Weddingbee Blog

“Too much of anything is bad, but too much Champagne is just right”—Mark Twain

While I was getting made up, my wonderful bridesmaids were busy setting up and finishing some last-minute touches for the best bridal shower ever.

All my lovely bridesmaids (minus one who couldn’t make it from Miami)

My MOH’s mother was gracious enough to offer her house for our shower—and even went as far as painting her dining room and living room blue to match the colors of the shower. (She was getting the room painted anyway—the shower colors helped her pick her colors!)

Mr. Ly wanted no part in the shower whatsoever. He understood that he was responsible for showing up at the end of the party to help get all the gifts back home, but he really did not want to be there for any part of the actual shower. Since I was getting my makeup done early, I couldn’t pick up one of my friends coming in from NYC at the bus, so Mr. Ly agreed to play chauffeur for the morning. I’m not sure how it happened, but he was still there when I arrived at my shower—after it had already started! We said a quick hello, took a few obligatory shots, and then he was off, leaving me to be the center of attention all by myself.

A quick picture together before Mr. Ly leaves

There was so much amazing food, all made by my talented future sisters-in-law.

Mr. Ly’s sisters are amazing!

Champagne cocktails were flowing all day. Bellinis, mimosas, and plain champagne were the drink options, which of course made me a SUPER happy bride-to-be!

My wonderful MOH, Diane, who orchestrated this entire shower, flawlessly

My favorite part of the shower was having all my close friends in one place, even if I didn’t get to spend much time with each of them. It meant the world to me that they were there—some of them traveling long and far and only for a few hours of party time, just to be there!

College friends, Brooklyn friends, work friends all in one place was incredible!

My wishing-well gift asked guests to bring a meaningful book with an inscription in the book for me, us, or our marriage. Some people took this to mean a marriage book, some people took this to mean a meaningful book to them, and some people gave us useful books like cookbooks and…uh…sexy-time books. One of my mom’s best friends gave us a Kama Sutra book…you can imagine the shade of red I turned when I opened that one!

Just a few of our books!

I hate opening gifts in front of people, and I was least looking forward to tackling this mountain of presents.

I am so grateful for the generosity that our friends and family bestowed upon us, but I am so awkward at opening gifts. I never think my reaction is enough, and then I over think it and worry that my reaction seems fake. Besides my own discomfort, I know it’s not a favorite part of any shower. My bridesmaids did Bridal Bingo to make it more fun for the guests, but apparently we didn’t register for typical things because not a single person won. We got some amazing gifts, but no one probably put down six different types of chip and dip servers, which we registered for without realizing that we don’t NEED that many party dishes. (Hopefully I’m not the only one who this happened to—you register for things then realize when you get it all that your registry was actually pretty redundant. Seriously, SIX chip and dip/appetizer sets.)

Our most coveted item on the registry—our SodaStream! My smile says it all.

And of course, we got our Kate Spade dessert server, toasting flutes, and “his & hers” glasses!

After presents, dessert was served and most of the guests starting trickling out. Sadly, most guests were gone when my bridesmaids presented me with an amazing video of Mr. Ly answering questions about our relationship, and I had to answer what I thought his answer would be, like a shorter, sweeter version of The Newlywed Game. It was a crowd-pleaser for the guests who were still there, and Mr. Ly showed up to help pack things up right at the end of the video—which was a perfectly timed entrance.

Now you may be noticing the lack of dessert or any sweets in this post. This is not by accident. You may remember that my MOH is an incredibly talented pastry chef, and the cake at my shower blew me away. All the desserts were to die for, and again I’m reminded how lucky I am to have such a wonderful, talented (and generous) best friend. It deserves its own post in and of itself.

What my face looked like the first time I saw my cake

After all the guests left and all was cleaned up, it hit me that my shower had actually just happened. Being an older bride means most of my friends are married and I have been a guest or a host at countless showers in my life. Having it actually happen for me was slightly surreal. It passed in the blink of an eye, and I didn’t get to talk to anyone nearly long enough. People traveled long distances and spent time and money to be there for me, and I felt like I didn’t have enough time to talk to the guests properly or thank them enough for being there. I felt guilty not talking to everyone, so I spent most of my time moving from room to room, not really getting to have a good conversation with anyone! I know this is just a minor glimpse of what our wedding day will be like, and I’ll never feel like I had enough time to do it all. When all is said and done, it was an amazing shower, and I had the best time. I just wish I could have slowed time down a bit to really soak it all in.

What are some tips for slowing down and enjoying the moments more? I need to practice before the big day!