Ashley Brooke Designs: A Bridal Shower + A Baby Shower (in the same weekend!)

This weekend was full of lovely ladies, great food, and TONS of cupcakes! That is right I hosted a Bridal shower at our house on Saturday and I co-hosted a Baby shower at my Parents house on Sunday with my sister and mom! There is nothing more fun than putting on a shower for your close friends to celebrate life's biggest moments!

I was thrilled to be apart of both showers and both Deanna (the bride) and Shavaun (the mom-to-be) were blushing with excitement!

Also, I was able to make both shower invites which is always so much fun! I kept both invites similar and changed out colors, pram, and wedding dress! I thought since they were in the same weekend it might be fun to do *almost* matching invites!


(Pink and yellow are Deanna's wedding colors so the shower kept that theme! Deanna is one of my dearest friends and I was honored to do something so special for her!)
-My sister made the delicious cupcakes and I prepared the rest!
- The gift was, a grocery list note pad with her new name, personalized recipe cards, and coordinating thank you cards!
** Oh and don't mind the photo where I am totally looking at the WRONG camera! Oops!

I love you Dee!! I Can't wait to stand by your side on your BIG day!
xoxo



(Sweet baby Anna is due in just TWO weeks and I know that I speak for the entire family when I say, we couldn't be more excited!!)
Shavaun is my cousin's wife but friend first! Shavuan is like a sister to me so throwing this shower for her was EXTRA special! We all know that Shavun will make a fantastic mother!


- Once again my sister made the delicious cupcakes! And my fabulous mother prepared all of the goodies!
-The gift was THE cutest tutu bathing suit, a mommy-to-be notepad that 10 sheets in turns into a mommy-to-do list, and of course matching thank you cards.


I love you Shavaun and I can't WAIT to meet sweet little Anna!! 
xoxo

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Content and Illustrations ©2010 Ashley Brooke Designs. All Rights Reserved.

Ashley Brooke Designs: Don't forget to say thank you!

And now for the last piece of the shower etiquette puzzle: saying thank you!  Even if you thank your guests at the shower, it's always best to follow up with a written thank you note.  If you are the guest of honor,  it is thoughtful to bring a thank you note and small gift to your host or hostess on the day of, for throwing you the shower.

Examples of Baby and Bridal Shower Thank Yous.

Dear Mary,

Thank you so much for the sweet onesies and receiving blanket.  We are so excited about this little one's impending arrival.  I can wait to see him in the onesies and I know the blanket will be very useful. Thanks again for coming and being so thoughtful.

Dear Mary,

Thanks so much for the lovely place-setting.  Joe and I are so excited for this next step in our lives and are so blessed to share it with so many wonderful friends and family.  I can't wait to put that place setting to good use in our kitchen.  Thank you for coming to the shower and being so thoughtful!

Content and Illustrations ©2009 Ashley Brooke Designs. All Rights Reserved.

Ashley Brooke Designs: Bridal Showers

The bridal shower started in ancient times when the community would "shower" newlyweds with grains of wheat or sweet cakes to symbolize wishes for fertility and prosperity.

Showers should be an intimate gathering of friends and family designed to celebrate the upcoming wedding.  Showers can be held any time of day and can have various themes that dictate the types of gifts the bride receives. 

Showers are usually hosted by close friends of the bride, the groom or their parents.  Professional colleagues have been known to throw "work showers"  and some events know include both the bride and the groom.  In the case of friends of mine who were married last May, the groom was thrown his own "tool shower" by his best buddies.

The host or hostess issues the invitations with a guest list of the brides choosing.  Out of courtesy for your host or hostess, brides should provide a complete list with all the necessary information to address and send the invitations.

During the shower, opening gifts is certainly a highlight.  Be sure and have someone record who gave what gift so that the bride can refer to this list when writing thank you notes.

Content and Illustrations ©2009 Ashley Brooke Designs. All Rights Reserved.

Bridal Shower Invitations

Bridal Shower Invitation

This Sunday is my second bridal shower and I'm so excited. I feel so fortunate to have such wonderful family friends who have been sweet enough to want to celebrate with me! One of my oldest friends, Jillian, and her mom are kindly throwing a brunch shower for me and of course they had me do the invitations which I just LOVE! Hope you like them too :)

Shower Do's and Dont's

Do:
-Serve delicious food that is easy to eat
-Have a close friend or family member record the gifts to create a handy reference tool when its time to write Thank Yous
-Select gifts on the registry. People register for things they want and like--use this tool to your advantage
-Send out invitations 3-4 weeks in advance to give guests ample time to respond

Don't:
-Leave anything open to interpretation. Specify start and end times, and any other boundaries like "adults only"
-Come empty handed. If you are a guest, bringing a gift is cutomary. If you are the guest honor, bring at minimum a hand written note to your hostess thanking them for having your shower. You can also bring a small gift like a flower arrangement or something sweet for their home.
-Ever coerce someone into hosting a shower for you. If you are getting married, a member of the bridal party or close family friend should host a shower. If you are having a baby a close friend or relative should host the shower.

Bridal Shower Trends

Although there are long standing traditions and appropriate etiquette concerning bridal showers, there are some new, less traditional shower trends I thought you might be interested in. Here are four courtesy of TheKnot.com:

1. Destination Showers: Take your shower out of the home and to a fun locale, like a great restaurant with tons of ambiance or the local country club for a preppy touch. Taken a step further, a shower can be centered around a spa weekend, a wine tasting or a beach trip-think outside the box and the possibilities are endless!

2.Activity Bridal Showers: Instead of opening gifts or playing games, why not get schooled in something useful? Use the shower as an opportunity. Have a chef come in and teach a cooking class, or a florist give flower arranging tips. Even hire a craft expert to teach the girls how to knit or sew!

3. Couple Showers: Men and women are welcome at these showers which usually involve giving gifts the husband and wife can both use. A shower with both sexes certainly mixes things up a bit and can be as casual as a barbeque or as elaborate as a sit down dinner party.

4. The Man Shower: Also referred to as a Power Shower, this gives the groom's friends a chance to stock his tool cabinet and garage with all the things he'll need around the house!

It's All About Timing!

Ideally baby and bridal showers are held 1-2 months before the big event, be it a birth or a wedding. However, do take into count other events that may be going on at the same time and choose a date that works best for the guest of honor and the majority of her invitees.

The duration of a shower should be about 2-3 hours. Feel free to include a start and end time on the invitations to communicate this to your guests. As a hostess though, be prepared for the shower to last a little longer than your anticipated end time, as people chat and slowly make their exit.

The timing of a shower can make or break the experience. Although 2-3 hours may be customary, take into account your guest list and planned activities. Showers shouldn't be a rushed affair but you don't want your guests to feel like captives either :)

Topic of the Week: Bridal and Baby Showers!

This coming Sunday is my very first bridal shower and I could not be more excited! The shower is being thrown by a dear family friend and I am super excited to get together and celebrate with everyone. Because this is what's going on with me and based on an email from a reader, this week's topic will be bridal and baby showers! The do's and don'ts and the ins and outs. So without further ado...

Rachel writes:

I've noticed a number of women and couples my age bringing babies and young children to gatherings like weddings, showers, etc, which I think is completely inappropriate! Perhaps you can write about the etiquette of bringing children to typically "adult" events. And/or how to tactfully request that guests leave the little ones at home when you are the hostess.


I think the best way to handle this is to be as clear as possible on the invitation. It's perfectly acceptable to include a note at the bottom of the invitation indicating "women only" or "adults only." Understand that this may lead some guests to decline your invitation, because they are unwilling or cannot find child care. If its the bride or mom to be's wishes you may even provide some sort of child care in another room or a nearby home. Ultimately it is the responsibility of the hostess to communicate the wishes of the person being honored at the shower. Hopefully your guests will respect those wishes and abide by whatever boundaries are set on the invitations.

Bridal Shower Invitations

I just finished these for a client who is throwing a bridal shower for a close friend.
I really like the way they turned out, so very fresh!

And, extra plus these particular shower invites are offered on my online store!

Wedding Shower Invitations

I designed these wedding shower invitations for a good friend on mine earlier this month. We decided we would do a kitchen theme since the bride loves to cook! I found out her kitchen colors and started designing! The invitation suite included the invitations, thank you cards, a recipe box, and matching recipe cards. Everyone loved it!

The Invitation

Each invite had a recipe card inside! The guest filled out the card with their favorite dish and brought it along with them to the shower.

The vertical folded thank you card.