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[bigletter]Bachelorette parties tend to incite a very particular theme in America. Starting with an overwhelming number of young women vacationing together, all in connection somehow to the bride-to-be, who is the one and only with exclusive rights to white ensembles for the weekend. Everyone appears collectively in pursuit of colorful cocktails and phallic shape paraphernalia while fraternizing in an Instagram worthy locale like Charleston, Austin or Miami, to name just a few. And most brides, like most people, have invited a scattered selection of friends as undoubtedly there are the colleagues from work, besties from childhood, the sorority sisters we still don’t hate and fun family members if we’re lucky. For me entertaining is everything, hence why I opted out of the puzzle that is configuring all kinds of friendships, diets, concepts of fun and geographical locations into one big weekend, as I opted instead for a mini adventure with my sister in advance of my own wedding. It’s my cross to bear of why I feel the absolute need to cater to everyone else and I plan to take it up with Freud once I die, but for this weekend’s purpose the spotlight was on my dearest and oldest friend Emma, the girl I met on my first day of high school and the friend I eventually moved to Los Angeles with exactly ten years ago.
Since then Emma, and her heart I might add, made their way back to our hometown of Chicago and into the arms of her soon to be husband. And with such an exciting occasion on the horizon I knew I wanted to make a moment out this special time for her. She likely had the idea of embracing Santa Barbara wine country before actually meeting the man of her dreams, but shouldn’t we all be pinning exuberant trips with our best friends more often than secreting wedding Pinterest boards? I was just ecstatic about the easy drive up from Los Angeles into the quaint town of Santa Ynez and of course my one and only legitimate contribution to the festivities was a tablescape as effervescent as Emma’s spirit.[/bigletter]
I knew from the start I wanted something engaging yet elegant, feminine, yet fun, nothing too stuffy but more sophisticated than penis straws, hence the lovely pink candlesticks I found in lieu of the aforementioned atrocities selling out on Etsy.
This is a bachelorette party after all.
But outside of this being Emma’s big celebration, it was really a celebration of her long-standing friendships with a group of amazing women who have and will continue to champion her whether a bride-to-be or not. See that’s the true magic behind the all the hoopla of showering women before they get married and forcing an oiled up young man with chiseled abs to grind all over her while you record it for Instagram stories; the relationships you cherish in your life, the ones you honor with slutty superlatives adhered to cheaply fabricated silk sashes.
Too bad marriage is a requirement-perhaps we just need to normalize I’m-celebrating-me-and-the-people-that-i-love-for-no-other-reason-than-i-love-myself-and-that’s-okay-buy-your-flight-and-venmo-Kaitlyn-six-hundred-and-fifty-five-dollars-by-the-sixteenth-and-i’m-registered-at-manhalo-blanik-okay-thank-youuu.
We make a big deal out of weddings because we hold the institution of marriage so high in our society, but essentially what we really seem to be honoring are our relationships with other people, whether it’s with the one or the bride tribe. If our weddings are about that forever partner, then our bachelorette parties are most certainly about our forever friends. And even though divorce is rampant and relationships evolve over time, what a beautiful thing it must be to look back at this special point in our own individual histories, knowing how happy you got to feel that weekend, with all the important people in your life.
Too bad marriage is a requirement for all your nearest and dearest to book an overpriced ticket to a destination not high on your travel bucket list! Perhaps we just need to normalize i’m-celebrating-me-and-the-people-that-i-love-for-no-other-reason-than-i-love-myself-and-that’s-okay-buy-your-flight-and-venmo-Kaitlyn-six-hundred-and-fifty-five-dollars-by-the-sixteenth-and-i’m-registered-at-manhalo-blanik-okay-thank-youuuu.
So to honor those friendships Emma holds dear I thought I’d add some personality to her table, literally.
Who doesn’t want an illustrated version of themselves?
All the table details below.
Paper
Exact customizations were not part of my celebratory budget but I did find this spectacular artist on Etsy who creates wonderful renditions of our most stylish friends, in all shapes and colors mind you! I was able to find 12 lovely ladies who closely resembled all the attendees, my very own wearing a dress similar to mine, and it made for a fun game having everyone figure out their seat at the table by way of deducing which paper doll they looked most like and which lady she’d likely sit next to!
I’m also a big fan of souvenirs, especially ones to add to my bulletin board, although I assume I was the only one in attendance who still has one.
But it’s the thought that counts, right?
Hopefully everyone felt special and in a fabulous outfit. At least on paper!
After following so many lovely calligraphy accounts on Instagram I figured I would try out my second grade level, still can’t make a capitol S, left handed cursive to memorialize the menu I know Emma worked hard on creating for our Asian inspired chef dinner. Emma is very particular about her food as is her fiancé about wine, so I thought this would be a special element she’d appreciate even if a few letters, and sauce descriptions, were missing.
Instead of ordering all the paper products in physical format I opted to purchase PNG files and print everything myself at my local Fedex for a few reasons. First and foremost it cuts down on cost, depending of course on how much you need. I also did this for the paper products at my wedding, which you can read more about here. Second, it gave me more control in sizing and allowed me the opportunity to change anything that came out differently than I had pictured in my mind. Third, paper choice is key because you want these types of paper pieces to be thicker for both practical and presentation specific reasons. The illustrated ladies especially since they needed to stand upright at the table setting using these place card holders. So I printed everything in the thickest index paper available, but I would recommend using this company we used for our save the dates for something more luxe. I ended up adding some extra paper padding to secure my paper dolls fully but you could always place them flat on the plate or to the left of the menu instead.
Color Scheme
I wanted the table to be inviting, romantic and spark some excitement given it was our first event of the weekend. Choosing colors was tricky as I knew I wanted pinky tones but I didn’t want straight pink or the overused rose gold accent, no offense to every bachelorette party out there. It might sound crazy but if you want a particular color to stand out you can’t overuse it, rather you should layer with similar or complimentary tones and colors. So I started with my coral block print tablecloth before adding pink accents to give the table some depth and variance. The pink chinoiserie chopsticks were an obvious choice to add some dimension and break up the color block plates, as did the minty stripe napkins.
For my floral arrangements I was at the will of what was fresh and available that morning but Whole Foods always delivers something exciting in addition to a consistent selection of blush pink roses. So I went with the roses and added as many special bunches in the pinky, purple scheme secured by chicken wire in these clear vases. The final and most prominent detail of them all being the colorful fortune cookies! Fastened with floral wire piped through.
If our weddings are about that forever partner, then our bachelorette parties are most certainly about our forever friends.
Ambiance
Without an ambiance what is the point? Lighting is always key in setting a tone for the evening and that is why I have NEVER strayed from using real candlelight, however, this was a table of 12 ladies, made of paper. So I found LED tea lights and used them for the first time, excited to see what I can do with them next time.
I wanted something engaging yet elegant, feminine, yet fun, nothing too stuffy but more sophisticated than penis straws, hence the lovely pink candlesticks…
They aren’t the prettiest but they are safer and still feel very romantic under dimly lit circumstances sans the anxiety a true flame can build in any hostess! They even flicker too. But don’t you fret, the 12 inch pink penis candles were 100% authentic. At least the flame and wax…
Drinks and Dessert Table
Emma has always taken her sweets seriously and when we moved to Los Angeles 10 years ago she set off on a journey to find the best cookie, a task she documented with a twitter exclusively dedicated to her chocolate chip induced pursuits. Naturally she went as the Cookie Monster for our first Halloween and of course that meant I was Big Bird, a photo I will not be sharing on this blog! So to honor her early legacy as cookie queen in LA I as the only remaining resident set out to gather the best of the best, creating a little cookie tasting selection everyone to enjoy. Sourced from spots like Cookie Good, Farmshop, Diddy Riese, Insomnia, Stuffed, and Deluscious Cookies, all were equally as delectable and easy to sample after being cut into smaller bite size pieces, which lasted the span of the weekend!
To honor those friendships I thought I’d add some personality to her table; literally.
Who doesn’t want an illustrated version of themselves?
Of course yoga Barbie with a wine bottle was the most appropriate custom cake topper to grace Emma and I’s favorite marble cake as Emma is the ultimate yogi and we were all spending our weekend in wine country.
And while I’m no mixologist I did want our girl to feel extra special so another bridesmaid helped me come up with some fabulous signature cocktails to embody Emma. We started of course with the names and illustrations, all a play on words special to Emma and her beloved (fiancé and darling dog Harper). I found ready to download PNG file cocktail illustrations on Etsy and chose the prettiest ones to present before realizing I also needed to come up with actual drink recipes! Fortunately the other bridesmaid I worked on this with had a great website with tons of cocktails that you can filter by spirit, flavor and even the type of glass which matters to me just as much as it does to Dorit Kemsley! The edible flowers were easy to sprinkle into a good old fashioned ice cube tray, just the right amount to scatter across the top of the champagne tub from my wedding.
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