As I mentioned before, my mom and I threw a casual bridal shower luncheon for my good friend Emily this past weekend. Sharing with you here our menu and decor info! The decor was inspired by Emily’s fun, playful spirit and her wedding colors (she happens to love bright, happy colors). A lot of the guests are vegetarians, and we all love fresh, in season food so we let that inspire the menu. The dishes we served have all made appearances a la carte at other showers my mom has thrown and attended, so we knew we had home runs that we could make ahead (to alleviate some shower morning stress), would be easy to serve and everyone would love.

: The Menu :

(click on underlined headlines for recipes)

Huckleberry Prosecco Cocktails

I love a good, light berry spiked Prosecco cocktail for daytime summer luncheon drinking- they take little effort to make and refill and almost everyone enjoys at least one. My mom had just been to Priest Lake, Idaho and picked up this Huckleberry mixer (huckleberries grow in mid-alpine regions of the Pacific Northwest and are a true summer treat in this family). I poured in a tablespoon of the mixer, topped the rest of the glass with Prosecco (bought at Trader Joe’s) and added a few blueberries.

Fattoush Salad

The recipe for this salad came from our good friend, Judy, who grows her own beautiful vegetables and herbs- but I have included a similar recipe. It’s is a traditional Middle Eastern dish, a salad filled with lots of veggies, pita chips and the spice, Sumac. We also made grilled chicken skewers so those who wanted some protein could add them to their salad.

Watermelon Feta salad with lime and mint

This recipe came from another cooking friend of ours, Anna, who was recently a finalist on ‘Master Chef’ and runs a great food blog, Brave Apron. It is a total crowd pleaser – insanely delicious and so summery. Can also be served as an Amuse Bouche at a sit down dinner.

Gazpacho

This particular style of gazpacho (cold tomato soup) is from Cordoba, Spain and is made simply with 4 kinds of tomatoes, garlic, cucumbers and red peppers along with bread cubes to thicken and sherry vinegar to add a kick. We made it a day ahead and scooped it into individual plastic serving cups right before guests arrived – no heating required, of course. Super easy to serve, fresh and so yummy.

Mini Cupcakes

We got these and the bride and groom topper from Cupcake Royale in Seattle. Basically, they’re adorable and delicious and I’m still not over them, so I insisted on having them at the shower

Personalized M&Ms

We ordered personalized M&Ms off their website – they said ‘Bride Emily’ and her wedding date. Fun to match the colors to your decor.

: Party Favors :

I think all parties should have favors, so I made little clear cellophane bags of candy to take home (the bride is a candy lover) and a fun glow stick bracelet for nighttime fun at the outdoor wedding next month

: Decor :

 ‘Soon To Be Mrs. Huguet’ hanging banner custom ordered from ‘Banner Bash’ Etsy shop (you can do all kinds of colors and designs/styles)

Hanging multi-colored Pom Pom balls from ‘Tero Designs’ Etsy shop

..

me and the bride at our 8th grade graduation in matching pink outfits (this was not mandated). We bought these twinsetty outfits at B.P. at Nordstrom, our favorite place to shop back then. You can’t tell really but I’m actually wearing clip-in rhinestone things in my hair (remember those?).