The Start of a New Chapter- Alexa's Bridal Shower

meredithjoy
Sep 2, 2023
3 min read

I had the honor of hosting a bridal shower for my brother's sweet fiancé Alexa.

After discussing books with Alexa for several hours, I knew if she let me host her bridal shower it was going to have to incorporate her love of books. Alexa is an avid reader and writer; her favorite color is blue, and her favorite Disney princess is Belle.

I found the perfect invite on Esty that incorporated both the tea and book theme. I changed the text to tie into Beauty & the Beast.

I knew when I started planning this party that I wanted to incorporate many different blue and white patterns and vintage book pages.

For the table, I was inspired by the Live Action Beauty and the Beast. I loved how Belle's town dress incorporated many different blue patterned fabrics, I thought the effect was really pretty, so I pulled from that idea to create my tablescape.

For the table, I used light blue tablecloths which started out as thrifted bedsheets. I cut the sheets down to tablecloth dimensions and hemmed the edges.

Then I created blue and white striped table runners, I feel in love with the idea of striped table runners when I saw them online, but I didn't love the hefty price tag. So, I decided to DIY my own. I found this beautiful blue and white ticking fabric at Michaels, I bought 2.5 yards, but I should have gone with 3 yards to make my runners a little longer. I was able to make 3 table runners out of the width of the fabric.

I decided to do something crazy and make a bunch of handmade ruffled placemats. While making the tablecloths and table runners was pretty quick and easy, these where definitely more time consuming, and I turned into a placemat making factory. Somehow, I managed to finish enough of them in time for the shower. I really love what the placemats added to the table, so I think it was worth the time and effort. All the beautiful blue and white floral fabrics for my placemats came from Hobby Lobby.

I had some vintage book pages left over from a previous craft. You can find old inexpensive books from the thrift store. On the larger table I used book pages placed on top of the table runner. On the smaller table I cut out hearts from the book pages and sewed them into a garland on my sewing machine.

With the theme of the shower being the start of a new chapter, I knew I wanted to incorporate lots of books. For decor, I scoured my book collection for any blue hardcover books to use as centerpieces. I also added lots of white candlelight to add a romantic and cozy atmosphere. I created blue flower arrangements for the center of each table. I originally planned on adding more flowers to each table but ran out of time to make more arrangements, so I added more candles and I think the result was perfect.

I had a lot of fun making decor out of book pages. I made a really cute canvas with mod podge and torn up book pages that I wrote a cute quote onto. I also decoupaged a recycled spaghetti sauce jar with vintage book pages and turned it into a vase.

Alexa's favorite Disney Princess is Belle, which fit perfectly into the book theme of the shower. I knew I wanted the Disney touches to be subtle and elegant. This display was very special to me because almost all of the elements were used as centerpieces at my wedding reception.

The Menu

Tea Sandwiches

Cucumber & Dill Cream Cheese

Cranberry Turkey

Hummus, Arugula & Thyme

Apple, Prosciutto & Radish

Desserts

Lemon Truffles

Oreo Truffles

Love Story Sugar cookies

Vanilla Buttercream Cupcakes

Scones