Bridal Shower!

The morning of the shower - My mom with her brainchild - "the faces." (Don't worry - It's explained below!)

My bridal shower was Saturday, June 14. The best word I have to describe what my sister did for me is "Wow!" She, (my little sis, Colleen) threw a Mexican-themed bridal shower. The "fiesta" was in her backyard in Wayne, Pennsylvania. She and her boyfriend rent their first floor apartment (a single guy lives upstairs--a duplex). She cleared it with her neighbor and the landlady, who kindly had the lawn cut and shrubs manicured the week before the party. She rented a tent, tables, chairs, and outdoor linens. It was a hot day, so she strategically placed fans around the perimeter of the tent, which really did a great job of keeping the guests cool. To prevent mosquito bites, she even had citronella candles burning under the tables, carefully placed in the center so they could not be kicked. So far, it seems like she's thought of everything, right? But I'm not done describing this amazing shower....

Just a pic of how colorful and cute the inside of the tent was!

She had the food catered by a local caterer called Party Girl Planners. We would certainly recommend them. The two women who came were so nice. They had my sister's kitchen cleaned better than it was before they arrived. And my sister is CLEAN! They did not provide the cake, but cut it and served it to all the guests. Their website is http://partygirlplanners.com/. They made delicious Mexican food, even though their specialties are more like the traditional American meatball sandwiches and creamy salads. We had tacos, rice and beans, and Mexican pulled pork. Colleen made the drinks--white and red sangria, mojitos, and margaritas. There was also a cooler filled with beer, including my favorite (and luckily it's a Mexican label) Corona Light with fresh lime. Because it was so hot, she also had plenty of bottled water and soda. Although I can't say I had anything but sangria the whole day!

Colleen and my mom as well as some of the bridesmaids set up the gift table away from the tent to maximize the space for guests under the tent. In fact, the gift table and drinks were right next to each other, and was the first stop in the yard for all guests entering. Next to the gifts, they placed the favors and game prizes. The favors were chili-pepper magnets labelled "One hot couple--Nancy & Chris" and the prizes were homemade salsa jars. Very cute and very thematic!

They got me there thinking it was a barbeque. Since Chris and I always hang out with Colleen and her BF Rob, I was not at all surprised that they wanted to have us over to grill and watch the Phillies game that afternoon. However, I wanted to finish the invitations at home that day, and I flat out told Chris and Colleen that I had too much to do and would not be going to the BBQ. In fact, the night before, I had written out a detailed schedule of everything I wanted to do. I had plans up to about 7 o'clock that night. Little did I know when I wrote out that schedule that I would be drinking sangria and opening gifts at the exact time I was supposed to be on the treadmill at the gym!

Because Chris went to see a Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs game the night before and stayed with friends in Bethlehem, when I woke up, he had to get back early to try to convince me to go to Col and Rob's BBQ. I was adament. I was not going. It was Saturday, and we had to be out the door before 7 A.M. on Tuesday for a two-week trip to Europe. Plus I wanted the invitations to go out before we flew out from JFK. But Chris was persistent, and I couldn't stand to see him beg, so I gave in. I didn't think much of it when he actually suggested what I should wear, even though he NEVER EVER EVER tells me what to wear. I wore a cute green sundress, and part of me did it all on my own since I'd been watching a lot of What Not to Wear. I figured those cotton summery dresses are comfy and good for hot weather, and those hosts on the show are always talking about how what you put on is always about comfort. Anyway, it was a lucky week to get into that show! I've heard horror stories about girls who show up to their showers in sweatpants!

They're awaiting our arrival.

Surprise!

When we arrived, Rob came to the driveway (he may have had a grill spatula in his hand to look authentic, but maybe that's just my memory playing tricks on me) to tell us they were in the yard and to go on back. So, I walk around the corner of the house, and there's a tent and a bunch of people! One of the first I saw was Becky, my best friend and bridesmaid who lives out in Las Vegas. I didn't know she'd be in town, so this was quite a surprise. It took me a few moments to take it all in. I was walking around the tables and saying hi to everyone before I noticed "the faces." My mom had this crazy idea to print out 30 or so pictures of Chris's face, blow them up to life-size, and put them on paint stirrers. Why, you ask? Well, she remembered that I used to sing the Christina Aguilera song "Ain't No Other Man" about Chris when we were dating. She thought, wouldn't it be cute to play that song when I walked in with everyone holding "the faces" over their own. But I was so overwhelmed with the surprise and the people, that someone actually had to wave one of the Chris faces in front of me, saying, "Hellooooo? Didn't you see these?" before I noticed. But it didn't matter that I didn't see them right away; I still really loved the idea of the entrance. Plus I think my Aunt Anna has a video of the whole thing.

Chris enjoying his face.

During the greetings, my sister handed me a drink, gave me a few minutes to sit, then we ate. We played "The Newlywed Game" shortly after the food. I had to correctly guess Chris's answers to questions he'd been asked. I did very well, which to me only affirms our future marriage!Then, the presents! Oh my, there was quite a pile there! I am still overwhelmed at how generous people are. I am still working on my thank you cards because I don't feel I can say enough to everyone to let them know how much I appreciate the gifts and their thoughtfulness. During the process, Colleen and my cousin (and bridesmaid) Donna would lift my drink to my mouth so I could get a strawful every once in a while. Talk about being served! I was apparently opening gifts way to slowly and had several reminders from the bridesmaids that I needed to move faster. I kept thinking that rushing through the gifts might make the guests feel like their presents were not appreciated enough, which is not at all how I felt about them. I was reminded (by the bridesmaids) that I'd be sending thank you notes where I could be as elaborately thankful as I wished and to get through the opening faster. So I did.

Getting served by Col!

Getting served by Donna!

We had cake, then two more games. We played two truths and a lie, where each guest wrote 2 true things and 1 lie about me. Other guests had to guess what each lie was. It was fun. We gave away a lot of salsa on that game! The next game involved a plunger and toilet paper. I'll let you guess about that one, but it was a race with a raunchy focus, and my team lost :(After all that, many of the guests started to leave, and I couldn't help but think the whole thing went by so quickly. It was a great time, but it flew by. The next day, I asked Colleen if she thought it went by in a flash. She made a good point: she said not only was I there a full hour after everyone else, but I was the center of attention, doing everything offered, whereas the guests were not as busy. I guess that makes sense, but I hope the same doesn't happen at the wedding--all over before I know it.The boys (Chris, Rob, and Donna's husband Brian) came back from the bar where they watched the Phillies towards the end of the shower. The group that stayed late was small, but fun. It was co-ed at that point and loads of fun. Perhaps we'd had too many Mexican cocktails, but the after-party was just as great as the afternoon fiesta.

Me and the bridesmaids (from left to right): Donna, Becky, Colleen, me with one of "the faces" in my hand, Marie standing behind me.

Hope you've enjoyed this VERY LONG description of the shower.... I just don't ever want to forget it!