DIY Bouquet Bar
We set the food table with all of our pretty things and had the other hosts help with small tea sandwiches, fruit, and biscuits. We whipped up a quick green salad and served it (of course on a silver platter) in assorted tea cups. Our dessert stand was filled with macarons from Trader Joe's and butter cakes & lemon squares from Walmart (they are packaged in a set of 4 large squares that we then cut into 4 smaller squares). We kept the desserts light because we also served a gorgeous (and delicious) cake from Baked on 8th.
We needed to seat guests at the kitchen table as well. Instead of doing formal place settings, we filled the table with florals. We tucked our teacups in with the flowers for a truly whimsical table!
Here's where the fun begins...
There's a huge trend in party favors for both bridal and baby showers. Instead of doing the expected cookie or something of the sort, we decided to do a DIY bouquet bar. We had to buy flowers anyways for the centerpieces, and we had to buy a favor, so we combined the two! Plus, it's always awkward at the end of the shower... who takes the flowers? This eliminated all of that. Each guest (and host) was able to make her own bouquet and leave with something they can enjoy for the next week or so!
To create the bouquet bar, we moved all the food serving pieces off our main dining table. We pulled the flowers from the other table (and the smaller arrangements we had around the house), displayed them all together on the table, and this is the result: stunning!
It's not an original idea, so I'm not going to toot our own horns here, but it was a HIT! Guests were delighted to not only leave with a beautiful bouquet, but they had fun making their own combining their favorites from our selection. I won't lie about the fact that Lollie's garden saved us budget-wise. Her hydrangeas are always the showstopper, so we didn't have to buy those. Everything else was purchased at Trader Joe's and the roses were a random find at Kroger (they had a special... $6 for a dozen roses). All in, we spent less than $100 on the flowers alone and we had a table full!
Once the guests rounded the table making their bouquets, we put them in a plastic baggie (the non-zipper kind) and wrapped them in brown paper that we had previously cut into squares. We finished them by tying a white ribbon around them. Beautiful!
A couple helpful hints:
-have a pair of scissors and a trashcan by the table for flower arranging (as you can see in the pictures, we kept the flowers all different lengths and heights for variation. We cut the stems equal lengths after their bouquets were made)
-we ordered the brown kraft paper on a roll and then cut it into squares. We also had the ribbon pre-cut so everything was ready for assembly!
Bouquet Bar musts (links):
gallon size plastic baggies (non-zip)
Other shower musts:
-glass dinner plates (we can't live without these. We use them for nearly every shower or party. Another family member has the dessert size, so we often borrow each others for the complete set)
-square dessert plates (we use these just as often!)
-stemless champagne flutes (consider these a must to have on hand. They are the only champagne flutes I use anyways, but to have a bulk set has come to the rescue for showers and parties)
-floral napkins (we wanted to stick the garden/tea party theme so we went with a floral napkin for lunch)
-white cocktail napkins (stock up on these! You will always have a need for them! We served dessert on the square glass plates with this napkin. A basic and classic at the same time)
Lollie being the creative she is made a bouquet and tucked it into her moss bowl (see how we made these here). There is a small cup of water hidden underneath.
We hope this makes hosting your next shower less overwhelming! We made this as over the top as we could without breaking the bank. Let us know if you need help!