At my upcoming nuptials, I’m not having bridesmaids (hypothesis: no one my age wants to be a bridesmaid.)
WanderMan and I haven’t registered anywhere. We’ve each lived on our own long enough to have functional kitchenware. We’ve requested that guests wish to give us a gift, we’d love donations to our favorite nonprofits or something for the ol’ liquor (er, hospitality) cabinet. So I figured I’d forfeited my option for a bridal shower.
But when my friend and colleague Pam insisted on throwing a backyard party in my honor, I couldn’t resist.
Guests were asked to wear a vintage frock and to prepare to decorate cupcakes and sip cocktails.
The deck was decked with tea lights blinking in mason jars (I’ve been gathering mason jars for reception decorations all summer, and Pam picked up on the theme). As we sat in the cool night air, a friend asked me how WanderMan proposed (at one of our favorite restaurants, a few days after I caught him trying to measure my ring finger with a tape measure from a jewelry store). A few other friends told stories about proposals (a failed but noble attempt to train a cat with the engagement ring on its collar; a walk by a fountain, a soft ultimatum, a serenade through an attic window).
My vintage find was a maxi dress from Carousel, one of my favorite stores in Spokane. I don’t usually go for maxi dresses. So many of them are blousy and shapeless. They might be cool for summer, but I feel as though I’m wearing a bag. I liked this maxi because it’s so structured, fitted up top with a long, quilted skirt. I wore it to a wedding earlier this summer, and the bride assured me that I was visible from space.
The store owner speculated that it’s a hostess dress. Why the quilted skirt, we wondered. In case your upper body is warm, but your legs get cool? (This did come in handy while sitting outside). Is the quilted skirt a protective layer against the heat of a laptop?
I loved Pam’s idea of decorating cupcakes as party favors. I didn’t get artsy with careful stars and flowers from tubes of buttercream frosting. Rather I relied on the cute toothpicks to do most of the work for me. But the sweetness was unmistakable.