Partyin' it up on June 26th...

*The Bridal Shower -- No Water Required!*

My bridal shower was a few weeks ago, but I only just uploaded my pictures onto my laptop, 

so here it is, the long awaited entry regarding my Bride-To-Be Par'tay!

It was a warm Saturday afternoon and Mother Nature was kind enough to refrain from starting a thunderstorm. The day of my bridal shower had finally arrived and I had never been so excited and nervous to go to the Fraser home before! All the build-up leading to this day had my stomach doing cartwheels, and while I still wasn't sure how I felt about opening a ton of presents in front of a large group of women, I knew it wasn't worth stressing over. Brenda, my mother-in-law-to be, went to extremes in throwing a fantastic soirée in my honor, and I kid you not when I say she had been planning this bridal shower since, like, December. The decor, the tasty home-cookin', the gifts.... EVERYthing was color-coordinated and tied in with our wedding theme of yellow, orange, green, and gerbera daisies. I couldn't believe how much work had been put into the set-up and preparation; I was truly flabbergasted and tried hard not to let the on that I was overwhelmed with emotion.

Cake reads: "57 Days... ...and counting!"  Kudos and thanks to Aunty Cheryl for making such a grand dessert!

It's a pretty outstanding thing, realizing that you are the recipient of an outstanding fiesta, all the while being surrounded by family and friends from both coasts and "showered" with nothin' but words of support, encouragement, and love. It was a happy celebration indeed and I think all the ladies there enjoyed themselves. How couldn't they?? The food was phenomenal and the ambiance was perfect: low-key, but cheerful.

My step-mom, Sondra, was kind enough to foot the bill for a rent-a-tent, just in case of rain. We got barely a mist toward the end of the party, but I loved having the tent anyway because it was so fun and festive...and matched the color scheme!

The gift-opening was a lengthy process, but I was ever-grateful for all the fabulous things I received! In a nut shell: 

* lots of orange (towels, kitchen gadgets, home decor!)

* many items from our Target registry (no shortage of Pyrex, hehe!)

* various items that weren't on the registry but are very "us" (fun!)

* Lowe's gift cards (hallelujah!)

One great gift idea came from my mom, where she gave each guest a stamped envelope addressed to me containing a few recipe cards. Each guest is expected to write out some of their favorite recipes and mail them to me so I can add them to my groovy new recipe box! Clever, eh? Looks like I'll be learning to like cooking in the very near future! ;o)

Above: Jackie, Alyssa and Julia engorge on tasty treats created by Brenda and Gram---mmm!

Right: Brenda saw this centerpiece idea in a wedding magazine a while back and thought, "Ooh! This is perfect for Miss Ashalilly!"  
("Ashalilly" is the nickname she gave me when I moved here three years ago)

The time seemed to fly by, and after the gifts had been opened and the food had been consumed, people started to trickle out. It amazes me how fast a few hours can zoom by, making it seem as though no time has passed at all. I felt bad because I didn't get to talk to all the ladies who were kind enough to come and celebrate my bride-to-be'ness. I can only imagine how quickly the time will pass on our wedding day.... Eeek!

Jackie, my Maid of Honor, had the great idea of providing magnets, stickers, and markers so that shower guests could write out messages of "love, life, and marriage." Adam and I stuck them up on our fridge that night, and I find myself stopping to re-read them often. SUCH a fun idea, Roomie---thank you! :o)

Though a good amount of guests had left by 5 o'clock (the shower started at 1:00), the party was still hoppin' and the young ladies who remained participated in the Toilet Paper Bridal Gown game!! Our dress models were Savannah (my cousin-in-law-to-be), Haley (my half-sister), and Isabel (one of my two flower girls). The designers had 5 minutes to create a wedding dress of toilet paper, and I must say that we all did a fantastic job under such time constraints and with such a fragile material! ;o)

My littlest flower girl, Annie, practiced walking down the aisle with my "practice bouquet." Again, my Maid of Honor did a pretty outstanding job in putting said arrangement together---it's fun, it's festive, it's sturdy. I can't wait to put it to use at the rehearsal on August 20th! 

All in all, my bridal shower was just right; I couldn't have asked for a better way to celebrate with all the females in my life. There were a few lady-friends and family members who were unable to make it due to work or distance, but they were definitely there in my heart and I'm excited to see them next month for our wedding!

To those of you who WERE able to attend,  I am forever grateful and fear I will never be able to thank you enough for all you did to make my bridal shower such a special celebration. I truly am the luckiest and have never felt so special This bridal shower really made me stop and think about how fortunate I am. Solely focusing on this bridal celebration, I am extremely blessed because....
*... my mom, sister, "aunty," and bridesmaid Crystal flew out from San Diego to be a part of this day
*...I am welcomed and loved by all of my fiancé's family and family-friends  

*...I have a good amount of female friends in my life that are all fun, intelligent, interesting, and lovey

*...I have four hilarious, amazing, beautiful and supportive bridesmaids who are willing to help with anything

*...everyone who came to my bridal shower truly wanted to be there

THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!!!! 

Daisies, ladies, food and gifts...

So, my bridal shower is exactly one month away. Adam and I got to talking about this last night over dinner (which, by the way, was a delicious broiled haddock with rice pilaf and green beans, and yes, this is a shameless plug for The Grog in Newburyport)....

My Maid of Honor recently sent out the invitations for my bridal shower, and I was quite amused by the fact that I got one in the mail---how lucky I am to be invited to my own Bridal Shower! (lol, thanks Roomie!) Now that the invite is hanging up by our crowded calendar, I can't help but think about how crazy it is that my shining moment as Bride-To-Be is rapidly approaching.

Though I am excited and most appreciative to have a bridal shower thrown in my honor, it's kind of bizarre-feeling to be attending a big party that isn't celebrating my birth, but rather a once-in-a-lifetime status ("Bride-To-Be"); to be carrying out this long-time tradition not as a guest, but rather the "main event." Additionally, I have no part in planning this get-together---I just gotta wear a dress and show up!? Sounds easy enough, but that's almost all Type-B personality, and I'm much more of a mix of A and B.... ;o) I'm sure once the day comes it'll just be a whirlwind of fun....but thinking about it a month in advance has got me feeling a tad nervous. 

Is it because I'm not entirely sure what to expect? Am I worried about who will and won't be there? Am I too unconventional for such a traditional wedding pre-cursor? Will I react appropriately each time I open a present in front of dozens of women? I would love for all who attend this little shindig to have a good time and be glad they came, not feel obligated to go and begrudgingly buy a gift off of our registry....but there is absolutely no way to ensure such a thing, so do I just pretend everything is groovy? 

Adam thinks bridal showers are Hallmark'ized....and I have to agree with him a little on this one. After all, the tradition of showering the bride-to-be with gifts started long ago, but did NOT include lingerie with "Soon-To-Be Mrs. Fraser" printed in rhinestones on the butt. Bridal showers can have the tendency to get a little out of hand, what with the cheesy games and favors, the lengthy gift-opening process, and the amount of money one might spend renting a space and feeding lots of hungry women. 

Nevertheless, I appreciate the fact that the bridal shower is a long-standing tradition, and thankfully it is something that can be tailored and tinkered with; there are no rules chizzled in stone about how to conduct a bridal shower. To each his--uh, I mean her--own! 

It should be fun to  gab and laugh with all the ladies, and I'm pretty stoked that my mom, little sister, step-mom and bridesmaid Crystal are all able to fly out from California for this event. How lucky am I? Despite the minor anxiety I feel prepping for this bridal shower, I am truly grateful for my ever-loving M.O.H. and future mother-in-law who are hosting this little soirée in my honor. I feel loved and special....and lucky to be a bride-to-be (though you won't see me advertise that in a rhinestone encrusted, hot pink camisole)!