My 'Bride in Wonderland' Bridal Shower

(This pic is minus 1 bridesmaid but she was there in spirit!)

I know...it's been a long time since I've blogged but this reason deserves the all the effort!

I had my beautiful/amazing/spectacular/etc bridal shower on Aug. 29th and I couldn't be happier with it. I still smile about it :) I owe a million thanks to my bridesmaids and family for helping to make it the crazy party it was!

The theme was chosen waaay back in February: A Bride in Wonderland Bridal Shower. There was no negotiating or doubt in my mind--it was PERFECT for me! We started the hunt for the most essential things from that moment forward and it turned out better than I could have ever expected!

Here are some pics to swoon over. But if you'd like to see more, check out the photographer's website here. Password is Melissa.

The Grand Entrance

These are Wonderland flowers created by sisters in law

Here is the 'Melissa in Wonderland' banner I created and had printed with Banners on the Cheap. This was meant to be the Photo Op area. It was a hit! (In case you need any banners made, try them out. Their customer service was great and they had the best prices on the net!)

This is the Marriage Advice tree. We spray-painted this tree and I made tiny Mad Hatter notes for guests to hang their best marriage advice for me. Some notes probably should not be posted because they might be a tad bit explicit but let's just say I learned what I need to know :)

This is the Flamingo table. We poked mushrooms into green astroturf.

This was a little surprise I made for the bridesmaids. I photoshopped them into the Alice in Wonderland movie poster! They are my Royal Court afterall!

This was the Clock table. I actually hit jackpot when I randomly found over-sized metal clock arms one day at Marshalls for $2!

Tea Party table setting! Grass runners, teapot centerpieces with feather & flower arrangements, grass balls with butterflies and topiaries! We also added potion bottles that had 'Drink Me' labels. On the tables were the favors for the guests: Colorful tea bags with 'Drink Me' tags, and chocolate bars with 'Eat Me' labels.

The teapot flower centerpieces were beautiful! My co-worker, who has a flower shop, helped arrange them and we're so grateful! There was no way they would have come out this nice if we would have done them ourselves. She was able to copy a photo my sister found online!

Lots of thought went into the food. My cousins and aunt prepared pretty tea sandwiches in heart, circle, and triangle shapes. They also made two of the most delish salads I've ever tried! Check here and here for recipes. And my FAVE were the Fairy Tale Mushrooms made out of egg halves, tomato halves. and feta cheese sprinkles!

The Dessert Station was insane! It was created by my bestie and bridesmaid Nicky who spent all her free time working on and it def paid off! She kept it a surprise from me! For months it was called the Mystery Project LOL! Just look at all the detail!

And yes, she actually made these chandeliers! So glam!

Don't miss the Alice in Wonderland Pop-Up book! It's a masterpiece! I'm sooo glad I got to keep it! :)

Here is the Candy Table also included with the Dessert Station. Apothecary jars filled with all-time favorites! Only a handful of gumballs were left!

The Beverage Table included a different type of tea...the kind from LONG ISLAND! White Sangria and sodas were also offered, as well as some of the cutest water bottles I've ever seen!

The first game was called "Down the Rabbit Hole". We had 2 teams for 4 people compete. A tiny stuffed rabbit is tied to a long string. The first person drops the rabbit down her dress, the second person takes that rabbit and does the same and so on. The catch? The rabbit has an ice pack center! When the last person is finished stuffing the rabbit down her dress, she has to pull it up and hand it to the next person to pull up and so on. The first team to get the rabbit in and out of all their dresses WINS! The winners of the game were Marina, Lisa, Denise, and Yams.

The second game was called "The Almost Newlywed Game" and we had a special guest appearance! The soon-to-be-hubby showed up for this one. We had answered 20 questions about each other on our own and had to show our answers to the public. 2 contestants had to decide if our answers would match or not. It was hilarious and kinda crazy how we barely had any of the same answers!

The third game was the Hot Potato Centerpiece Raffle. When the music stops, the person caught with the prickly bouncy ball is out!

I realize this is a very long post and yet there is so much more where this comes from! I had such a great time and I hope my guests did too! Let the celebration continue! On to the next party!