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There’s debate in the office over whether Lisa knew we were throwing her a bridal shower. I maintain she was totally surprised (see photos below for evidence!), while Kristin insists she must have known – we are a wedding magazine, after all! Either way, there was no doubt we were going to celebrate our special girl, and our team retreat, just a few weeks before her wedding, was the perfect time to do it. Blue Ribbon Vendor Rebecca Rose Events did an impeccable job pulling together a bridal shower full of Lisa’s favorite things (she admits there was some Pinterest and Instagram sleuthing involved to get everything just so!), and another BRV member, Julia Wade, was on hand to capture the festivities! Let’s take a peek…

Lisa knew afternoon tea at the Carolina Inn was on the retreat schedule, but until we handed her a box with a special invitation inside (designed by Rebecca!), she didn’t know it was in her honor. I think she might have been a little surprised :)

There may have been a few tears when we rounded the corner and saw the tea room all set up.

And with good reason – everything looked gorgeous! Rebecca and Betsy chose a palette based around Lisa’s favorite black and white stripes, with a little pop of red for fun. The beautiful linens were from Nuage Designs!

In addition to the main table, Becca and Betsy also set up the sweetest “Garden of Wisdom” – beautiful white ranunculus, stock, and peonies, all with quotes, verses, and advice for cultivating a growing marriage!

After we finished oohing and ahhing over everything (it took awhile), we settled down for the Carolina Inn tea service – such a treat!

There were freshly baked scones with lemon curd and clotted cream, egg salad and cucumber sandwiches, chocolate covered strawberries, petit fours, and so much more! And, of course, more than ten varieties of tea to sample, like ginger peach, wild berry plum, and black raspberry.

There were also gifts! Instead of choosing something off Lisa and Dave’s registry, we opted to each gift them a favorite date night to help their first year of marriage be full of fun and adventure! For example, I wrapped up the schedule for my favorite outdoor (free!) summer concert series and a gift card to the restaurant on the premises. Kristen went low-key, with gift cards to Publix (for cooking together dates) and Starbucks (for coffee dates). Morgan chose two tickets to a favorite local winery.

We were so glad to have this time together to celebrate just a few weeks before the big day! Lisa experienced her fair share of stress in the last month (yes, it happens to magazine editors, too!), so it was sweet to set that aside for a few hours and look forward to all the good things that were to come.

Big hugs to Rebecca Rose Events, Julia Wade, and the Carolina Inn for all they did to bring this day to life!

emily Written with love by Emily
7 Comments
  1. avatar Kelly reply

    Oh my stars! This look so wonderful! I”m sure this was such a treat for Lisa as you ladies are absolutely wonderful. :)

  2. avatar Liz reply

    What a sweet idea for gifts!!! I absolutely love it!!!

  3. avatar Julie reply

    I just love the gifts you gave. What a perfect way to honor your mission of cultivating strong marriages more beautiful than the wedding day!

  4. avatar mary reply

    The date night idea is awesome!

  5. avatar Dana reply

    Y’all are the sweetest! The Essies are the perfect touch!

  6. avatar Michelle reply

    So beautiful , so much love in those pics !

  7. avatar Friday Fresh Squeeze #191 – Floridian Social reply

    […] ultra sweet black and white bridal shower kind of makes me […]

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This post is brought to you by Francis Ford Coppola Winery–thanks for your support of the brands that make Southern Weddings possible!

It seems that more than ever, friends and family members spread out across the country, and even across the globe, which makes coordinating pre-wedding activities, like engagement parties and bridal showers, a logistical juggling act. I have bridesmaids in four different states myself–and I live in a fifth! In situations like this, one of the best times to schedule a bridal shower is over the holidays, when bridesmaids, friends, and the bride may be in their hometowns. But how to plan a shower that is festive and seasonally appropriate, where the bride is clearly the focus of the celebration? To answer this question, we teamed up with Francis Ford Coppola Winery, who sent us some of their Sofia Blanc de Blancs sparkling wine, which comes in the prettiest bottle, and adorable Mini Cans–the first wine to come in a can. Francis Coppola created these wines as a gift for his daughter, Sofia (yes, the chic and talented Sofia Coppola!), inspired by her bright and effervescent personality, and we imagined the bride this shower is celebrating with the same infectious qualities!

Should you be planning a holiday shower yourself, we have a few tips to help you carry it off with aplomb!

Send invitations early. Holiday schedules fill up quickly, and many people make plans months in advance, or have a standing tradition. Give guests plenty of time to rearrange their schedules or adjust their travel plans by sending out invitations at least two months in advance. We love this fun invitation MaeMae & Co. designed for our sparkling celebration!

Choose a color palette or theme that is festive, but original. For this New Year’s Eve bridal shower, touches of sparkle were a must, but we added a little twist to the typical NYE palette by including the bride’s favorite colors: deep red and pink. The Sofia Blanc de Blancs bottle (which comes wrapped in pink cellophane–Sofia Coppola’s idea, inspired by her favorite peonies!) and adorable Mini Cans fit this palette perfectly, and a gorgeous floral arrangement by Alana of Serendipity Designs completed the table. Even the container the Sofia Mini Cans come in is beautiful–so much so that we were inspired to reuse it as a centerpiece vessel!

Keep the focus on the bride. While this shower may be tied with a holiday, it is first and foremost a bridal shower, not a New Year’s Eve party. Schedule it early enough in the day so that there is no confusion, and bring the bride and her darling personality into as many elements as possible so that she doesn’t feel overshadowed by the holiday festivities. Monogrammed details, like our DIY cake topper, are a sweet way to celebrate her!

If you would love to include Francis Ford Coppola Winery’s Sofia wines (the line also include a Riseling, a Rosé, and a Chardonnay) at your next celebration, they have generously offered 15% off your first order and $5 shipping to SW readers with the code COPPOLA15. As you may have seen on Instagram a few weeks ago, getting a package from them is almost as delightful as what’s inside!

Sparkling Wine: Francis Ford Coppola Winery / Photography: Lauren Rosenau Photography / Venue: The Stockroom at 230 / Florals: Serendipity Designs / Invitation: MaeMae & Co. / Linens: La Tavola / Skirts: Bel and Beau / Tinsel Drink Stirrers: Em for Marvelous

Lauren Rosenau is a delightful member of our Blue Ribbon Vendor Directory!

lisa Written with love by Lisa
1 Comment
  1. avatar Just Wedding News / A Holiday Bridal Shower with Francis Ford Coppola Sofia reply

    […] post A Holiday Bridal Shower with Francis Ford Coppola Sofia appeared first on Southern Weddings […]

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This post is brought to you by Kate Aspen–thanks for your support of the brands that make Southern Weddings possible!

When it comes to pre-wedding parties, bridal showers just might be our very favorite. Whether you’re hosting a big celebration with generations of family members or an intimate get-together for the bridal party, a few sweet and simple details go a long way in making a bridal shower memorable, not only for the bride, but for the guests as well. With the help of our friends at Kate Aspen, a fabulous resource for originally designed, chic favors and personalized party décor, we threw this little faux bridal shower to illustrate some of our favorite tips!

Choose a color palette or theme. If you have a location picked out (such as the bride’s parents’ home), use the existing colors and décor as a starting point. We staged this shoot at Lara’s house, which is predominately white with beachy teal accents, so we chose our ice cream shoppe-inspired pastel palette with that in mind. The result was soft and feminine, and since we were working with our venue rather than against it, we didn’t need too many details to create a cohesive look. We pooled our china patterns for the table, and topped it off with a favor that could not have been more perfect for our theme: Kraft Favor Boxes filled with pastel saltwater taffy!

Plan an activity. Bridal shower games can be less than sophisticated, but there are plenty of other ways for guests to interact and get to know each other. An interactive food or beverage station is a wonderful way to get guests moving, so we set up an ice cream buffet featuring our favorite toppings in Blue Glass Tealight Holders (gotta love décor that serves double duty!). Ice cream isn’t the only option–if the bride has a soft spot for sweet tea or a weakness for biscuits, it’s easy to create a buffet out of any food or drink that can use toppings or mix-ins.

Set up a photo booth. There is really no better way to encourage pictures than a photo booth! We especially loved this Woodgrain Personalized Photo Booth Backdrop because it was vinyl instead of paper, so it held up beautifully. P.S. If you’re not planning a photo booth, these backdrops also look great behind gift tables or dessert displays!

We might be biased, but any photo shoot during which we can eat ice cream is an SW favorite :)

If you have a bridal shower, or any other celebration, coming up, we’re delighted to let you know that Kate Aspen is generously giving away a $150 gift card to their website! Along with the favor boxes, tea light holders, and photo booth backdrop that we used, they have fun details and décor to fit a huge variety of party color schemes and themes. The giveaway will end next week, so don’t delay!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

What was your favorite part of your bridal shower, or one you’ve attended? We’d love to hear your ideas!

Photographer: Robyn Van Dyke / Personalized Photo Booth Backdrop, Blue Glass Tealight Holders, Kraft Favor Boxes: Kate Aspen / Ice Cream Bowls: World Market / Wrapping Paper: Snow & Graham

lisa Written with love by Lisa
7 Comments
  1. avatar Melissa W. reply

    The favorite detail from my friend’s bridal shower was each guest sharing a memorable or funny story from their own wedding while the bride opened their gift. This was so much better than playing games. We laughed & sympathized while getting to know each other better!!

  2. avatar Lauren reply

    Such good ideas! I just got lost in the Kate Aspen shop. So much inspiration!

    I see those white lace plates often in the SW photos. Can you please share where their from? Thank you!

  3. avatar Olivia Cox reply

    Love these fun ideas! I’m currently helping my best friend plan her sisters bridal shower at Wine and Design – we’re going to have canvases and paint set up for everyone and of course lots of good wine :) The theme is sunflowers, because the bride always dreamed of having a spring wedding with sunflower bouquets, but because of her crazy schedule as a med school student the wedding will be in December. We’re trying to give her the next best thing with a bright and sunny bridal shower!

  4. avatar published: southern weddings v7 » Robyn Van Dyke Photography Blog reply

    […] extra image on page 300 of Morgan, Lisa, & Emily (three of the gorgeous SW ladies!) from the Kate Aspen Bridal Shower Ideas shoot earlier this year! Be sure to pick up your very own gorgeous issue on newsstands or order a […]

  5. avatar Southern Weddings Bridal Shower Shoot » Robyn Van Dyke Photography Blog reply

    […] of my favorites on the blog here today! You can check out the whole feature on Southern Weddings here!Pin ItPin ItPin ItPin ItPin […]

  6. avatar Perfectly Packaged Edible Wedding Favors -Beau-coup Blog reply

    […] credit clockwise from left: Southernweddings, Beau-coup, […]

Southern Weddings reserves the right to delete comments which contain profanity or personal attacks or seek to promote a business unrelated to the post.  And remember: a good attitude is like kudzu – it spreads.  We love hearing your kind thoughts!

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