A tea party-style bridal shower

Ladies and gentlemen, it’s time to get a little classy.

Well, actually, things got classy at the end of August, when I helped host Steph’s bridal shower. We went with her chosen theme of a backyard tea party, even going so far as to collect antique-style tea cups from as many friends and family as we could manage.

The day couldn’t have been more perfect. The sun was shining and the sky was clear. True, it was pretty hot, and I did end up with a pretty funky sunburn on one leg, but it was totally worth it.

Plenty of friends and family came out to help us celebrate. We indulged in champagne cupcakes, sangria, cheese and crackers, raspberry macarons, and more food than we knew what to do with. And tea, of course. Can’t have a tea party without tea.

Even the setting was perfect. Steph’s almost-mother in law has one of the best gardens in town. It’s filled with flowers, and even has a stream running through it. But there was still plenty of room for the tables and chairs we set up.

After enjoying the food and drinks, we got down to a couple of games. There was the “What’s in Your Purse?” game, which I highly recommend. It’s one that satisfies everyone’s curiosity; who hasn’t wanted to know about the weird stuff everyone else keeps in their purse?

The “How Well Do You Know Him” game was even better, though. I asked Mike, Steph’s fiance, 15 questions ahead of the party. Then, at the party, I asked Steph the same questions, and she’d try to guess what Mike answered.

Now, some people play that game by making the bride-to-be add a piece of gum or a marshmallow to her mouth with each wrong answer. I’m not quite that cruel, though. Or maybe not that fun. I suppose it depends on how you look at it.

Regardless, I took a different tactic: I had everyone bet on how many of Steph’s answers would match up with Mike’s. The guesses ranged from six to 15.

I won’t tell you what the final count was. But I will say that she didn’t live up to the expectations of the people who had an awful lot of faith in her.

The tea party was a wonderful way to kick off the month before the wedding. Everyone had a great time, and Steph loved it.

Although, I should admit that she had more of a hand in planning it than a lot of brides would. But I don’t think that was a bad thing. The extra help made it that much better.

Steph gets married this weekend–today, actually. I’ve scheduled this to go up around the time we’ll be getting ready. I can’t wait to watch her walk down the aisle.