This week my family hosted a bridal shower for my sweet sister Olivia, who is expecting her first baby in October. She wanted a woodland, great-outdoors kind of theme without being too theme-y or literal.
This look is pretty popular right now—plaid is trending (but really, when is plaid NOT a good idea?), and so are rustic woods, loads of plants and flowers, and arrows. Here are a few ways we got the look:
Setting the table: Instead of a tablecloth, we used two plaid IKEA throws. A couple birch vases nodded to the woodland theme without being too obvious.
In lieu of games: My family would rather talk (and talk and talk) than play shower games, but for the table’s backdrop, my mom put together a collection of attendees’ baby photos. Guests guessed who was pictured in each photo—a casual conversation starter.
Salad in a jar: I made this salad (but substituted strawberries for oranges) and served it in pint jars spiffed up with patterned-paper sleeves and a gold fork tied to the side. No salad spilling all over the tablecloth, and the jars could go in the dishwasher post-party.
Camp-y foods: These funny toadstools are made with string cheese and cherry tomatoes stacked on toothpicks. My mom dabbed little cream-cheese spots on top. Cute and healthy.
My sister whipped up 70 s’more cupcakes—graham-cracker crust, chocolate cake, and toasted-marshmallow swirl on top—and I can’t begin to explain what she did here because she’s a baking genius. My advice for you is to get a sister like her. If you can’t, head to the bakery.
Favors: Okay, we did have a couple woodland creatures show up—cute owl and fox cups (made by my youngest sister) filled with this popcorn I want to be buried with (made by our fab sister-in-law Jo).
Lots of cute girls with curls were on hand to bring gifts to the mama-to-be. Best of luck and congrats, Liv!
Boulevard West 