Recently I co-hosted a bridal shower for my niece who will marry in late April. She adores Audrey Hepburn, and has a particular fondness for her character of Holly Golightly in Breakfast at Tiffany's. It was a natural choice in a theme for her bridal shower, and a collaborative effort in executing all the details.
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| Breakfast at Tiffany's Themed Shower Collage |
My oldest daughter, who will be her cousin's matron of honor, was the event planner. She secured the venue just before Christmas at a local Woman's Club. It had a space ideal for our group size expected. We started a board on Pinterest and gathered all ideas related to a Breakfast at Tiffany's theme, as well as sources for supplies needed.
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| Venue for Shower |
I signed up to provide vintage decor insofar as tablecloths, gloves, pearls and sunglasses were concerned. My sister (mother of the bride) contributed a couple of Audrey Hepburn posters her daughter had left at home when she moved out. We gathered other things we already had such as a framed chalkboard and tabletop wire mannequin, and created a fun and welcoming entry, with a party favor table nearby.
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| Welcome Sign for Shower Guests |
My sister also printed and framed several Audrey Hepburn quotes. We scattered those among the tables we set up for the guests.
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| "Anyone who ever gave you confidence, you owe them a lot." |
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| Table with Name Tags, Thank You Envelopes for Guests to Address |
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| "I love people who make me laugh. I honestly think it's the thing I like most, to laugh. It cures a multitude of ills. It's probably the most important thing in a person." |
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| Framed Poster, "Breakfast at Tiffany's", Beside Favor Table, Near Entry |
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| Favor Table: "The Beauty Of A Woman Is Seen In Her Eyes, Because That Is The Doorway To Her Heart, The Place Where Love Resides" |
Shopping at both the Dollar Tree and Oriental Trading Company, my sister sourced inexpensive Tiffany blue boxes for takeaways, and we placed those on the tables at each seat. Hershey kisses had little stickers glued on the bottoms with symbols and words like "I Do".
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| "Always Wear An Invisible Crown" |
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| "For Beautiful Eyes, Look For The Good In Others, For Beautiful Lips, Speak Only Words of Kindness; And For Poise, Walk With The Knowledge That You Are Never Alone" |
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| "Did I Tell You How Divinely And Utterly Happy I Am?" |
It's amazing what a string of lights can do for atmosphere. We placed those behind the bride's seating. I gathered a few Tiffany boxes from home, and my sister wrapped a couple plain ones with Tiffany blue paper for additional scattered decor.
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| The Bride's Seating Area |
I purchased Tiffany, Holly Golightly-inspired sleep masks for the wedding party from
this Etsy dealer. The girls used them for their bachelorette party the weekend prior, and then we used them for decor at the shower.
One friend - dubbed the BridesAide - is always creating, and she helped in a big way also. She made the welcome sign at the entry, the banners, paper flowers, and the bow bouquet from the bride-to-be's gifts. She also brought several kitty props, as she shares a loves of cats with my niece.
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| BridesAide |
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| Paper Flower Decor |
We downplayed as much of the venue's mauve and green 1980s decor as we could, including stowing away two round, country tables with ladderback chairs, but the black piano actually blended in very well with several Tiffany blue paper lanterns set across its upper ledge.
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| Paper Lantern Decor |
Another matron of honor took charge of setting up a mimosa bar. :)
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| Mimosa Bar "Drink Up Darlings" |
My daughter and I handled the food menu, grocery shopping and preparation of most all of what we served, as well as toting the serving pieces, utensils and other supplies. I prepared the charcuterie and vegetable trays the day before the shower, while ham and egg salads were made by my daughter and sister. Three of my sisters assembled the tea sandwiches the morning of the shower while the rest of us decorated.
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| Food Buffet: Charcuterie, Veggie Trays; Fruit; Egg & Ham Salad Sandwiches; Hummus and Crackers |
The cake! Oh my goodness. For a girl who loves Breakfast at Tiffany's and cats, this cake was divine! My daughter had the cake custom made for her cousin, and added the donuts as another nod to the movie. The coffee/tea station was set up to the left of the cake.
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| Kitty Cake with Breakfast at Tiffany's Theme |
Pictured below is the mother of the groom, my niece and mother of the bride (my sister).
The crowd we had ranged in ages from mid-twenties to mid-seventies, so we limited the games with just one, at the table (two parts): What's in Your Cell Phone, and What's in Your Purse? Printed at home with an image of Audrey as Holly Golightly, using black and turquoise ink, it was a simple game, a sort of ice breaker after guests were seated, prior to eating and gift-opening.
Simple gifts for the winner of each of the cell and purse game, along with a door prize, assured participation by guests.
The groom and dads arrived near the end of the gift opening, after having their own party of pizza and beer. We embarrassed the groom by pushing him to the front while my niece continued opening gifts. :) The bride was thrilled with not only the gifts received, but the shower of love shown with the party details.
Given the bridal season is upon us, I've shared these details in the hopes of helping anyone who may be planning their own Breakfast at Tiffany's themed party, whether it's a bridal shower, tea party or other gal pal fete. The decor certainly doesn't need to break the bank, nor does the venue or catering. You just need to be willing to put some planning and effort into the event.
Have you planned an event that you felt was successful in how you carried it out? Do tell!
Rita C. at Panoply
Behind the scenes, full disclosure style: I was in the throes of week 3 of renovations at my house when this bridal shower was to occur,
kitchen updates being one of the projects. While having the event at an outside venue was ideal, it meant additional organization and moving things, something I seem to be doing plenty of lately. Luckily, the backsplash and grouting had been completed just 2 days prior to my food prep for the event. Daughter #1 was the primary event planner, but we appeared to look more like Sanford & Son with the things we hauled to the venue.
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| Before, During and After Party Planning |
Additionally, daughter #2 is also in the wedding party and was planning to be part of the decorating and food committee. She, however, ended up sick after the bachelorette party the weekend prior, and was hospitalized 4 days the week of the shower (better now, thank goodness!). Let's just say carrying off an event such as this has its trade-offs in money you spend for someone else to handle details vs time and labor you invest in yourself. I sure felt my age the day after!
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I purchased Tiffany, Holly Golightly-inspired sleep masks for the wedding party from this Etsy dealer. The girls used them for their bachelorette party the weekend prior, and then we used them for decor at the shower.
One friend - dubbed the BridesAide - is always creating, and she helped in a big way also. She made the welcome sign at the entry, the banners, paper flowers, and the bow bouquet from the bride-to-be's gifts. She also brought several kitty props, as she shares a loves of cats with my niece.
The crowd we had ranged in ages from mid-twenties to mid-seventies, so we limited the games with just one, at the table (two parts): What's in Your Cell Phone, and What's in Your Purse? Printed at home with an image of Audrey as Holly Golightly, using black and turquoise ink, it was a simple game, a sort of ice breaker after guests were seated, prior to eating and gift-opening.
Simple gifts for the winner of each of the cell and purse game, along with a door prize, assured participation by guests.
The groom and dads arrived near the end of the gift opening, after having their own party of pizza and beer. We embarrassed the groom by pushing him to the front while my niece continued opening gifts. :) The bride was thrilled with not only the gifts received, but the shower of love shown with the party details.
Given the bridal season is upon us, I've shared these details in the hopes of helping anyone who may be planning their own Breakfast at Tiffany's themed party, whether it's a bridal shower, tea party or other gal pal fete. The decor certainly doesn't need to break the bank, nor does the venue or catering. You just need to be willing to put some planning and effort into the event.
Have you planned an event that you felt was successful in how you carried it out? Do tell!
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