Citrus Themed Bridal Shower

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I’ve been prepping for a shower that I’m co-hosting this weekend at my place. I’ve never thrown a shower before, and it’s actually a total blast! It’s almost like planning a mini-wedding… but rather than taking a year to plan, it only takes a week! When my friend Emily asked if we could co-host at my place, I was a bit overwhelmed. We didn’t register for a lot of entertaining-ware, so I was worried that I’d have to buy a lot of stuff to make the shower look presentable. While I was willing to buy more serving platters, the truth is that we have nowhere to store anything. But I put my thinking cap on, and have figured out ways to make do with what I have, while still keeping the setup cute, potentially saving me lots of $$$!

I wanted to give you guys a sneak peek of what I’ve got going so far. First up, my inspiration, from the fabulous Hostess With the Mostess blog:

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Check out her tips for a citrus themed shower and where she purchased her decor items here!

I chose the citrus theme because I knew I could buy a few bags of oranges, lemons, and limes from Costco to use for decor. Fruit is cheap, and when we’re done with it, it turns into food for Mr. Peng and me. And by food, I mean mojitos and mimosas. I didn’t want to invest in decor that I’d feel bad throwing away, or I’d end up having to find storage for.

I went to Jo-Ann’s yesterday to buy some fabric to use as a backdrop for the food table. I turned some of the fabric into table runners for the drink table and for our coffee table, as well. Here, I set up some of the fruit centerpieces, and will add fresh white flower blossoms to these on the day of. I just used our plain old cereal bowls for these.

To be honest, while the fabric is really cute, it was a mistake. I should have looked for citrus colored or themed wrapping paper to use instead. I spent $50 on fabric, which in my opinion was a lot to spend on something I might never use again. I think I’ll turn some of it into dish towels and fabric napkins though, so not all is lost. The tablecloth is also something I didn’t have, so I just bought $1 a yard muslin, and plan to cover several surfaces in my house with it!

I briefly considered buying a bunch of new white platters to serve food on, but looked in my cabinet for what I have. I have big silver chargers, so instead of buying new plates, I bought coordinating paper to set on top of the chargers, and will put the food on the paper.

We don’t have a dining table in our house, so we can’t serve a meal. I was determined to eliminate utensils for the party, so we’re doing all mini American foods. The menu includes:

• Mini cheeseburgers
• Mini BLTs
• Mac ’n’ cheese in crispy prosciutto cups
• Sweet potato fries
• Mini hot dogs
• Brownies and milk shots

I was disappointed to not be serving Thai food, because the bride LOVES Thai food! Alas, where would people eat? Fortunately, all this food can be eaten standing up.

We’ll be doing a champagne bar, with serve-yourself mixers including OJ, mango juice, and peach puree. Offering only one alcoholic choice with a personalized twist will be a nice budget saver, because I don’t have to worry about buying a bunch of different alcohol choices. This will be supplemented with Izze sodas and citrus water, for those looking for a non-alcoholic option.

And for favors, I really wanted to do those cute cupcakes that Miss Dew Drop blogged about earlier:

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I was worried that it would be too much work, though. Because my co-host is flying in the night before the shower (and we plan on partying, rather than planning!) I went a safer route and bought movie theater sized boxes of Lemonheads ($1 each!). I wrapped them up with tissue paper so that you can see what the favor is, and determined to use every inch of fabric I bought, wrapped them with fabric and yarn, as well.

And lest you think I’m some kind of hostess with the mostess myself, check out what this scene really looks like:

The entire 1000 square feet of my house is covered floor to ceiling with shower prep junk. And I had to scooch all the stuff over this morning to brew myself a giant pot of coffee. This is normally our drink bar, but I threw everything on the floor.

I can’t wait to show you all the drink and food setup once it’s all completed! All in all, I’m excited to throw this shower, and think that although I skimped on the budget, my hope is that the guests won’t be able to tell!

Shower planning veterans: do you have any budget saving tips? How do you avoid buying new stuff when throwing a shower? Or, what are some decor items that you can later integrate into your home when you’re done with the shower?

Oh, and any other citrus-themed inspiration or ideas you have, I’d love to hear! I still have a week left to plan!