Bride-to-be Meehan’s shower was a celebration of her sunny personality. Yellow was used to great effect in subtle ways: everywhere from a "here comes the bride" chalk scrawling to the strings on whimsical paper bells, suspended above the tablescape.

"I loved the dessert bar since it was so colorful and truly a piece of eye candy. A close second was the hand-stamped 'true love' wooden ice cream spoons," revealed the bride’s mother, Julia. Although Meehan knew when the shower would take place, she was purposefully kept in the dark about all of the elements that were being brought together.

The warmth and meaning of the day made an impression on both the bride and her proud mom: "My favorite part was watching all of the guests in attendance enjoy the details of the table, the food, and being made to feel special, as Meehan was treated. That is always truly the best part of any party or gathering."

read more

Bridal showers can have a bad rap, so we were determined to find real-life parties that were not only beautiful, but fun. These 15+ celebrations exceeded all of our expectations and then some — each one is filled with steal-worthy activities, special moments, and a team of ladies who made it all happen!

read more

When design wiz Kristy Rice heard friend Amy's happy news, she snapped into action, planning a bridal shower that featured special details that only a BFF (since middle school) could conjure. A nostalgic jumping-off point: A photograph of Amy and Kristy in front of Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, which informed the overall theme. A glorious riot of striped linens, toile patterns and gilt touches were used to ooh-la-la effect. But when it came to the edibles, it was hometown all the way, with mini-cheesecakes, fudge brownies and cotton candy for all. Talk about taking a personal approach!

read more

Bride-to-be Laura vowed to visit Tuscany one day with her husband after watching the film Under The Tuscan Sun. Bridal shower hosts — including planner Lina Wallace, her mom, mother-in-law, and bridal party — dedicated her party to this idyllic, must-visit destination. "I was told when and where the shower was going to happen, but that was it...I was so excited when I arrived. It was so beautiful, I felt they had brought a little piece of Tuscany to me!" said Laura.

Awed guests took in the citrus color scheme, sunflower place settings and centerpieces that included lemons from the maid of honor’s garden. "My planner, Lina, was so wonderfully detailed in her designs—she got everything down, from the Italian music in the background to the pizza stones that the food was served on," said Laura.

read more

Lauren’s offbeat shower theme was inspired by the iconic "For Like, Ever" poster, which she made into a wooden sign for her wedding ceremony. Hosts (and friends) Christy and Sharon incorporated this bold graphic design into the invitation, banners, garlands and menu signs.

Another fun surprise: "I really like to personalize the party for the guest of honor and decided to have my father-in-law create this sketch of Lauren and her beau for the inspiration string—how amazing is that? He is very talented and was able to recreate this from a photo I gave him," said Sharon.

read more