Outdoors Burlap-Themed Bridal Shower with Chickens...

This past weekend was a busy but fun time.  My daughter and I hosted a bridal shower for one of our close friends who is getting married next month.  She and her husband-to-be love the outdoors and wanted a very simple and natural type setting for their wedding theme.  So we decided to host the shower outside, where our chickens, dogs and hummingbirds were also in attendance...lol!  Things don't get much more natural than chickens eating part of the shower decor... {smiles}

We went with a burlap-on-white theme, with very simple decorations.  I glued burlap around a quart Mason jar, tied some ribbon, and added a votive candle inside.

I printed off some of their engagement pictures that the bride shared with me, and I used clothespins to pin the pictures to the burlap table runners.

I set up the bridal table in the trees holding up my bird and hummingbird feeders.  The birds and chickens were very confused about it all day long.  They kept inviting themselves to the party early. Their feelings were quite hurt when they had to be told to wait... lol!

I made a burlap 12x12 frame for the bride to keep.  I used a wooden cut-out of the word "LOVE" and glued it onto the burlap, along with an 8x8 enlarged picture of them, a bow tied with twine, and some shabby roses.  I used more of her pictures clipped to twine to spread over the table, along with candles, a mirror and some cute Stampin Up boxes that I had made previously.

We set up a little game table where guests could guess how many kisses were in the jar, share special date night ideas, and we also played the clothespin game with the guests.  This was a great way for the guests to all mingle and get to know each other.  (The clothespin game is played as follows: everyone gets 3 clips to begin with, and then whoever crosses their arms or legs loses a pin to the person who catches it.  The person at the end of the shower with the most clothespins wins).

Lots of beautiful gifts for the sweet bride-to-be!

My daughter and I fixed most of the food for the shower.  We had a very simple menu: Italian Chicken Pasta Salad, Tuna Cheese Dip, Chicken Salad sandwiches, Spicy Pretzels, Tortilla Roll-Ups, and Orange Sherbet punch along with vegetable and fruit trays brought by the bride's sister.

Our very simple but lovely arrangement for the shower.  We just used things we already had to decorate with, so it was very inexpensive and fun to do.

I made the bride-to-be a sash to wear out of burlap.  She is wearing it here.  For the dessert, I made a homemade Huckleberry cheesecake (using the huckleberries we picked a couple of weeks ago).

It was such a hot day, the whipping cream I used to decorate the cake with melted before I could get a decent picture... but the huckleberry cheesecake was such a hit.  I think we all wanted to lick our plates... lol!

My intentions were to have the bride and the guests take pictures with my old window frame, but time got away from us, and that never happened...

All the "Girly's" (our 7 Rhode Island Red pullets) showed up for the shower.  The rest of the hens went to bed early, but not these girls! They roamed around all the tables, checking for scraps, and when no scraps were available, they munched on flowers that I had brought from my garden... over the course of a couple of hours... the flowers disappeared, and my plants were almost reduced to the nubs!

As the sun began to set, the twinkle of the white lights softened the evening light, casting a soft glow over the joy of the evening.

Annie kept a close eye on the food as well... she never begged for food, but because she is such a pretty and sweet girl, you can be sure she got her share :)

We had a tremendous turnout from these unwanted guests... who unfortunately met their demise as well...

I didn't have to worry about any leftovers that might have spilled... I had quite the cleanup crew who worked feverishly, and nonstop to make sure that wasn't an issue!

As the evening shadows drew close, the gentle white lights created an ambient scene from which laughter, joy and happiness spilled forth and the lovely ladies who came all enjoyed an evening full of fun, games, and joy.

The shower was a delightful time, and the games we played were quite hilarious.  We played:

1. How well do you know the bride (a list of questions about the bride, who also filled out the questionnaire, and then read out her answers and the one with the most right won). 
2. I read a Bridal poem.  This is a cutesy poem where the listener adds and takes away points as the list is read (if you have on buttons, add 2 points for every button, etc.) Winner has the most points. 
3. How many kisses in the jar (no joke... the bride-to-be won, which was hilarious, and her prize was the jar of kisses of course, which she generously shared with all of us). 
4. We created a silly story of how they met... starting with a basic opening line, then each person adding a line, and then folding the paper, so the next person couldn't see, and having each person add a line to the story.  It got pretty ridiculous and hilarious! 
5. The clothespin game (described above).  

It was a wonderful evening, and after gifts were opened, and lots of laughs shared, the darkness began to fall, and the cool air settled in.  The dear ladies helped us clean up, and everyone that came shared how they had a delightful time.  We were thankful to have been able to share in this special time for our sweet friend.  :)