Outdoors Burlap-Themed Bridal Shower with Chickens...

Wednesday, July 27, 2016

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.  :) 

25 comments

  1. Aw! What a delightful shower! I love your photos and your fun ideas!

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    Replies
    1. Thanks! It was a wonderful event, and we will be celebrating the wedding tomorrow :) Have a blessed day!

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  2. What a beautiful idea!! Thank you for sharing. smiles

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    Replies
    1. Thanks! It was a wonderful event, and we will be celebrating the wedding tomorrow :) Have a blessed day!

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  3. How fun to hear that the hens showed up to party! And the picture of the gifts awaiting was just plain pretty!

    Sounds like a good time was had by all.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks! It was a wonderful event, and we will be celebrating the wedding tomorrow :) Have a blessed day!

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  4. What a sweet shower! Everything looks wonderful and I am sure the bride was overjoyed.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks! It was a wonderful event, and we will be celebrating the wedding tomorrow :) Have a blessed day!

      Delete
  5. Oh Marilyn...how sweet of you to host such a beautiful bridal shower for your friend... You and your daughter did a lovely job of making the time special and oh! I love decor...simple is always sweet and the burlap theme worked so well! I especially like the frame you made for the bride to be and the sash! What a delightful idea... I love bridal showers, true I've only attended one thus far, but I thought it was the most wonderful way to send a woman off to her new home and husband! Thank you for sharing this sweet occasion with us! What a fabulous time you all must have had!
    With much love and hugs to you, dear Marilyn!

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  6. My sweet and lovely friend, what a gorgeous bridal shower! My, the love and detail you put into the decorations took my breath away. The sash was a darling idea and the wood window frame against the tree was just too cute.

    Everything looked beautiful, dear one. Wishing you a joyous afternoon! Love and hugs!

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  7. So nice to keep things simple and tasteful.

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  8. What a wonderful shower and the setting/decorations were perfect. I would have loved to have gone to such a fun event! I love seeing your yard and animals, especially Annie!
    Have a great weekend.
    Hugs, Noreen

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  9. Oh, this is so beautiful! I just love it all! You and your daughter did an amazing job. I know this dear bride will never, ever forget all you have done to make this time in her life so very special. May God bless you for all you do for so many. You are a precious blessing to us all! Sending you much love and many hugs, sweet friend. :)

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  10. What a terrific idea!!! Everything looked so sweet and pretty 🙂

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  11. Oh how lovely everything is. I love the decorations. You and your daughter dreamed up so many clever and pretty ideas. The menus sounds delicious and that huckleberry cheesecake sounds day faded. How fortuitous to have your very own band of cleaner-upperers. Your friend will remember her special day forever. How lovely of you and your daughter to fill her day with so many touching and joyous moments.

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  12. What a beautifully simple bridal shower! I love the outdoor theme with all the burlap...and of course whats an outdoor party with out the animals?! ;)
    Looks like a fun time!
    Hugs, Amy

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  13. I love this, I am a country girl too. This is just so fun and full of country. :-) Thank you for sharing your ideas.
    Carla

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  14. Gorgeous! You and your daughter did a fabulous job making this moment for that precious bride quite memorable.
    God bless you for the time, energy and love that was put into every detail.
    Bridal showers are such a beautiful way of expressing love and joy to the bride to be. You certainly expressed your love.

    Enjoy your week, dear friend.

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  15. What a wonderful way to celebrate the beginning of a new life.
    I like the country look, with all those touches of elegance.

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  16. It looks like you had a wonderful day/evening. I love the rustic decor. My husband's nephew and fiancee will be getting married on our property next July and it will be a rustic wedding also, we have to get the barn in order. That's going to be a job since so much was left behind by the previous owners. You have definitely provided some great ideas. Love the chickens, it's neat that they were able to join in on the day.

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  17. How fun for everyone! I love that the chickens were there and the dog!!! You did an amazing job of creating a perfect shower for the bride. Everything looks so pretty and being outdoors makes it even better! Such a sweet friend you are!
    xo
    Linda

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  18. What a cute shower! I like your decorations and your games sound fun. And the Huckleberry cheesecake.... it looks so very delicious!

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  19. A brilliant shower. Your friends must have been over the moon, you worked hard to make this a special day for her.
    Amalia
    xo

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  20. Marilyn that looks like a really fun shower. Simple but pretty and in keeping theme with what the Bride to Be wanted. I loved the banner over the trees and the food sounded so good. What a happy occasion.

    PS I still haven't got your e-mail address. Send me an e-mail at mine (ipkcats9@bmi.net) thanks.

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  21. These outdoor bridal shower decorations are truly noteworthy. I am a fan of these kinds of outdoor parties. I am planning a similar party for my best friend and have just reserved her favorite San Francisco venues for the ceremony.

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