A Couple’s Shower

The bride and groom (my grandson) requested a picnic-themed couple’s shower. I was happy to oblique because, well, who doesn’t love a picnic and who doesn’t love a sweet, engaged couple and who won’t do practically anything for a grandchild. So, the planning began.

First, the couple sent me a pic from Pinterest as an inspiration. Wait! You might say. You’re giving them a shower and they are telling you what they want! Is that okay???

I’ve mentioned this before, but there are many wedding traditions that we all grew up with that are simply not deemed essential today. One of those traditions was that close family members are not to hold the shower for the couple. It was thought that the mother or grandmother of the bride or groom shouldn’t hold a shower because it shouldn’t appear that the family is asking for gifts. But, like a lot of things, that tradition is very old school. It’s fine for parents and grandparents to host a shower the couple. I have a theory about why this has changed, but I have no idea if I am correct. Perhaps it’s because communities are no longer as connected as they once were and neighbors don’t know their neighbors, plus fewer people attend church, so family, today, does what neighbors or church members used to do. I don’t know. It’s just a guess, but maybe. In any case, I’m here to tell you it’s okay to host a shower for your family. And I was happy to host this couple’s shower for Asa and Bailey. 

Now back to the shower plans.

I have the best family in the world, so I asked a few of them to help me host and they were happy to do so. All the food was provided by my siblings, children, aunts, in-laws and mom. Homecooked food is the best, after all. Since it was a picnic, I wanted picnic food, but since it was a couple’s shower, I wanted more than chicken salad and fruit which the girls would love, but the guys would have headed to Taco Bell on the way home. Here’s the menu. Ham and cheese sliders provided by my sister. Chicken salad from my mom.  Pulled pork from Korie and Willie (mostly Willie). Chips and dip from my sister-in-law and an aunt. Fruit tray from my aunt. This was our main menu and gave us plenty of substantial plus the fruit and chicken salad for the ladies. 

For dessert, my daughter, who lives in Puerto Rico provided the cutest Asa and Bailey cookies, my mom made tiny pecan pies (YUM) and my aunt made a wedding-type cookie. For extra fun, I filled cups with Skinny Pop popcorn and put them in a basket. I also bought fruit bars (fancy popsicles), put them in a white Styrofoam ice box, tied a purple (wedding color) bow around it and labeled it Fruit Bars. This was perfect for a hot September day. One more added treat, just for fun, was a small snow cone machine. I typed up and printed clear instructions, with the first instruction being “please ask an adult for help”, put ice in another small white Styrofoam ice chest, then left it and didn’t worry about it. It was fun watching teens and adults make their own snow cone and, of course, the kids loved it the most! 

Decorating was fun too, but I must admit, I was very lucky in this category as my daughter, Korie, has recently decorated for two amazing weddings so she had plenty of to pull from. We used rugs and crates and old doors and picnic tables and tablecloths to create a beautiful and welcoming space for our guests. For pictures, my friend, Lindsey, who also works with Korie, had a backdrop she had made and allowed us to borrow. She is the absolute best and I couldn’t have done this without her! She helped me every step of the way. I gave into the balloon arch craze because it is the cutest and found one at Hobby Lobby. I had never done one before, but since I can’t blow up even one balloon, knew I needed help so I purchased a balloon blow up machine. WELL WORTH THE INVESTMENT! Here’s a link if you need one. So good! Amazon.com: PCFING Electric Air Balloon Pump and Balloon Tying Tool in One, Portable Dual Nozzle Electric Balloon Blower Air Pump Balloons Inflator with Tying Tool on Pump for Decoration, Party and Save Time : Toys & Games

It’s right up there with the “water balloon blowup thing” for BEST INVENTION OF THE YEAR AWARD in my opinion—spoken like a true party-giver. 

Anyway, the decorations were fun and super sweet. I did have some activities set out like a yard tic-tac- toe game and corn hole, but everyone just enjoyed sitting around and visiting, which is always a win. 

I must tell you about my biggest mistake. I was so proud of myself for creating the sweetest picnic blanket for our couple. I used yarn like it was embroidery thread and embroidered the word “Picnic Forever” on the front of the blanket and in the corner, I put Asa (heart) Bailey. It wasn’t until after the party I realized I misspelled the word PICNIC. How crazy is that!!!? I can’t tell you how many times I looked at that blanket in the weeks leading up to the shower. I showed dozens of people, and no one notice the word PINIC, with no C in it!!! Oh well, I guess that means we can make a few mistakes in life and most people won’t even notice. 

I hope you enjoy the pics and maybe got a few ideas for your next SUNSET PICNIC (spelled correctly, lol). 

Hugs, Chrys