|
adpiucf,
I can't believe I missed your post. I have been a bridesmaid more times than I can count so I've hosted many, many bridal showers. My top pieces of advice:
A. Quiz the bride on each and every guest, make sure you as the hostess know a little bit about each woman attending. Showers can be deadly because not everyone knows each other, so my best advice is to give very detailed introductions when each and every woman comes in the door. Make sure you know which women are work friends, which are cousins etc. Try and see if there are any commonalities between the women coming. Did two of them just have babies, did three of them recently vacation in Europe? Seat them together and let them know what they have in common. ***SORORITY WOMEN ARE EXCELLENT AT THIS, JUST REMEMBER ALL YOUR BASIC RUSH SKILLS!***
B. The best and cheapest decoration, theme and favor is "English Garden." Tea is elegant. Sandwiches are fairly easy. And then just a cake and if you want, chocolate dipped strawberries are always a huge hit.
But the favor and decorations that are inexpensive and that make a great impression are little pots of flowers that can be used as decorations in your home and then given away as favors. Go to your local nursery and get a bed or whatever flower or flowers you like, then wrap them in a pretty color tissue paper and tie them with raffia. (That way you can keep them in their plastic pots.) Presto: decoration and favor in one.
Also a very cute: use flower seed packets as place cards, the women can take those with them as well.
Hope this helps. Below is a pretty good recipe I've used before! Good luck!
Smoked Salmon Tea Sandwiches
Recipe Summary
Prep Time: 5 minutes Yield: 2 dozen
24 slices thin white bread
4 ounces Ginger-Cilantro Lime Butter, recipe follows
8 ounces thinly sliced smoked salmon
Spread all of the bread slices generously with the ginger butter. Place slices of smoked salmon in an even layer on half of the bread slices. Top with remaining bread slices. Using a 2-inch flower-shaped cookie cutter, cut out the tea sandwiches. Remove the top slice of bread from each flower. Using a 3/4 to 7/8-inch round biscuit cutter, cut a circle from the center of each, discard the circle. Replace the slice, butter-side down, on the flower.
GINGER-CILANTRO LIME BUTTER:
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 ounces (1/4 cup) cream cheese, at room temperature
1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
1 teaspoon kosher salt
Place butter, cream cheese, ginger, lime juice, cilantro and salt in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse just until ingredients are combined, about 30 seconds.
Transfer mixture to a sheet of parchment or waxed paper. Roll into a 1 1/2-inch wide log. Refrigerate until ready to use. Yield: 1 (7-ounce 10 by 1 1/2-inch) log
|