party of fournelle: Shower Love / Laura

I am beyond excited to share details about the shower we just held for the beautiful bride-to-be, Laura! Laura is one of my closest and bestest friends ever, and it was amazing to to help plan a day to shower her with love and support. Laura was a bridesmaid in my wedding - and I am so happy to be able to return the favor by being a part of hers! Me and the other bridesmaids had so much fun planning and crafting for this shower - post coming later on some of the easy DIY decorations.

We decided not to play any games or open any gifts, which gave us plenty of time for hanging out and mingling. We wanted to do something a little different by having a wine tasting and demonstration by the well-known Kelly Magyarics. I learned more about wine from Kelly's presentation than I ever have at the numerous wine tastings and events that I've attended. All the guests were raving about her afterwards. We even had a wine decorating station, where guests could personalize their own wine glasses (using oil-based paint pens) to take home with them as a favor.

Laura's shower was held in Arlington, Virginia at a beautifully-renovated party room in an apartment building and the food was catered by the delicious French brasserie Lyon Hall. The bride-to-be loved every little bit of her shower and said something along the lines of "I swear I walked into a live Pinterest board." And if you're looking for ideas for a bridal shower that you're hosting, there are some really great non-traditional ideas on Martha Stewart Weddings.