The Prettiest Bridal Shower I Have Ever Seen!

The prettiest bridal shower ever started first & foremost with the two soon-to-be brides!

These two are the picture of lovely, outside, and most importantly, inside. 

Meet Carissa & Abigail, my future daughters-in-'love'!

They say 'pretty is as pretty does', right?

As I was sharing all the details of the evening with James when I got home

{with tears streaming down my face, mind you}, 

I told him that these two girls would have given

Kate Middleton a run for her money.

They were poised, kind, very gracious, so ladylike & genteel.

All the things that I prayed for in future wives for my sons.

Course, it's no surprise ... 

They've had fine examples through the years in their own mothers

who've dedicated themselves to loving the Lord & raising their families.

Jody & Jane, you have daughters to be proud of.

We have Carissa to thank for coming up with this super sweet duel bridal shower!

She & Abigail are marrying twin brothers, of course, & are bridesmaids in each others weddings ...

so Carissa thought how special it would be for them to share a shower!

Both agreed they were less nervous cause they were doing this together ;)

Jody {Carissa's mom}, Carissa, & I got busy planning & in just a few short weeks,

we pulled off a shower that both of the girls absolutely loved ... and the rest of us did too!

Jody had the idea of using the 2 beautiful sets of china ... one set belongs to Carissa

and the other belonged to Cayla, Carissa's sister.

The head of the buffet table displayed a picture of Cayla & a lit candle alongside the beautiful china.

As always, she was there in all our hearts.

The beautiful lace tablecloth belongs to me ... a gift from my sister, Lisa,

from one of her cruises to the Bahamas.

The framed pics of the couples dressed up the entry table.

"When I get married, I want to be very married."
~Audrey Hepburn

 Both of these china sets, dating back to the 50s, were given to Carissa & Cayla by their neighbor.

Jody has an amazing collection of handmade doilies & they were the perfect addition to each table.

The centerpieces & the additional table decor came from me, Jody, & Paula, Carissa's grandmother.

Our friend, Mandy, even loaned a few pieces of china & some other things that added a special touch.

We had ourselves a little tea party.
Each table had a beautiful teapot & all the necessary goodies for a cup of tea.
I brought lots of my ironstone pieces & along with the china accessories,
we had creamers, bowls, & saucers for the cream, sugar cubes, etc.
The place settings were completed with vintage silverware,
also given to Carissa by the same little neighbor who gave the sets of china.

The delicate tiny pitcher pictured below is a very old piece belonging to Carissa's great-grandmother.

It was so special to use & display all of these keepsakes
& to have all this life history represented.

It truly did add SO much warmth & love to the evening.

You could just feel it.

Carissa covered the cardboard cake rounds
with this adorable yellow wrapping paper & they served as chargers.

She also wanted to incorporate black & white somewhere in the decor.

I found these great napkins online & placed the order {along with black & white paper straws}.

She has a great sense of style & knew these would add just the perfect bold touch to contrast

with all the soft colors and romantic flowers, which by the way, I can't get enough of! 
It was all just SO pretty!

Carissa also decided to fancy up these little mason jars by gold glittering them.

Perfectly darling, right?

Jody wanted the girls' table to be special, so she bought them adorable frames

that have a 'P' etched in the glass & added pictures from their engagement shots.

And this little floral teapot!

Carissa found it just a couple days before the shower on a shopping trip with Abigail & me.

She had to buy it for the shower.

It was the perfect touch to complete their special table.

There were so many little details that all worked together to complete the look.

The place cards & the striped candy cups were perfect additions, adding another layer of color.

Oh & these little popsicle sticks tied with ribbon, those were for the sweetest game!

Everyone, using a fine-tip Sharpie, wrote a date night idea, one for each bride-to-be.

At the end, each girl chose her favorite one & that person got a prize.

There were some really neat ideas!

Jody had 2 little Mason jars with chalkboard labels for each girl to keep their sticks in.

They can sit the jars somewhere in their new home

& have lots of fun when it comes time to choose one out!

The lace 'bunting' decorating this table ...
 these are collars that belong to Carissa's grandmother.

Remember when those used to be all the rage?!

I buttoned them together & they prettied up this table just perfectly.

Another fun little detail.

Carissa wanted to use my big chicken wire frame for a backdrop ... & here's what she did with it:

It was the perfect touch.

And she also made this romantic banner from doilies, all of these belonging to her mom.
Many of these were crocheted by her great-grandmother.

Now moving on to the food,  here's my plate of deliciousness.

Jody planned the menu:

chicken salad on croissants, turkey & cheese on croissants, cucumber bagel crisps, veggie tray,

cheese ball & crackers, & pickles & cheese cubes.

The food table wasn't complete when I took a few pics

& after the evening got started, I just didn't think to take more.

The cake turned out beautifully.

I messaged a few pics of what I wanted to our friend who makes cakes on the side

& she came up with just what I requested.

It was half white, half strawberry ... & it was just as good as it looks!

Love how it looked on the tablecloth, which was the color/style inspiration for the shower.

And aren't their 'BRIDE' sashes so adorable?!

Carissa's cousin Paige made them!

Course you can't have a shower without a fun game!

We played the classic 'what's in your purse' game!

Here's my sweet mirror that I got a point for.

More of those gorgeous flowers I am so in love with.

{Incidentally, it was a gift from Carissa a while back.}

My sister, Lisa, headed up this game ... she's giving us instructions.

And making sure no one is cheating ;) 

Here are the future brides looking for things in their purses.

We were all digging like nobodies business!

Some people got a little animated.

I'm not naming any names or anything.

Abigail's aunt Jenny won the game.
Her bag was packed with just about anything you could think of.
This momma is prepared for whatever life throws at her ;)

Now, I don't have many pics of their gifts ... those were personal items, after all ;)

They were truly showered abundantly with such beautiful things!

We were all very touched by the generosity of our family & friends ... THANK YOU ALL!

{This pic was snapped before many had gotten there.
The table & floor was eventually covered with gifts!}

This gift from Paige was especially sweet.

Her friend took the engagement photos for both happy couples.

Paige was along for the shoot & had this particular pose in mind.

She decorated the frame herself & labeled it, "The Girls" ... she & Abigail are Carissa's bridesmaids.

And what a blessing to have grandmothers there!

I was so happy that my mom was feeling good & could come.

Paula is Carissa's paternal grandmother ... so happy they were both there.

These two have been good friends for years.

Course, most all of Abigail's family lives in OK, but she has 2 aunts that live in IN ...

she was so happy Aunt Jennifer & sweet Karaline shared this special evening with her. 

Jody & I have known each other since we were young girls.
I think God gave me an extra blessing when our lives connected up again
about 15 years ago.
Not only did he know that our babies would fall in love & get married,
He knew we'd be sharing lots of laughter & tears
& we'd need each other to walk through these years together.
I love her dearly & am so grateful for the friendship we share.

This bridal shower was completely delightful from start to finish.
I couldn't have imagined it any more perfect than it was.
One thing I know for sure, 

these two young ladies are the ones for our sons.

That is a huge blessing & a comfort knowing they have found

the one God made just for them.

James & I are so grateful & we welcome them to our family.
We look forward to many years  of making memories with our sons & their new wives! 

James 1:17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, 

coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.

Psalm 138:8 The LORD will fulfill his purpose for me; your steadfast love, O LORD, endures forever.

 1 Samuel 1:27  For this child I prayed, and the LORD has granted me my petition that I made to him.

Psalm 127:3-5  Behold, children are a heritage from the LORD, the fruit of the womb a reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior are the children of one’s youth. Blessed is the man who fills his quiver with them! He shall not be put to shame when he speaks with his enemies in the gate.

 Who doesn't love a good party?!
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Wednesday   Raising Homemakers        Savvy Southern Style         Adorned From Above
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