matt and sarah casserole: Shower Power

A few weeks ago, my mom and aunts, with the help of my bridesmaids, threw me the loveliest bridal shower EVER featuring springy pastels, sugar flowers, china teacups, and doilies galore. Sugar and spice and everything nice. It made me think of when my father used to get dragged to high school cheerleading competitions, after which he described "being smothered by a pink cloud of estrogen." I think the shower was one of those pink-cloud moments. Awesome!

The star of the show - not me, shockingly - was the cupcake display!

Mom and Aunt Betty, fairly new to cake decorating, had carefully followed the instructions on how to make these exquisite gumpaste orchids. After they struggled for a bit, legend has it that Dad then sat down and casually made one with great ease. There was some rolling of eyes, but they eventually made a whole batch to adorn the cupcakes - FANCY!

Fancy, indeed.

Andria, in her first official duty as Maid of Honor, demonstrates that the gumpaste, while edible, is best left a feast for the eyes.

A while ago, Mom got the idea to use doilies as a decor theme. She wanted to use spring colors, but since colored doilies are a rare and expensive thing, she had the great idea to spray paint them! Look at the pretty pastel bunting and place mats - it really helped brighten up the place since outside it was a gray and rainy spring day.

Quote of the day by Andria: "I took a picture of the tables before everyone sits down and RUINS them!" So wrong, yet so true - that is totally how I am going to feel about the table settings our wedding!

I wish I had a picture, but my mom, in her typical Macgyver-like fashion, placed cardstock behind the doilies while spray painting them, thus creating pretty patterned paper which she used for the invitations.

Here is part of the brunch spread, complete with the beautiful antique teacup collection that was my grandmother's - graciously lent to the occasion by my mom and aunts:

There were also egg stratas of every known variety and yummy breads made by Mom and bridesmaid Renee.

After brunch, there was opening of gifts ...

"ooh!", " ahh!", "a mug!", "a toaster!"

Note Andria's lawyer-ly legal pad to record the gift-givers

(It's funny because she is a law student)

((You know its funny when it requires an explanation))

And then Mom, a former public speaking champ back in high school, read out loud the cards that each shower guest had filled out with a memory, recipe, or advice. Some were sweet; some were funny.

My cooking skills, or lack thereof, were of course an easy target, but luckily nothing too scandalous. Mom is going to put the little cards into a scrapbook for me.

Matt stopped by at the end, took some ribbing, and helped hand out the favors - froofy pink bookmarks that read "Support your local library!" Haha!