a day at the races

though we would love to go to the kentucky derby to enjoy all of its grandeur, we settled for creating a derby atmosphere for my dear friend, jenn's bridal shower.  we had so much fun putting it altogether.  because jenn hates surprises, we did our best to keep the location and the theme for the shower secret.  to reveal the surprise to her, we took her for a horseback ride.  the bride-to-be, the bridesmaids, and the mother of the bride saddled up for an early evening ride.  what a beautiful setting for a ride.  the weather even cooperated.

we were so fortunate to be blessed with the best venue we could have imagined to help set the theme:  beautiful barn!  it turned out to be a beautiful, sunny day.  a few outdoor heaters helped to keep us warm inside the barn!

we found some inexpensive easter hats at target.  one of the bridesmaids used some berries and ribbon to spruce up the hats a little for table centerpieces.  great job, emily!  the mother-of-the-bride also helped by putting together a few floral arrangements.  beautiful! 

lots of yummy treats!  thank you to everyone who added to the yummy-ness.  on the menu:  cucumber sandwiches, fruit, veggies, cheese and crackers, meatballs, chicken salad sandwiches, chocolate-covered pretzel rods, mint cupcakes, and rice crispy treat lollipops.  the signature drink at the kentucky derby is the mint julep, so i wanted to make these mint julep cupcakes, but instead, i settled for just mint cupcakes.  they will still oh so yummy, and pretty!

 

our game choices were fairly simple:  crossword puzzle all about jenn (and a little about clif) and a betting game where jenn and clif answered questions.  we used basic facts about jenn and clif to create a crossword puzzle (favorite color, location of proposal, etc.).  this was fun.  even jenn had trouble had a couple of the answers!  

what is a day at the races without a little betting, right?  we prepared some hypothetical questions for clif, the groom, to answer before the shower.  for security sake, we waited until we were driving to the shower to call him and get his answers.  we would later ask jenn the same questions.  if their answers matched, they would receive a point.  before asking jenn though, we passed out a popsicle stick to each shower attendee.  the popsicle stick acted as a betting token.  the ladies had opportunities to earn extra sticks if they knew jenn the longest, were wearing the shower colors, told a funny story about jenn, etc.  after putting them name on their tokens, they then were able to place their bets for how many questions they thought jenn and clif would get correct.  we had fifteen total questions.  we found some inexpensive favor baskets that we hung on the barn wall.

some of the other decoration that we created was a ribbon wall for the winner's circle.  this corner turned out so cute.  once it was time for gifts, we transferred the gifts into the corner with a chair for the bride-to-be to open gifts.

one of the final touches for the derby shower was the favor.  we used old horseshoes (with a few cleanings, of course!).  we attached a simple note of thanks with a ribbon and ta-da...you have yourself a cute, inexpensive favor.

oh, yes, let's not forget the bride-to-be herself.  she certainly added a stunning element to the shower! 

thank you, ladies, for joining us to celebrate jenn's upcoming wedding.  and thank you to everyone who took part in making this day so wonderful for jenn.  loved all the hats!

photo courtesy of ashley eiban photography

congratulations, jenn! you are loved and you are treasured!  we are looking forward to celebrating your big day with you soon!