Bride-to-be Blogger Kristy: My Wonderful Bridal Shower!
Kristy at her bridal shower last weekend.
You know the saying “It takes a village to raise a child”? Well, it came full circle to me this weekend when I realized how many people, events, and moments made me into the person I am today. Sometimes, I guess, it takes a momentous event, like your bridal shower to make you realize it.
This past weekend, I gathered with some of the ladies from my “village” to celebrate our upcoming nuptials. There were women from all aspects of my life; ladies that babysat me before school, ones that fed me homemade meatballs every Sunday, ones that shared late nights and even ones that shared too many glasses of wine. But more importantly, ladies who have shaped me into a woman that will soon marry the love of her life. And what better way to celebrate this than good food and wine, amazing company, embarrassing soon-to-be-newlywed games, and a showering of presents!
Saturday I arrived at my parent’s house in the afternoon. I knew when my shower was going to be held, but nothing else, just the time and date! Once in the car, we traveled over to a favorite neighborhood restaurant where all the ladies waited. I was greeted with cheers and shouts of “Surprise!” And then the fun began: saying hello to everyone, catching up with friends, and sharing hugs, kisses, and shouts of joy! My bridesmaids and mom did an amazing job hosting a beautiful afternoon. There was plenty of time to catch up, share wedding information, and share in the excitement of the crowd.
There were a few games: a “Guess Kristy’s age” board, featuring some of my most memorable photos from all ages (I didn’t even get half of these right). It mixed baby pictures with both college and middle-school shots, which gave us some good laughs. After some appetizers, I was seated in front of everyone to play a newlyweds-inspired game where I guessed questions that Eric had already answered. They were about everything from when and where we met, our first kiss, who said “I love you” first, to our favorite food dishes and music. Thankfully, I answered most of the questions right and got a few laughs and awws out of the crowd. Then, the most important part of the day: yummy food, food, food!
And last but not least, there were presents! There was a mound of presents on display all bearing tags reading “To” and “From” with not a piece of wrapping paper on them, a request I made to avoid excess paper waste. I still went through all the presents, thanking each lady for their gift and getting excited with all the new home ware and camping gear we had been given.
I even received some very heartwarming gifts from the ladies: My cousin and bridesmaid, Colleen, gave me a locket etched with my grandparent’s image on it. It will be with me all day for the wedding, reminding me of them and their excitement for me, even though they won’t physically be there. There was a beautiful quilt personally made by my mom with love and happiness that will bring joy into our home for years to come! My bridesmaids gave me a heartfelt book, with each page filled out by one of them, sharing their memories and excitement for our wedding day. From bridesmaids Lauren and Leanne, I got Kate Spade “Mrs.” earrings with a matching necklace. A Philadelphia ‘LOVE’ framed image came from bridesmaid Jess, reminding us of our Philly love story. And there were even a few secret essentials for our honeymoon from my maid-of-honor and sister, Stacey.
It was a remarkable day, a joyful celebration, and after the gifts I thanked all the ladies—not just for the gifts, but for making me the woman I am today, a woman that loves a remarkable man dearly, and for the support of the “village” in our marriage.
What were some memorable moments from your shower? What were some of the most memorable gifts from your shower?
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