Recently my sweet nephew got married. And like I explained in my
Titanic Themed Rehearsal Dinner post, not only is he extra special, he's just like a son to me. Now besides the rehearsal dinner, there's just not a lot for the mother of the groom to do. And certainly not a lot for the grandmother of the groom, the great aunt of the groom, or the cousins of the groom to do. So I decided to throw a brunch for the ladies in our family to celebrate his big day. My cousins were here from out of state, and basically all the women from the groom's side of the family were included. I even invited my friend Courtney, who is a make-up artist, and my friend Britani who is a hairstylist to come and help make us all beautiful. It was pouring rain outside, but inside the house was bright with food, fun and laughter. With my nephew and Mr. Devilish Dish out of the house, we transformed it into a giant beauty parlor and had loads of fun. I used both my dining room, and breakfast room as well as setting up a large folding table in the living area. I cleared off the bar and added a lighted make-up mirror. We took turns sitting on the bar stools and letting Courtney make us look awesome. We used the guest bathroom as the hairstyling center where Britani worked her magic on our hair. On the large folding table I used a disposable plastic table cloth so folks could eat or paint their nails without a mess. The table in the dining room was decorated with family wedding pictures and all kinds of beauty products that doubled as the party favors. Everyone had a blast reminiscing over the old family photos. I used the table in my breakfast room for serving an array of brunch items and I brought in my Coca-Cola Summer Drink Station from the patio and served bottled Cokes, Diet Cokes and Mimosas. We had a fantastic, relaxing day together. It allowed us to spend time together as a family since that's what coming together for Cade's special day was really all about. Plus we enjoyed a little pampering as well!
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A great way to get the ladies together and celebrate a special day! |
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Here's the invitations I sent out. The spa brunch was really just for family and close friends, and invitations weren't really necessary, but I needed a cute way to get the info about the make-up services out to everyone. |
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I've included the invitation blank as a FREE PRINTABLE for you. Click on the image to enlarge. Right click and save to your computer. Open with the software of your choice and print. These images are my exclusive artwork. Please be courteous when using these printables and remember they are for personal use only. |
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Here it is entirely blank for you, in case you'd like to have a spa party that isn't wedding day themed. |
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I wanted the brunch to have a wedding theme, and I used vintage family wedding photos. Not only was it a great way to honor some family members who are no longer with us, but a beautiful tribute to the lasting love in our family. Not one of these couples were ever divorced and several were married 50+ years. I got a variety of gold and silver finish frames at Dollar Tree. The quality isn't super good, but for a one-time use project like this, they worked great. My mom even took the framed photos home with her after the party. She has them displayed on her entry table now. |
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In addition to decorating with the fun family photos, I used my beautiful candelabras. They belonged to my great aunt (who is pictured on the far left.) They proudly sit on my dining table year round. I just change the candles according to holiday or season. For the wedding brunch I used cream colored candles. The tablecloth is a fancy, sheer tablecloth that my mom uses for special occasions like showers, wedding receptions and anniversary parties. It provided the glamor I was looking for. |
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I also decorate this table with my collection of vintage bride and groom cake toppers. (There really isn't anything I DON'T collect. I've been randomly hoarding these for sometime, and finally had an occasion to use them.) Also the photo pictured front and center is the groom's grandparents. Aren't they adorable? It was really fun looking at all of these photos and Little Devil got a kick out of the varying wedding dress styles. |
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I used my prettiest crystal bowls and silver platters to display a variety of masks, and other beauty items for the guests to use. I wanted everyone to come in their comfy clothes and enjoy a day of pampering. |
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Who says you can't use a gorgeous bowl to hold cotton balls? The best part is most of these bowls and platters were wedding gifts from MY wedding. |
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I provided little packages of tissues. I assumed everyone would be crying. If you understood how important Cade is to our family, you would know it was a little hard to let him go. He's very much loved by all of the women who attended to brunch! |
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I found this groovy gold cake stand at an estate sale recently. It was perfect for holding a variety of nail polish products for the guests. |
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A glass vase made a great holder for these colorful emery boards I found at Dollar Tree. The tubes of hand cream doubled as party favors too! I also displayed the Sign the Wine Bottle from the Rehearsal Dinner the night before. That way anyone who missed out signing it at the rehearsal was able to add their sentiments for the bride and groom. The wine is to be opened and enjoyed on their first anniversary. Finally I included printed instructions with directions to the wedding locale, as well as parking information for the out of town guests. |
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I used my breakfast room table for serving a variety of brunch foods. My kitchen and breakfast room are Mickey-Mouse themed and the colors are red, black and yellow. It seemed only natural to carry that theme on to the table. |
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Here's the table all set the night before. I used a plain black tablecloth and borrowed the glass plates and forks from my mom. Almost all of my serving pieces are red or black, so they looked great with the decor. |
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For the centerpiece I used the cake topper from MY wedding cake. It's usually on display in my china cabinet but stuck on a black wooden candlestick made a fun, appropriate centerpiece. I've had over 20 awesome years with Mr. Devilish Dish. How can you not set out on the road to happiness when you start off with Mickey and Minnie on your wedding cake?!? |
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I also included this adorable perpetual calendar. It normally sits on my bar, but I cleared everything off for Courtney to do the makeovers. I thought having the wedding date accented was a cute touch. And yes, My oh my, it was a wonderful day! |
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I used my gorgeous black cake stand with glass dome to serve Raspberry Sweet Rolls. I can't even begin to describe how delicious these are. You can find the recipe HERE. |
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We also enjoyed South of the Border Chicken Salad Sandwiches. A huge hit. Easy to prepare and totally different. Try them for your next brunch or as an appetizer at your next party. You can find the recipe HERE. |
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Caprese Skewers are like a Caprese Salad on a Stick! Cherry tomatoes, fresh basil, mozzarella pearls and cheese tortellini make a fun, colorful appetizer. Served on a skewer for a delicious twist. You can find the recipe HERE. |
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No brunch would be complete without fruit salad. This is my mom's version and it's so yummy. Fresh fruit and canned pie filling combine to make a super simple, but fabulous fruit salad. You can find the recipe HERE.
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Deviled Eggs are one of my favorite party foods. I don't know anyone who doesn't enjoy a good deviled egg. I thought they would help balance out the number of sweet and savory dishes nicely. This version is my very favorite, and you can find the recipe HERE.
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My great aunt Nona was famous for her Apricot Nectar Cake. Since her daughter and granddaughters were here, I wanted to make "THE CAKE." Turning it into cake balls was an awesome twist on a family favorite. You can find the recipe HERE. |
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I used Aunt Nona's sewing cabinet turned drink station to serve the beverages. I originally planned to have this outside on the patio. I worked so hard to clean the patio and get the yard ready for the party. And 72-hours before party time we had a tornado. And 12-hours before party time we had a massive hail storm. But the show must go on. I simply moved the drink station inside, locked that patio door, and we partied on. |
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Mimosas and bottled Cokes and Diet Cokes. You can read all about how I re-purposed this sewing cabinet into a Coca-Cola Themed Summer Drink Station HERE. On my kitchen counter I served coffee, and provided sugar, cream and a variety of flavored creamers. | |
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I used one of my tailgate tables in the living area. I placed the dining chairs and the chairs from my breakfast table around it. This gave everyone a place to eat and paint their nails. A disposable tablecloth insured the tabletop remained fingernail polish free, although I doubt anyone would notice at our tailgates. |
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I made a fun centerpiece for this table using the stems from silk flowers and a bunch of colored shower poofs. I filled the vase with glass marbles and stuck the "Poof Flowers" inside. It made a bright, silly centerpiece that went right along with the spa theme. I found these bright, leopard spotted hand mirrors at Dollar Tree and added those all along the table. That way all the gals could admire their beauty.
I have this neat manicure thing that I use on my hands at night. I love it so much I bought my mom and aunt one last year for Mother's Day. It's like a heating pad that you slip your hands into. You coat your hands with lotion, put on a pair of rubber gloves and slip them inside for a few minutes. It's so comfortable and relaxing. The idea is the heat opens up the pores in your skin and allows it to absorb the moisturizer. I'm obsessed with NOT having "old lady hands" so I use the heck out of this thing. I put out a little basket of rubber gloves and plugged that sucker in. All of the ladies enjoyed giving it a try.
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Here's Little Devil painting her Grandmother's nails. This is exactly what I wanted this day to be about. Family. |
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Here's one of the few pictures I'm "allowed" to show you. Most of them have everyone getting their hair or make up done, or with no make up at all. So I promised I would not post those on the blog. But as you can see from my sweet Devilish Assistant Emily's smiling face, everyone had a wonderful time. |
Yeah I read your Titanic Themed Rehearsal Dinner post and it was very interesting. I was so obsessed with that. And now reading this spa brunch post was just like icing on the cake. Anyway, at some garden party venues Chicago I am also going to tie the knot soon and will organize Rehearsal Dinner too!
ReplyDeleteGood Luck and Congratulations! I really enjoyed planning both events and the Titanic Theme was a big hit!
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