Wedding Blog

My bridemaids and family threw me a wonderful bridal shower this past weekend. I’m still so excited from the leftover energy high, that I don’t know where to begin! I think I must start with the details, since there were so many wonderful details that they worked on.

The shower was at PJ’s Abbey, a quaint and charming family owned restaurant in Orange. The restaurant itself is an older Victorian Baptist Church that was built in 1891. It has so many details, like the stained glass windows that draw in just the right amount of sunlight. I discovered this place earlier this year when we threw one of my girlfriends a bridal shower here and liked the location. They have a private room that you can use for parties, so it’s nice to be in the restaurant but still have your own private space. 

On with the detail shots:

The centerpieces were put together by my mom. She bought three sets of flowers from Sam’s Club, and coincidentally, they were the exact colors of my shower - papaya, strawberry, curry, and chartreuse. My mom is the best and has a keen eye for detail!

One bridesmaid was in charge of the favors. Each guest was given a caramel covered apple with crunch. And look at the ribbon - it’s the same exact color as the invites I blogged about a while back. It’s curry!! The tags were crafted by my MOH. We had table menus at each table (made from Paper Source tent cards) and each had a different baby picture on the back.

Another decor shot by the MOB. She bought two garlands from Michael’s to decorate the buffet area, and the lemons are from our yard.  Dinner included two different kinds of pasta and a Caesar salad for all the guests.

The girls all contributed towards a mini dessert buffet that they set up next to the cake. With my love affair for sweets, they knew they had to have a dessert buffet! We had baklava, mini cupcakes, brownie bites, cheese rolls, and three boxes full of assorted pastries (ie. napoleons, tiramisu, and etc.). It was a big hit - the guests kept coming back for more since there was so much to try. Love it!!

And, the piece de resistance, the cake!!! It was a marble cake with bavarian chocolate and cappuccino mousse filling. So yummy and tasty!! I will blog more about the cake and the inspiration that started it all.

Another favorite was the wish bowl where guests shared their well wishes and marriage advice for Mr. Gardenia and I.

The cards were hand stamped and embossed using the same pattern as the invites.

We got some of the nicest wishes from our guests so I thought I would share a couple. The best reminder came from my 15 year old cousin:

“Always remember that the greatest thing you’ll ever learn is just to love and be loved in return.” - Cousin A.

“There is always a discovery stage in the relationship- please have patience, lots of laughter. Do not let disagreement stray your relationship- always do things together-minor or grand. Have lots of love.”- Tita L.

” Blessing our lives with the most precious things, husbands are like angels without any wings.”- Tita E.

Last, but not the least,

” Conflict and disagreements are inevitable in marriage..but if you must fight…fight NAKED! :)” - Bridesmaid J.

On with the pictures

I received about three sets of baking ware. I joked around with Mr. Gardenia and told him we’ll be having brownies morning, noon and night.

One of my favorites - alohawear!! My aunt who gifted us with our honeymoon to Maui gave me this dress and other brochures of Maui. I love it!

My ever so crafty maid-of-honor

Me with the MOB and MOH. I’ll be using these magnolias that my MOH made for the rehearsal. It seems that it’s a toss up between the menu cards and the paper flower bouquet as the favorite DIY project at the party since we had guests asking to take home the menu cards as well.

Me with my bridesmaids.

We definitely had lots food, fun, games, lots of sweet stuff, laughter and love that filled the room. It was so nice to see everyone there that truly cares for Mr. Gardenia and I.