectations of your guests for what type of party it will be. What to bring, how to dress, and what more of the theme they will be treated to when they arrive are all things set the moment they open your invitation so it is worth it to choose carefully and make sure part of your budget is reserved for this part of your event. And don't forget to decorate the envelope! We added the swirls with a scrapbook pen and picked out floral stamps to add to the theme.

 We began with the tables and, prior to the day of the shower, the Bride to Be had held a ceramic day with several of her family members and close friends to paint tea pots for the centerpieces. Those who attended were encouraged to decorate their tea pots in any way they wanted, using any colors they wanted. We wanted an eclectic look for the tables and the tea pots were perfect for this look. To the tea pots we added  mismatched tea cups to the place settings to add to the theme. These "Paint your own ceramics" shops are gaining in popularity all over the USA so look for one in your area!

 We built planters and put in real grass sod to nestle the tea pot "vases"  in as well as a Candy Jar full of Jelly Bellys for the guests. We did use matching lemonaide glasses for each place setting as well as matching table and flatware. (More on those later!)

 One of the fun things we were able to find to enhance our theme were these funny whimsical creatures. Each one was made up of different colors, and slightly different markings but their heads would swing back and forth through their legs when the wind hit them. Completely hysterically funny...and a very nice "Wonderland" touch.

 The entire event space was crisscrossed with these fun paper lanterns. If you have never been to Disneyland, there is a ride there called the Tea Cups. It's right next to the Alice in Wonderland Ride and you spin inside huge tea cups underneath giant paper lanterns. One more touch to help extend our theme.

 The flowers needed to be several different types and colors to extend the color palette so the options were completely open! It was tons of fun to have our only guideline be the color palette and have the freedom to pick any flower that fit the colors we wanted! We also added in silk butterflies, dragonflies and bees to enhance the fun of the garden setting.

 The place settings were also a lot of fun to put together. Each plate had a different Alice in Wonderland drawing and saying. This was the Bride to Be's place setting featuring the Dormouse and his saying of "Twinkle Twinkle Little Bat" underneath the drawing. This was also the saying that we used in the opening of the invitation. We added in personalized napkins, little candy tin favors that were also personalized and we wrapped up the flatware, all mismatched in color, with a whimsical flower placecard.

The last touch was the Cake Table. We thought the slightly topsy turvy almost falling down cakes from the movie were just too funny so Cat's Cakes created this fun colorful cake for the party which included the same silk insects that we used in the centerpieces. The table also included the Poker themed Grooms Cake, since he was having his party on the very same day, multi-colored plates and flatware, Little Alice in Wonderland snowglobes and a photo mat for the guests to sign finished off our decor. 


So when planning your next event remember that it's all the little touches you can add that will extend both your theme and your color palette. These details don't need to be expensive. A touch here, a touch there and before you know it the theme is in every part of your party from the invitations to the tables to the cake. 


See you next week!

Cat