... are you ready for this?
My best friend in the whole wide world is getting MARRIED!! I know, right? This is going to be SO much fun! She is marrying this amazing guy Luke, and my husband and I have been lucky enough to get really close with him over the past 2 years {i'm a bridesmaid and Brett is a groomsman - yay!}.
So, first call of bridesmaid duty: plan a killer engagement party. I wish I could say that I thought of all of these great ideas myself, but Hayley has three amazing sisters/MOH's that are equally {if not, more} talented in the party planning process. Here is a little snapshot of the day:
Hayley loooves french macaroons, so we packaged them up in cute kraft paper bags with a "thank you" stamp and some baker's twine as party favors. There were striped paper straws in abundance, and adorable mason jars with chalkboard tags. Hay's little sister Ryley made all of the cute fabric bunting, and her big sister Tanisha set up an awesome make-your-own mimosa bar!
Hayley's sister-in-law Mandy made the adorable cupcakes with heart-shaped strawberries with the tags; the mother of the bride decorated the candles with burlap and twine, as well. Croquet, cornhole, and other lawn games were played {even though i shamed myself with my abominable beanbag-tossing skills}, and we all stuffed ourselves with food and sweets. Oh, and with the help of my dad's home table saw skills, we made that chalkboard bunting sign {tutorial to follow}.
Last but not least, I'd love to give you a fun idea for a "guest book" - use this at pretty much any event, especially when the person of honor is an oenophile. I present to you... Sign the Wine!
Step 1: Go to a wine outlet store {I went to Total Wine in Thousand Oaks}; you can either scour the aisles {like I did} or ask a helpful sales representative {like I did... after 2 solid hours in the store!} to help you find wines with labels that have to do with love, marriage, dating, etc.
Step 2: Put an "event" to go with each bottle label! Each started with "open when..." Here were mine:
"House Wine" - Open when... you unpack your last box in your new place!
"Double Dog Dare" - Open when... you're feeling adventurous.
"Happy Camper" - Open when... you take your first camping trip
"Monogamy" - Open when... you've been married for one year!
"Mad Housewife" - Open when... you need to make up :)
Get creative! Think of things that remind you of the couple {for example, we always go on camping trips with Hayley's family, so I chose the Happy Camper wine} - even if you have to make it stretch a little, it adds to the fun :)
Step 3: Find metallic permanent markers that are safe to write on glass {and that, most importantly, are smudge-proof!}. Have guests sign the wine as they mingle at the party!
Step 4: Give the signed wine bottles to the bride and groom {or the person of honor} to keep!
*hint: also would be fun for a baby shower (after the baby is born, of course!), birthday, or anniversary party!*
Enjoy!
