Showered with lurve… Part 1
My bridal shower was seriously incredible. I am not saying that just because my best friend and my family planned it… it was really the most amazing thing.
I have to split it into two posts because there are so many pictures and things to tell! No one will probably make it all the way through but I want to have it down here so I don’t forget it, you know?
A little background: my friend, Julie, moved to Germany a few months ago. She planned this entire shower from Germany- brought craft supplies there, assembled and planned everything, and worked with my very loving and involved family to give me the most beautiful shower that ever was!
(all the pictures can be made bigger by clicking on them!)
First, the invitations.
They were in these adorable boxes, which were all painted by hand.
The theme of the shower was my name. So inside the box there was the invitation itself, folded like an accordion and written on it was my full name and a word describing me for each letter. (my favorite was “allergic” haha) It also encouraged guests to bring gifts starting with a letter in my name.
Also in the box was a little bag of Jordan almonds with a tag explaining why they are a traditional wedding favor. (clicky-clicky!) So cute!
It just amazes me that while Julie was preparing to move across the ocean (!) she was painting boxes and assembling such complicated invitations. They are the coolest invites I have ever seen! see!
Julie also made beautiful crepe paper flowers and strung them onto green ribbons to make these gorgeous garlands. I didn’t get a picture of the garlands themselves but here are the fleurs:
She also made this pretty tree to decorate the guest book table. It has the crepe paper flowers on it as well and also has beaded ornaments in the shape of the letters in my name. It was sooo cool. I have it on my fireplace right now and looking at it makes me so happy.
Here is the guest book/ favor table at the party. See the pretty tree? My mother bought a gorgeous white quilt and there were green and blue permanent pens for people to leave a note on it for Casey and I. It will be a great keepsake.
The guest book itself was, again, all handmade by Julie. She incorporated the crepe paper flowers again and designated a page for each day from now until our wedding day. Every page had an envelope and everyone was instructed to write a little note to Casey and I. Plus the book is just darn good-looking!
But wait! There’s more! Ya still with me?
All of the food had these beautiful little signs:
The food was soooo good. I was so busy though that I barely ate anything! Good thing there were leftovers. 
All the glasses and cups had little boxes attached to them and inside there were little charms with fortunes. (click pic to see them)
I was just so touched because everyone did so much work to prepare for that one special day. Not only was everyone planning for months but the day before and the day of, Julie and my cousin Liz were cooking up a storm and my mom and aunts put together the favors. (even after they had traveled extremely long distances to be there!)
Here is mom- and mom and my aunts:
The favors were different varieties of tea in little bags and spoon tea strainers:
Beautiful cake. Beautiful Julie. Beautiful Liz.
Here is Julie, smiling for the camera just before I arrived. She doesn’t look like she has been working her butt off non-stop, does she? What a trooper!
Okay, I am going to save the rest for the next installment…
May 13th, 2005 at 10:26 pm
How beautiful. That cake is GORGEOUS!! You must have the best friends & family. They are so talented!
May 13th, 2005 at 10:51 pm
Sweet mother of pearl! Beautiful. Just beautiful. I guess it speaks to the kind of girl you must be, Ms. Jessica. A kind, caring person who has kind caring friends and family.
That’s the kind of shower I would love to plan for someone! You’ve given me piles of ideas!! Julie is my new lord and personal Martha Stuart.
(Oh, hey, tell Casey I’m withing a stone’s throw of his nana’s summer place right now. Visiting my dear old dad. The water was gorgeous when I drove past it today!)
May 13th, 2005 at 11:15 pm
OMG, I’ll be lucky if I get a wedding that nice. What amazing stuff they came up with. The tree is beautiful, and the invitations, and the book… And there’s more?? You’re such a lucky girl
May 13th, 2005 at 11:16 pm
FreckleFriendJulie and FreckleFamily are so talented! What a very special and beautiful bridal shower! Did I spy chocolate heart shaped yummies in the bottom tier of one of those tower o’ goodies? Mmmm!
May 13th, 2005 at 11:49 pm
THAT looks most definately worth missing MDS&W!!!! WOW! They all did such an amazing job
You have amazing friends and family who love you!!!!
May 13th, 2005 at 11:54 pm
Beautiful, beautiful!!! Such creative people who love you!
May 14th, 2005 at 12:32 pm
How wonderful! Those paper flowers are gorgeous and i love the theme with your name! What a wonderful day.
May 14th, 2005 at 2:41 pm
Wow, Jess, it all makes me cry - you are SO loved! What a beautiful shower!!! Those invites and decorations are SO awesome!
May 14th, 2005 at 2:50 pm
I am so impressed! That is a lot of work! Just shows how loved you are by friends and family
May 14th, 2005 at 3:50 pm
first-time poster. what a lovely, heart-felt, personal shower. you have truly talented and genuine friends and family. everything blends so well together. you are so smart to chronicle it on your blog so you forget no details.
May 14th, 2005 at 7:17 pm
I’ve been checking back for pictures and it was totally worth the wait.
I’m crying over here, too. It’s so obvious that these folks love and cherish you and Casey so much. What a thoughtful, beautiful, shower!! How surprised were you, OMG!!
That cake looks YUMMY.
May 14th, 2005 at 11:20 pm
Jessica, that shower looks awesome!!!
Your friends are so creative!!! (I’m going to steal some of their ideas!)
May 15th, 2005 at 3:58 am
Oh my goodness! That all looks absolutely gorgeous! What wonderful friends and family you have -and I know you deserve them
May 15th, 2005 at 12:21 pm
Wow!
The decorations, the favors, the invitations… just wow!
Your friends and family did a wonderful job.
And hey, you’re getting married on my birthday!
May 15th, 2005 at 12:46 pm
What an amazing shower! I have a seaky feeling that my daughter is getting engaged this week so I’m making notes of every one of those ideas! Best Wishes! Jane
May 15th, 2005 at 1:13 pm
So many beautiful touches! How fun that must have been for you! They love you!
Supergoodweddingtimes!
May 15th, 2005 at 1:13 pm
Um, and I know it’s not your wedding YET. Duh. I’m shleeeepy.
May 15th, 2005 at 8:04 pm
What an amazing shower! You are truly blessed.
May 16th, 2005 at 1:17 pm
oh. my. god! The wedding is going to be positively anti-climatic after THAT most amazing shower . . NOT! Ha– that shower is a harbinger of just how amazing your wedding will be! Full out fantastic– wow.
May 16th, 2005 at 1:51 pm
I am overwhelmed….the crepe paper flowers, the tree, the gorgeous invites…and that cake! What creative, thoughtful loved ones you have! I have never seen a shower so beautifully thought out.
May 16th, 2005 at 3:06 pm
Oh, man! What a stunning shower! All that hard work and talent… amazing. I really like the Jessica cookies, yum!
May 16th, 2005 at 3:11 pm
Wow, so beautiful! It couldn’t have happened to a sweeter bride!
And who’s the italiana?? We always have jordan almonds at weddings
My grandmother told me that in addition to the five wishes for the marraige, they are also bittersweet and jawbreakers…like life!
May 16th, 2005 at 11:05 pm
Wholly Moley! What an awesome shower! You have the sweetest friends and family! That totally makes up for you missing MD S&W!! Was it a surprise or did you know? You just made me so excited about my own stuff coming up. Although I don’t have any “Marthas” in my bridal party! It’ll be more of a “kegger” than your classy shower!
May 17th, 2005 at 9:06 am
It’s all amazing! Your friends and family put a lot of thought into that. I really love the invitations…