I recently had the opportunity to do some decorating for a very special person in my life. Our home was the location for an intimate bridal shower for my daughter, Stephanie.
The first item on my planning list was selecting a theme. I love the look of umbrella canopies and knew that a shower would be the perfect time to give it a try. It was quite a challenge to hang them but with the help of my right hand man at home, Chris, and my right hand man at work, Gaylon (pictured on the ladder), they pulled it off.
While it was tempting to use the wedding theme colors, the room wall color clashed with that color palette. After lots of online shopping and a few returns, I settled on these floral print umbrellas that looked great with the brown walls. A sales associate in notions at Von Maur tracked down five of them at various locations. The umbrellas became the inspiration piece and lead the way for the rest of the decorating. 
Next, I contacted Rachael Cordaro and asked her to create one of her signature floral paintings. I gave Rachel a fabric sample to work with for colors and similar shapes. My only other request was to paint the flowers in a black vase to coordinate with the idea of black vases for guest favors.
The vases were handmade by Kristin from repurposed wine bottles that she spray painted in a flat black. I wanted a favor that was not only functional but also personal so I asked Kristin to incorporate the name of the guest into the design on the bottle. She came up with a floral design that wrapped around the bottle and had MeNu Designs make laser cut vinyl labels. I finished them off with some burlap ribbon from Michaels and fresh cut flowers from Mendon Flowers and Fountains. The favors served as both centerpieces for the tables and place cards.
Since the formal living room in my house is seldom used, it was not an inconvenience to replace the furniture with rented tables and chairs that were covered with white linens. A buffet was set up in the adjacent dining room. Some oversized floor accent pieces purchased on sale at Arhaus and a beautiful fiddle leaf fig tree from Bristol’s were selected to complement the décor. An umbrella full of fresh flowers also from Mendon Flowers and Fountains and a cupcake bouquet by Gourmet Goodies were part of the finishing touches.
It was a beautiful day with some close friends and family. Next up… the wedding!
