I had asked my brother in law to take the photos for the wedding shower and while he was in my yard he discovered a lot of things I just take for granted but here's what he captured from his perspective.
Wednesday 1 July 2015
Back Yard 2015
I worked my "you know what" off in my back yard this summer to get ready for my niece's wedding shower. In doing so it probably looks the best it has in 5 years. I even power washed the decks (which took me several tries), I tried to buy one (that didn't work), then I tried to buy one on sale but couldn't get enough information to make the purchase and finally borrowed one . . . which now makes me want to OWN one so once the sales are on again I will do just that (and maybe purchase a shop vac at the same time but that's another blog).
I had asked my brother in law to take the photos for the wedding shower and while he was in my yard he discovered a lot of things I just take for granted but here's what he captured from his perspective.
Now I really need to relax!
I had asked my brother in law to take the photos for the wedding shower and while he was in my yard he discovered a lot of things I just take for granted but here's what he captured from his perspective.
Wedding Shower Delivered!
Well I promised a wedding shower and I'm pretty sure I delivered. And I have to start by saying a big THANK YOU to my brother in law (father of the bride) for taking all of the pictures and getting them to me so quickly. Also a thank you to Sydney and Megan for helping with the set-up; to my sister Paulette for helping me assemble all of the food and hand out the halos; and to my daughter Kristen for all the clean-up after people ate and before she left for her night shift!
The invitations read "whimsical and enchanted" and while it turned out to be bright and beautiful I think it was a bit more bohemian than anything else.
You can't have this size of a party without help . . . and here we are all in our "before" glory - it's true it takes a village.
It all started with directions on where to find us!
Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed and something Blue! Sydney (niece - bride's sister) and Kristen (my daughter), both very awesome bridesmaids - I couldn't have done this without you (and of course my equally awesome sister)!
On to the halos (p- mostly the inspiration for the shower.
And let's not forget the people pictures!
The invitations read "whimsical and enchanted" and while it turned out to be bright and beautiful I think it was a bit more bohemian than anything else.
You can't have this size of a party without help . . . and here we are all in our "before" glory - it's true it takes a village.
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| Me / my daughter / my sister / my niece / my friend from work Lynne / Kristen / Paulette / Sydney / Megan |
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| Veil hanging on a floral wreath - a sign that says "we are in the back yard" and another pointing in the direction "This way to the Party" |
Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed and something Blue! Sydney (niece - bride's sister) and Kristen (my daughter), both very awesome bridesmaids - I couldn't have done this without you (and of course my equally awesome sister)!
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| Gift from the bridesmaids, g'ma (on Dad's side) and Bride's Mom |
Everyone got one and everyone wore theirs the entire day!
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| This is Lindsay trying to pick one! |
While I had everything "ready" for placement into the yard, the weather still had to cooperate. And it DID! and it was AMAZING - plus 30 degrees Celsius (will check for spelling later).
Lanterns, Tissue Balls, ribbon, ribbon and more ribbon, cloth seating and cushions for every bum to sit on and a netted backdrop for photos. Thank God for the younger generation (and if I forget to mention, Megan from my full time job played a HUGE part in helping with the set up). Here are the pics of all that.
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| Initials of the Bride & Groom |
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| Hi I'm the Bride |
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| Garland to hang the picture game from |
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| Seating around the fire pit |
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| This is really one of my favourite photos of the day |
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| Directional signing |
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| Netting hung from the large tree branches |
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| And who could forget the flowers - five vases all the same in Mason Jars |
Food Prep was in order; What's on the menu you ask! Sandwiches, Salad, Monster Cookies and an assortment of drinks.
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| Keeping the sandwiches cool on our +30 degree sunny day |
Inside each picnic bag (and they were each marked "Pastrami, Ham or Veggie") was a sandwich, a salad (tossed greens with strawberries, cucumbers and candied pecans) (thanks to my most awesome niece Sydney) and two monster cookies (baked by my sister because baking is not my forte).
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| This proved to be a great way of serving lunch - not a lot of options and the line-up went really fast. |
Keeping the masses hydrated! Lemon Lavender Infused Water, Watermelon and Mint Infused Water, Prosecco and juice (for Mimosa) and a San Pellegrino for the non alcoholic version. We also had Ras-Ber-Itas, Corona and Breezers if you wanted (thanks to my sister for supplying all of the booze).
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| Date Jar - not that you can't see that from the sign! |
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| Fill your name in on the card so the Bride can send thank you's! |
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| Grandma (Maternal) |
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| Grandma (Paternal) |
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| Mom/G'ma/Bride |
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| G'ma / Bride / G'ma |
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| Bridal Party |
Am I tired . . . you bet your bootie I'm tired - I still haven't put everything away and I've saved enough that wasn't used for a "party in a bag". It's for sale if you contact me with your details I can provide you with what all is included.
Drapes (and more drapes)
Last year I replaced the drapes on the garage deck from blue/green to white and re
d; and they managed to keep their colour for the entire season. I almost hate taking them down because they remind me of peace and quiet and I often laid on the hammock out there. But there was still not enough privacy from the neighbours because of where the pergola is situated on the garage and the large two storey homes that are being built in the neighbourhood (which I hope to follow suit on one of these days).
While I love to be thrifty I hated the fact that all of the rods and brackets were "found" in the basement. This year I wanted it to look pretty so I purchased all new black rods for all three sides and like it a LOT better.
I found four panels at Pier 1 for $13.99 each that went with the red/white ones from last year except that this round of panels had a bit of orange in them! Pic shows some of the beauties at my nieces wedding shower!
While I love to be thrifty I hated the fact that all of the rods and brackets were "found" in the basement. This year I wanted it to look pretty so I purchased all new black rods for all three sides and like it a LOT better.
I found four panels at Pier 1 for $13.99 each that went with the red/white ones from last year except that this round of panels had a bit of orange in them! Pic shows some of the beauties at my nieces wedding shower!
Table decorations and Kantha Quilts
About a year ago I purchased several Kantha quilts from India. While I loved them and had great intentions to make these huge square seat hand stitched cushions it was a bit too much work for me at the time as I had WAY too many other things on the go. So they sat there until now.
When I realized I was going to need something for everyone to sit on at the wedding shower I remembered the Kantha quilts and dug them out. Four of the six I purchased were the colours I needed (orange, purple, red and pink) and while they had a beautiful pineapple and flower motif on one side it was the other (plain coloured) side that I will use for now.
It's no secret now that I have a HUGE back yard. I love entertaining and having people over but really can you clean up after yourselves before you leave! LOL
I've been accused of having a lot of "chairs" by one of my nephews when he was a wee one and that could be true but I don't ever want anyone to be standing if they don't have to.
One of the big attractions when purchasing my teeny tiny house was the back yard and huge deck surrounded by a bench. The bench has seen better days and it should probably be knocked down but that's another day . . . sigh . . .
To ensure everyone has a seat that is comfortable, the Kantha blankets couldn't have worked out any better for this year. I'd purchased several but the colours (obviously) used for this event were purple, orange, red and pink (to match the napkins and of course keeping with the colour scheme).
I was going to just put panels of fabric on the deck seating but it looked terrible and moved on to Plan B - keep the blankets in their largest pieces (remember I'd cut some of them up to make the seat cushions) and drape them over the seating on the deck so no one hurt themselves on a spliter or heaven forbid a pine needle!
I also purchased 10 red/white seat cushions for $2.25 each (Superstore) to place around the deck for further comfort.
When I realized I was going to need something for everyone to sit on at the wedding shower I remembered the Kantha quilts and dug them out. Four of the six I purchased were the colours I needed (orange, purple, red and pink) and while they had a beautiful pineapple and flower motif on one side it was the other (plain coloured) side that I will use for now.
It's no secret now that I have a HUGE back yard. I love entertaining and having people over but really can you clean up after yourselves before you leave! LOL
I've been accused of having a lot of "chairs" by one of my nephews when he was a wee one and that could be true but I don't ever want anyone to be standing if they don't have to.
One of the big attractions when purchasing my teeny tiny house was the back yard and huge deck surrounded by a bench. The bench has seen better days and it should probably be knocked down but that's another day . . . sigh . . .
To ensure everyone has a seat that is comfortable, the Kantha blankets couldn't have worked out any better for this year. I'd purchased several but the colours (obviously) used for this event were purple, orange, red and pink (to match the napkins and of course keeping with the colour scheme).
I was going to just put panels of fabric on the deck seating but it looked terrible and moved on to Plan B - keep the blankets in their largest pieces (remember I'd cut some of them up to make the seat cushions) and drape them over the seating on the deck so no one hurt themselves on a spliter or heaven forbid a pine needle!
I also purchased 10 red/white seat cushions for $2.25 each (Superstore) to place around the deck for further comfort.
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