Blue & White Bridesmaids' Luncheon

I've long been obsessed with blue and white decor - so much I have a whole post about it. When the time came to design my bridal events, I knew that I wanted to incorporate this theme somehow. I didn't want anyone (including myself) to have to lug around their personal collection of priceless pieces to an event venue, so the idea sparked that I would source out new, individual pieces that would double as decor and gifts for the event. A Bridesmaids' Luncheon served as the perfect opportunity for this as the guest list would be manageable and the purpose of the event would be to celebrate these women that mean so much to me. The challenge would be finding quality pieces at affordable prices that weren't too large or small. It took us about a year's worth of antique shopping to find the perfect pieces - 13 in all. My grandmother, the OG blue and white queen, was instrumental in helping me find each one. 

This event was held at lunchtime (duh) the Friday before our wedding. It honestly was the perfect way to kick off the festivities and visit with some of my closest friends and family that had come to town. I absolutely love living in DC but the hardest part is easily being away from 'our people'. My Bridesmaids' Luncheon gave me some much needed quality time with my girls before heading down the aisle!

THE GIRLS

Bottom photo, from left // Bridesmaid Miller, Maid of Honor Hannah, Program Attendant & Step-Sister Kaylynn, Bridesmaid Whitley, Program Attendant & Brother's Girlfriend (a saint) Abby, Mother of the Bride Susan, Grandmother of the Bride Libby, Aunt of the Bride Beth, Bridesmaid & Cousin of the Bride Margaux, Mother of the Groom Missy, Bridesmaid & Sister of the Groom Lauren 

We often use 'costuming' for my work events to help distinguish our staff from the larger group. I loved the idea of fully embracing the theme, so the invitation stated "shades of blue encouraged"! 

ON THE MENU

Appetizers // fruit cups, individual mini charcuterie trays, avocado halves with bacon, chives, and tomato

Entree // airline chicken breast with mashed potatoes and roasted garlic green beans

Dessert // Lemon cake with buttercream vanilla frosting

THE GIFTS

Aside from the individual chinoiserie pieces, I wanted the bridesmaids' gifts to stick within our wedding day green theme, rather than the blue and white, as most of these items were going to be used in pictures. scout bags (original deano in fleetwood black) // green silk pajamas // green silk eye masks (mine are sold out, these are similar) // swell water bottles engraved by Madras & Khalki's // white lace hand fans // white silk masks (made from wedding dress scraps by our local seamstress) // pearl cluster studs // clay dogwood studs 

Each bridesmaid and program attendant also received a clear cosmetic bag with their monogram on it - my hope was that they could use them on the bus / throughout the wedding day to store their personal items without having to carry around a purse. I have no idea if this came to fruition the day of, but hope they were useful! Inside them I put: teleties // mini wet brush // Louis Vuitton perfume samples, hand sanitizer, goody's powder, a retinol face mask, and vitamin C eye patches (both face products from TJ Maxx beauty aisle).

THE CAKE PULL: A SOUTHERN TRADITION

Prior to my Bridesmaids' Luncheon, I had never actually participated in a cake pull. My time as a wedding planner meant that I had researched practically every wedding tradition under the sun and this one stuck out as an engaging way to liven up this type of event. What is it? A cake pull is a small charm, usually made of metal, that is attached to a decorative ribbon. What do you do? Prior to the event, the charms and ribbons (known as 'pulls') are provided to the baker. The baker positions the charms either within or underneath the cake to hide the charms from those participating in the 'pull'. At the event, those participating would choose a random ribbon and 'pull' to reveal their charm. Each charm has significant meaning and often a fortune attached (i.e. a four leaf clover charm may say that you will be very lucky throughout your life). The charms I chose had little cards attached that shared the meaning of each charm - some may simply display all meanings on a single framed sheet instead. 

 As you can see, some (Whitley & Lauren) were thrilled with their fortunes, while others were not (Miller).

I tried to specify this event as 'no gifts' but of course my Maid of Honor spoiled me with this gorgeous Sasha Nicolas monogrammed champagne bucket. The blue and white piece I picked for her (pictured right) was the very first piece I found which sparked the idea for individual pieces as gifts - I saw this gorgeous trophy-like vase and immediately thought of Hannah and our shared chinoiserie obsession. 

This entire event would not have been possible without my Aunt Beth and Grandma Libby. My Aunt is the hostess extraordinaire and coordinated everything with Liz Talley at the Renaissance while my Grandmother took the lead on flowers. These two and my mother have passed on our family's deep love for hospitality - a trait I have come to find invaluable both personally and professionally. I'm so grateful for them both for supporting me throughout my life and especially throughout the time leading up to Andrew and I becoming married. 

    

Location // The Renaissance Raleigh North Hills Hotel (Branle Room)

Invitation & Menus // The Wild Petrova via Etsy (China Pattern)

Rentals // CE Rental - chairs, chargers, blue and white linens, napkins

Flowers // Trader Joe's Wholesale (arranged by my Aunt Beth & Grandma Libby)

Dress // ASOS Peplum Tux Dress (currently out of stock) Here are some similar: Option 1, Option 2, Option 3, Option 4, Option 5

Shoes // J. Crew Elsie Asymmetrical White Satin Pumps (via Poshmark)

Chinoiserie Sourcing // See this post on where I find my favorites! 

Cake // Edible Art Bakery (Lemon cake with Vanilla Buttercream frosting)

Cake Pulls // Fairy Dust Cake Supply (Traditional 10 piece cake pulls)