As a new member to Tallahassee I was honored to be asked to help host a wedding shower for a co-worker and friend of mine. Honestly, my house is made to host parties – especially of the garden variety – because of the way our house and lawn is set up. This couple in particular has been so welcoming to my family as transients to Tallahassee. They also have helped babysit my children and I am thankful to have found such a wonderful house for events like this. I was lucky enough to be able to host with my friends, Merritt (with her catering company Merritt’s Munchies) and Becca. It was really a lovely party and I am thankful for how it turned out.
Invitation – The invitation was created by our own Lauren James, of course! This invitation isn’t new – but is certainly one of my favorites. It is whimsical, creative, and so fun! Not to mention how fun Lawn and Garden showers are… this invite is the perfect one to add to your stationary list.
Menu – Our menu was out of this world thanks primarily to Merritt’s Munchies who came up with the menu. Nothing is better than home cooked items that don’t come from a store. Our goal was to have fresh heavy appetizers that were also delicious and I definitely think we accomplished that.
- On the main table we had cheesy kielbasa, shrimp salsa, baby BLTs, jalapeno popper dip, buffalo chicken pinwheels, and chicken nuggets
- On the side tables we had boiled peanuts and charcuterie
- For dessert we had lemon strawberry cupcakes, s’mores cups , and chocolate flower pops
Décor – We kept our décor pretty simple. We knew we would have about 100 guests so there really wasn’t a need for all kinds of fancy décor. We kept things simple with using mostly whites and greens. I used field flowers for center pieces in mason jars. I also made chocolate flower pops in stands for centerpieces as well. We also used the hostess’ gift – a wheelbarrow – to hold the gifts as well. I think it came together so tastefully and everyone seemed happy. Honestly, it was mostly so easy because I had other ladies to bounce ideas off of and help pick out items in order to complete the look for the party.
Things I Learned – After hosting a party I try really hard to learn from mistakes to improve upon the next one. I also reflect on the good things in the hopes that I remember them for future events.
Things to improve upon – Hosting a party in August in Florida is soo hot!! My A/C didn’t stand a chance. Luckily everyone understood and were still having a good time. Secondly more beer and less wine. Buying drinks can sometimes be tricky and usually I have tons of extra – but I would have been better off with more beer. I could never have enough ice for the temperature it was outside!
Things that went well – Hosting with others is really a blast and I should try to do it more often. Having the food and drinks spread about the house really helped with the flow of people. Even though we had tons of food I am glad that we had so much because no one had the excuse to leave hungry.
I love how this party turned out! It was so fun and a great way to kick of the showers for this wonderful couple! I look forward to continuing to help them celebrate until their wedding day. I am also thankful for such great friends in this city who allow me to essentially join their families. This party really helped provide visibility to how far we have come in this community. Also, I can’t wait to throw another lawn and garden shower like this one! It really was beautiful and so fun!!
Lauren Cop is a SAHM (Stay At Home Mom) of Irish Twins and Senior writer/editor of 
the Olive Shoe Blog. Currently Lauren and her family live in Tallahassee, FL where she helps teach at a local pre-school. A Clemson fanatic, alumni and general sports enthusiast. She loves reading, gardening, food, and traveling. Follow her Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest.
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Lauren {LAC} James is a Sr. Designer of Product Graphics for an international manufacturing company by day and a creativity crusader, designer, planner extraordinaire, artist and blogger in her “free” time. Follow her and The Olive Shoe on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest or Instagram! Pleasesubscribe to receive emails, of course, come back and visit again soon!
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