My maid of honor suggested the theme of
Sex and the City, several months ago when we started planning for my July 5th wedding shower, after all, what a perfect theme for a New York native, who used to live in the meat packing district of Manhattan and met her future husband on a NYC subway, no?
The Theme
The girly invitations requested that everyone dress as a character from SATC, some copied the flirty outfits others went all out and put birthmarks on their faces or came in sexy lingerie. I went as Carrie, wearing my similar gold Tara necklace that I got when I was 10 (I'm Italian) and wore a poofy Carrie like skirt with Capri leggings underneath, I also styled my hair in waves.
My bridesmaid Karen printed out stickers for each character saying "I'm a Charlotte" etc. so that the guests could pick and stick on the one that fitted them the most. Charlotte was the most popular followed by Samantha then Carrie, sadly there wasn't one friend dressed as Miranda.
We had martini gemmed
ZookHooks purse hangers scattered about, an official
Sex and the City movie poster on the sliding door viewable from the outside tent and tables, bright flower table cloths, pink roses and pink, silver and black balloons anchored by sexy pumps and stilettos (thanks to Rita Smircich of
ToDoBeforeIDo.com for the idea). After all, "Decorations, from the simple to the elaborate, can transform a regular setting into a place of celebration," writes author Jennifer Adams of
Wedding Showers.
Cocktails & Cupcakes
For drinks we had a fountain bubbling out pink lemonade and vodka, which looked like Cosmopolitans when poured into a martini glass, but not as strong for an afternoon party, although they were lethal in its ability to mask the taste of the alcohol. We also had wine and all the liquor bottles that we out on the table had flower designed
Wine-O cards around their necks for added decoration, which I first heard about over at
Hostess With The Mostess. For dessert, we of course had
Magnolia cupcakes and some awesomely designed ones from
Sweet in Boston (my bridesmaid Jacquie brought them down with her).
The FavorsThe Bridal Association of America estimates that the average couple spends over $400 on favors for their guests!
"Favors are such an easy thing to do, and they make the shower much more memorable. It's fun to send your guest off with their own memento from the party," writes Adams.
Well, my guests got more than just one memento, but several flirty and fun gifts that matched the overall theme. I probably did more favors for the shower than I am doing for the wedding, but then again the shower was only around 25 people and the wedding is 150.
First item in the favor bags, that my bridesmaids and I stuffed, was Cosmopolitian jelly beans in a cool tin from
Beau-coup Wedding Favors, they also sell bellini, mojito and lemon drop flavors as well. Way better than doing mints. Jelly beans are the new mints ;)
Next up was the
ZookHooks quality purse hangers that I mentioned earlier. They hang from a table and hold on to your purse so it doesn't touch the dirty ground. I was skeptical of how it would work, but it can hold purses up to 20 pounds, which is good in my case and now I use my hook at work for some added glitz. Anyway, I couldn't wait to give them out to my fashionable friends and they come in a velour pouch.
I loved the vintage designs on the tiny lip balm tins from
Pin Up Balm - All Natural Lip Care ($4), each flavor came with a different glamorous retro pinup girl on it. I kept a Voluptuous Vanilla for myself and gave out their assorted flavors randomly in the bags.
Oh we're not done yet, I also had two very SATC favors for my girls from
MyWeddingFavors.com -- a mini
martini gel candle (I love gel candles and we were going to give away martini glasses as a favor so this accomplished both and more uniquely) and a chic
leather stiletto key chain. How perfect, no? I love the idea that the candle might appear on their dresser or desk and the key chain will be on their keys always reminding people of the fun day. What's especially great about these two gifts is that they come in cute black and white boxes already and with hanging Thank You tags, thus the work was done.
The Thank You
For my awesome bridesmaids, after I opened my gifts I called all of them up to join me and presented them with a little thank you by giving them personalized bow pads from Good Thoughts Paper Co with their names on it and a Thank You written by me.
The GiveawayFor those who couldnt be there in person, you can still walk away with your own favor bag with all the goodies given out above as well as a
Sex and the City t-shirt and hat that we used for prizes for the silly bridal games that we played. To enter, post a comment here with your email address. Good luck!
