A Toast to the Bride and Groom!

This past weekend I hosted a wine shower for a friend. I again researched with google some ideas for an evening shower with wine, everything seemed like it was going to cost a lot to pull off. I began thinking of ideas on my own. My budget goal was to stay under $200 but I spent it a bit differently this time. There were 13 guests in attendance.

First so I could save some money for other things I sent the invitation through evite. It was a great way for everyone to communicate about the shower - and this party was for an out of town bride so we had to plan way in advance - it was nice to be able to send a reminder.

My favorite thing is to start with the decorations - that's so much fun! Her colors for the wedding are black and ivory so it was the perfect make up for an elegant wine party. I started with a black table clothes and utensils from Dollar Tree and ivory plates and ivory wine bottle napkins from Party City (since they were specialized I had to go to the party store this time). Then I knew I wanted to use corks and wine bottles in some way. I have a friend that collects corks so I borrowed from her (Thanks Jen!) I loved the elegance of candles and hydrangeas so I made the table "busy" with all these things. It is really hard to find cheap candles - I found these ivory candles at Garden Ridge (9 candles for $45). I borrowed the grapes for an added feature but I know they are available at Hobby Lobby and Michael's. I felt it was important to set the table for this party so it would feel more like a sit down dinner with wine. It gave us a chance to chat as a group.

For the food at this shower I wanted it to be a meal of heavy appetizers. Another way to help with the budget is to ask for other people to bring something to share or do the shower with a few friends so it doesn't all fall on you. I plated everything on white dishes to help pull out more of the elegance.

I also asked for help with the wine and had a few close friends bring a bottle or two of wine with them. We had a nice variety of reds and whites. I set up a section of the counter just for the wines.

For the party favors I bought mini bottles of wine for them to take home with them. I had four different kinds - two whites and two reds - I found the bottles at Target.

A few other additions I had that aren't pictured - I put wine glass charms on each glass for the guests to take home with them (Bed, Bath and Beyond). Also I bought the bride a wine glass with her name etched on it (Things Remembered).

A special note if you are hosting a bridal shower for an out of town bride - I had the guests bring gift cards or order a gift from the registry and have it shipped to the bride and groom and then print a picture of the gift so she knew what she was getting. It was a nice touch and I think Zena enjoyed receiving "gifts".

Thank you Zena for allowing me to feature your shower!