DIY WEDDING SHOWER DECOR

A few weekends ago my friend and I had the pleasure of throwing a wedding shower for a wonderful bride-to-be.  We kept the decor simple and set up a small chocolate fondue bar, a coffee/tea drink bar, and delicious cupcakes from a cupcake shop.

The color purple and burlap was the main theme of the decor. I trimmed down a yard of burlap and used it as the runner for an earthy/vintage feel.

Rather than using fresh flowers, I made some out of tissue paper (the tissue paper that Anthropologie wraps purchases in are great for this and they turned out gorgeous!. Unlike regular tissue paper, it was thicker and some had unique patterns and shades of colors.) To make the flowers I layered 8 sheets of tissue paper on top of each other and folded them into an accordion. Then I tied it at the center with a piece of string, rounded the corners and carefully unfolded each layer. Skewers were used to hold up the flowers.  

Here I mixed the paper flowers with some fake flowers. I really loved the combination! :)

I also made some pom poms (using the same technique but fluffed up the layers more) from thicker napkins and hung them from the ceiling light using thin strings pulled out from the burlap runner.

I've always loved floating candles and found them to be a simple way to add a touch of elegance to any setting. Since I only needed two, I decided to make some myself using votive candles that I already had. Using a candle warmer hot plate (a pot of hot water works too), I fully melted a vanilla votive candle in a small condiment glass bowl that had a flat wide surface. Once it liquefied, I removed it from the heat and centered the wick using a pair of sticks (pencils, chopsticks, etc). The candle quickly conformed to the shape of the bowl and hardened withn a few minutes.

To remove the candle from the bowl, I placed the bowl back into the pot of hot water (make sure the water level reaches the level of the candle). The edges will loosen up and allow the candle to slide out easily.   

For party favors, I wrapped a few silky dark raspberry swirled Dove chocolates in pretty matching fabric and tied it with the burlap string along with a small thank you note.  

(Side note: The chocolate fondue bar turned out to be a great idea because it needed minimal preparation and allowed the guests to have a variety of (healthy) choices to snack on. Plus, the softly lit pot of warm creamy chocolate served as a great addition to the decor!)

Thankfully, everyone had a sweet time together at the shower and our bride-to-be was glowing and happy. :) We attended their beautiful wedding this past weekend and couldn't be happier for them!