Saturday, May 12, 2012

My Bridal Shower Festivities

"Love is the greatest refreshment in life."
(Pablo Picasso)

On Saturday, April 28, my bridesmaids organized a beautiful bridal shower for me, hosted at bridesmaid Angela's apartment building on Manhattan's Upper East Side. I'm so grateful to them and to all who attended, especially those who came from afar: my bridesmaid Vivien from Chicago, future sister-in-law Grace, also from Chicago, and bridesmaid Robyn from Virginia. The shower showcased some of my favorite eats and treats, which was not only very thoughtful, but also naturally enjoyable for me to partake in! After the shower, a smaller group continued the party at MK Karaoke, where we always have fun.

Drinks and Food

There was a fantastic assortment of drinks, including a signature Sharontini cocktail; I'm not sure exactly what goes into a Sharontini, but I know it contains vodka and beer -- and that it's delightful and refreshing -- as well as wine, beer, champagne, and soft drinks. The delicious dinner was served buffet-style, so everyone had a choice of many of my favorite cuisines, including Thai, Indian, and chicken wings!

Sharontini
Cheese and fruit board
Sushi platters and pink peonies
My favorite eats

Thumbprint Tree

Using a selection of ink pads in various colors, my bridal shower guests left their thumbprints as leaves on a framed drawing of a tree with branches, and signed their initials. I love how the tree turned out, and still laugh when I see Jeannie's giant green thumbprint at the bottom!


Desserts

Dessert is just as important as the main course -- and I always like to end each meal with something sweet (as referenced in the guest juice cleanse post) -- so my bridesmaids arranged a fabulous table with some of my favorites. In addition to rainbow cookies, which many people know I'm obsessed with, I loved the choice of classic New York black and white cookies and pretty pink and white cookies, French macarons, mini cupcakes, and fresh fruit.

My favorite sweets
Ladurée macarons
Mini cupcakes, rainbow cookies, black and
white cookies, pink and white cookies

Games and Gifts

After an impromptu speech and toast given by my sister and Matron of Honor Maureen, the bridal shower activities began. My bridesmaid Leslie ran the games, which were simple and interactive, beginning with a "how well do you know your fiancé" questionnaire on video. Below are just some of the many questions and answers:
  •  "Which of Sharon's physical features is your favorite?" Answer: Collar bone (also height and hair).
  • "A perfect husband is one who..." Answer: ...loves his wife more than himself.
  • "A perfect wife is one who..." Answer: ...does not take advantage of that love.
  • "If Sharon were a fruit, what would she be and why?" Answer: Peach -- sweet and juicy, with a hard, stubborn core.

Following the video was the classic toilet paper wedding dress-making contest which was thoroughly entertaining. Then I opened gifts.

My sister/MOH's toast
Watching video of Sam's answers
Toilet paper wedding dress game
Hilariously embellished gift bag
So quickly and efficiently packed up

Christine's Handiwork

My bridesmaid Christine is very talented and artistic, and she made all of the decorations, including a fabulous floral sphere created with hundreds of paper rosettes! She also baked, decorated, and assembled the favors, which were delicious red velvet cake pops dressed up as chocolate cupcakes with pink frosting and sprinkles, each topped with a red Skittle "S."

Crepe and tissue paper floral decorations
Adorable cake pop favors
 
After-Party at MK Karaoke

Even though I was happily stuffed after the shower, I ate Korean fried chicken while singing to the tunes of Alanis Morissette, Kanye West, LMFAO, Taylor Swift, and Madonna. The staff at MK Karaoke decorated the room, brought out champagne and complimentary drinks, and invited us to play roulette. I don't know casino games, but apparently did really well regardless, until I threw all my chips so I could get back to our karaoke room! At some point, one of our drinks must have spilled on my camera, because the lens protector got stuck shut and wouldn't open without being manually pried.

Festive sparkler and champagne
Roulette
Sticky camera lens opening
Perfect way to end the night

I can't thank my bridesmaids and friends enough for such a memorable evening. I can hardly believe 2 weeks have already gone by, but time is really flying now that we're in the home stretch. Late tonight, I pick Sam up from the airport after his very last flight back from Grenada!

Last but not least is something I almost forgot to mention, but definitely part of my bridal shower festivities: the office party. On Wednesday, May 9, my Development, Finance and HR coworkers surprised me with a red velvet cake from Billy's Bakery, champagne, and snacks. It was totally unexpected and truly appreciated.

Cards and gifts

Saturday, May 5, 2012

Korean Tacos, Reality TV, and Rolls of Ribbon

Tacos and TV
Christine, "Irlene," Emily
Wedding DIY

In honor of Cinco de Mayo, I wrote a little haiku to go along with photos from a delicious night with friends that took place about a week and a half ago. We had so many choices and everything went together so well -- the more the merrier -- even if it seemed like it wouldn't. In addition to having Korean tacos with all the fixin's -- Korean-style chicken and beef, kimchi, perilla leaves (kkaenip), mushrooms, as well as guacamole, lettuce, tomatoes, corn, and wheat tortillas -- we watched Giuliana & Bill, Khloe & Lamar, and the girls offered to cut lots of strands of ribbon for a wedding project I'm working on, which I really appreciated!

Korean/Mexican fusion
I went for the big burrito-sized tortillas
Various sizes and shades of ribbon... and dessert
Perfectly cut strands (and Khloe K. on TV)
Ribbon fight!
One roll down
Thick/thin, satin/iridescent, white/ivory/champagne

Now that the ribbons are cut, I need to move on to the rest of this project!

My DIY/semi-DIY projects:
Cake topper (and instead of a haiku, a limerick)
Ceremony programs
Coloring books
Enclosure cards
Escort Cards
Favors
Guest Book
Menus
Reception Programs
Ribbon Wands
Thumbprint Tree
Videography
Welcome Bags