A personal favorite in planning Caroline’s Bridal Shower was creating the décor. My concept was simple: retro everything. How hard could it be? The challenge was to find out how to turn a modern-day home into a beautiful retro setting on a small budget. Because, let’s face it, we weren't going to keep most of this stuff around for day-to-day use.
With my penny-pinching mentality, I thought: Why waste a few dollars buying new items that I already knew my grandmothers had tucked away? Step one became raiding my grandmothers' cupboards, particularly the back or highest shelves that hadn't been touched in years, to find unique items that they’ve had forever. I looked for anything that you could no longer buy to add some authentic retro style.
I grabbed an old mixer from one grandmother, and decided it wouldn’t be interesting enough for the largest table’s centerpiece on its on. So, I put some floral foam in the bowl and added plastic flowers. I thought about doing all different types for more of a true arrangement, but ultimately decided that the cheesiest plastic roses were perfect, because they would have been true to the kitch-loving era that I’m attempting to emulate.
A Unique Take on Retro-Inspired Bridal Shower Decor with the help of our family friend, Marianne
Supporting accessories included rolling pins, cheese graters, cookie cutters, flour sifters, a cabbage splicer . . . The list goes on!
Of course, more plastic flowers were required to transform it from kitchen clutter to decorative masterpiece! Then I did some creative grouping of the items to make it all feel more intentional and designed.
A peek into the dining and living rooms turned into the location for our Luncheon
Since we were planning a small buffet-type lunch, we didn’t need full-scale table settings. Instead, we opted to just keep the plates at the buffet, and have the tables pre-set with napkins and silverware. We continued our “retro” scheme by pulling out the real silver, but made it modern with the napkins, which were appropriately full of quotations about the irony of life for the “retro” woman.
Layering Paper Napkins with my Mother's Silver represented the Perfect Irony of the Day's Festivities
To make my designs come full circle, we took inspiration from the cookie cutters for the party favors . . . check out these high-heeled favors!
Don't forget to take a cookie cutter as you leave so you can go home, wear your pearls, and bake for your husband! (Or get a little bit creative with your break n' bake post-girls-only brunch. *wink*
