A few weeks ago, I got to throw a special Bridal Shower honoring my best friend. I will admit it’s a little easier to throw a shower when you own and operate a Wedding Venue business and throw events on a weekly basis during wedding season. However, I think the details of this shower turned out beautiful and would work for any girl in any season or budget (with a few minor tweaks).

We don’t get to host a lot of showers anymore due to a very busy wedding schedule, but when we do, it’s always a sweet time. I love seeing friendships that last through the years, which is exactly true of me and my bestie.

We met as backyard neighbors in elementary school, and we spent many days after school running around our backyard, playing karaoke in her basement, and making a neighborhood newsletter that went to *about* five families and was so successful that I’m pretty sure our moms didn’t even read it. Since then, we’ve watched countless episodes of The Bachelor, taken many trips to Target, and had countless sweet talks about our faith and futures and who we want to marry and all. the. things.

And somehow I have to write and deliver a speech at her wedding reception that encompasses everything she means to me. I am unprepared

Let’s stop the sap and get to the pretty little details about this shower. When choosing a shower design, I didn’t have strong theme or idea to stick to. Just “pretty”. I knew I wanted to serve desserts since the shower was from 2:30-4:30 PM, and that didn’t feel like a prime time for a regular meal. Also, desserts seemed a little easier, and I like easy. So the two main words that I used to plan the shower were simple — Pretty + Desserts.

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Now let’s talk for real: I am B-U-S-Y and I’m not a professional baker. I ordered a beautiful cake from a friend, Geena Fleener, and her design blew me away. I still don’t know how it’s possible to make a cake that pretty.

I dipped the chocolate covered pretzels and grabbed some pearly sprinkles from Hobby Lobby to cover up all the mistakes I made in the dipping process No shame. They were gorgeous! I also grabbed two bottles of Strawberry Lemonade from Costco, and made it fancy by adding a bag of frozen strawberries and fresh, sliced lemons.

Our other bestie, Baylee, picked up donuts and we elevated them with a simple cake stand (that I use at home) and some simple florals. We also had cookies, brownie bites, lemon bars, and chocolate covered strawberries, which unfortunately I forgot to get pictures of.

If you’re planning a shower that’s serving any kind of food, don’t be afraid to ask or help. I had lots of help with the desserts, and I’m so thankful it wasn’t all on me! Don’t be afraid to ask the people in your life for help (or in the Bride’s life, if you don’t know many of the people on the invite list). Most people understand it’s hard to throw the Bridal Shower that your bestie deserves, so don’t feel bad to set the vision and ask for help to make it happen.

This may look a little extra for Bridal Shower decor, but trust me — it’s simple.

I got 3 styles of balloons for $1.59 each from Hobby Lobby and poked in some fresh greenery from Trader Joe’s. I had already purchased an electric balloon pump from Amazon for a different balloon arch project, and it’s truly the best $20 spent on a party. It makes my husband happy to not be the sole-source of lungs for every balloon arch I dream of, and it makes designing a balloon arch so fast! I decided to mount my arch to one of the Ceremony Backdrops we offer at Hawks Nest, and I grabbed these two gray chairs from our Bridal Suite. I sat at one to write notes of the gifts, and she sat at the other to open all the gifts. The gray cheetah rug has now found it’s home on my back porch, so that was a great Hobby Lobby purchase for two uses

Balloons | Balloon Arch Kit | Balloon Pump | Rug | Chairs (similar)

We made simple centerpieces with tea light candles and Trader Joe’s florals. All of the vases, jars, and decor were stolen from the decorations in my house and my parent’s house. I’m very thankful for a Mom who doesn’t care when I start un-decorating her home and steal her stuff for a couple of hours.

We left pens at the center of the tables to make it easy to participate in the Bridal Bingo. I also passed out recipe cards for people to share their favorite recipes with the Bride-to-be. I didn’t get any pictures of the adorable recipe box I personalized with vinyl, but I’ll link it and the recipe cards here if you would like to purchase them.

Amazon links · Recipe Box | Recipe Cards

Emily Bramel, you’re super easy to celebrate! We love you!

If you’re a Maid (or Matron) of Honor and in charge of planning a shower for your bestie, how does this post inspire you to create the best shower possible to celebrate the Bride in your life? Share in the comments below