Sisters in Bloom

Written by Taryn King

The youngest of 8 sisters, Hannah Re of Laurel, DE, recalls some of her best childhood memories—the elaborate play scenes and tea parties that her older sister Rose, often surprised them with as they were growing up. Throwing a bridal shower for Hannah was the perfect opportunity for Rose to recreate one last, elegant tea party.

With an English garden party theme, pulling out their Granny's old China tea set and dinnerware from storage fit the motif perfectly in white with silver trim and dainty blue flowers. A menu full of colors and floral additions were used to create an artistically stunning spread — “I baked flowers onto sugar cookies, had them floating in the pineapple mango punch, and decorated the strawberry cake with petals,” said Rose.

Rose also included a few games during the event to keep things light and fun, “I put romance movie quotes from some of our favorite movies onto slips of paper. We took turns pulling quotes from a bowl and reading them aloud for others to guess what movie it was from.” Having all 8 sisters in attendance—and stunning in their shower attire—presented the perfect (and sweetly comical) opportunity to loosely recreate a favorite scene from the 2005 film, Pride & Prejudice; in which the Bennet sisters all fall into posed place with their mother’s cry of “Everybody behave naturally!” upon the unexpected arrival of their gentleman admirers.

Add a little Vitamin String Quartet for background ambience, and stunning floral arrangements by Little Miss Lovely of Bishopville, MD, and the overall aesthetic was both bright and soft, colorful, yet elegant.

For your own tea party inspired bridal shower, create a feast for the eyes and mouth with light finger foods, and nosh on tasty tidbits such as bowls of ripe fruit, a refreshing mosaic salad of tomato, cucumber watermelon, and feta, or crostini topped with herbed cheese, crisp cucumber, and smoked salmon. 

Vintage (or inspired) glassware and serving dishes work well for garden themes, and with a variety of colors and patterns available, you can add unexpected contrast or simply coordinate with your existing scheme. Add in luxurious textures such as velvet in your couches and napkins, or linen and cheesecloth table runners.

Finally, don’t underestimate the power of trailing florals and greenery. Consider color palettes with bright peach, buttery yellows, cornflower blue, periwinkle purple, and glowing pinks to keep things delicate but vibrant!

Featured Vendors:

Flowers - Little Miss Lovely

Rentals - Heirloom & Bloom