Family Weekend part 1: Bridal Shower

My brother Peter is marrying his perfect match and gorgeous fiancée, Jordyn, later this month. To celebrate, help them accumulate some things they'll need for their home, and because we love them, Jordyn's sister Whitney, my sister-in-law Lindsey, and I threw Pete and Jordyn a bridal shower. To be fair, the bulk of credit for this event should be given to Lindsey and Whitney since I wasn't available for most of the planning meetings. They have the cutest ideas I'm glad I didn't blunder in and mess them up!!



We decided on a "garden party" theme in my mom's backyard, and were grateful that the Saturday we chose was nice and sunny! Most of guests arrived wearing hats, and Whitney and her mom decorated one for Jordyn that ended up being ADORABLE!

We started by eating and chatting, and then gathered for some games. I put together a Memory/Concentration game. The pairs of cards all had something to do with Peter and Jordyn's relationship milestones, such as their first meeting, how he proposed, registering for gifts, and so forth. Whenever someone guessed a pairing correctly, Jordyn and Peter had to tell the story. It wasn't a very interactive game, but it was a fun way for everyone to hear all of these stories. Since we had a lot of family from out of town and neighbors who might not know the stories (even I didn't know some), it was a fun way for us to learn about the courtship. Plus, they were so cute telling the stories! I wish I'd videotaped them.

Whitney's game was a He Said/She Said game, where she had previously interviewed Peter and Jordyn about their favorite books, movies, what they'd take if they could only take 3 things to a desert island, and so forth. At the shower, she then quizzed Jordyn what she thought Peter's favorite book, movie, etc was, and vice versa. If they guessed wrong, they had to stick another piece of Dubble Bubble in their mouths. They missed a LOT and it was pretty gross how much gum they ended up chewing! They were good sports, though. Peter held onto all of the wrappers -- it was an impressive number! It was also impressive how many answers they guessed correctly. They know each other pretty well, which is probably a good thing with the wedding just a few weeks away...

We ended the party with the opening of gifts, of course. Always so fun! I love watching brides open presents! She got a lot of practical gifts and some fun ones, too. She and Pete are off to a nice start.

And they are adorable together. I'm bummed I didn't get a better photo of either of them than this:

Photos of some of the other guests:

above: my cousins Emily, Natalie, and Kim with our grandmother
below: my aunts Jo and Elaine, cousin Sheridan, my mom, and cousin Sarah


above: Jordyn's friends and neighbors. Jordyn is in the center, her mom --Janet -- to her left (our right), and sister Whitney in blue is partially obscured. Sorry Whitney!!

I was pretty nervous about the event, but I had a good time. Janet said afterward that she thought Lindsey, Whitney and my mom should go into business as party planners (it's possible I was included in the party planner group, but they really did come up with all of the cute stuff). I'm inclined to agree. My female relations certainly do have skills!