wedding Wednesday: bridal shower recap

This weekend was my sister's bridal shower, which we did as a cocktail party rather than the traditional weekend brunch.

my co-maid of honor in action, crafting chalkboard signs

the s'mores bar looked gorgeous (and tasted even better)

the gift "table" was highlighted with an inexpensive but colorfully impactful backdrop

the bride herself!

an ice cream bar featuring our childhood favorite ice cream

the bartender served up 2 signature drinks, among other things 

fresh mint for the mojitos!

All of the details took a while to put together, but it was a fabulous party (if I do say so myself). Can't wait for the wedding!

outdoor entertaining must-haves

Every time I host a gathering, I recognize that I am missing one or two or 10 things that I don't need in everyday life but are essential to a great party. And this weekend's bridal shower taught me a few more items I should add to my list.

1. A drink dispenser
Originally, we had bottles of raspberry lemonade sitting in the boat bucket until we decided to use this little dispenser. Super easy to use and not bad on the eyes - I need to add one of these to my outdoor entertaining suite. I've seen some cute ones before, but this one at Target is a steal. This duo is perfect to have lemonade and iced tea side by side.

2. Boat o' drinks
This fab find is from Homegoods and, into the afternoon, also held vodka, rum, and other goodies. The boat base was perfect for the nautical-themed shower. Now I'm on the hunt for a metal bucket for my summer parties... maybe something like this one?

3. Plastic "glasses"
Classier than the tried-and-true Solo cup, and ones that you don't have to worry about your friends breaking, plastic ware is always great to have on hand for a more formal event. Or you could go all out and purchase acrylic wine glasses. (But then you'd have to wash those instead of just throwing them away, which takes away part of the fun of plastic!)