The Sex and the City Bridal Shower

My maid of honor suggested the theme of Sex and the City for my wedding shower. After all, what a perfect theme for a New York journalist, who met her future husband on a NYC subway, no?

The Decor:

Our girly, skyline invitations requested that everyone dress as a character from SATC, some copied the flirty outfits others went all out and put birthmarks on their faces or came in sexy lingerie. I went as Carrie, wearing my similar gold Tara necklace that I got when I was 10 (I'm Italian) and I wore a poofy Carrie-like ballerina skirt with Capri leggings underneath, I also styled my hair in waves.

We printed out stickers with each character's face on them saying "I'm a Charlotte" etc. so that the guests could pick and stick on the character that fitted them the most. Charlotte was the most popular followed by Samantha then Carrie, sadly there wasn't one friend dressed as Miranda.

We had an official Sex and the City movie poster on the sliding door so that it was viewable from the outside tent and tables, bright flower, cheap cloth table runners, pink roses and pink, silver and black balloons anchored by sexy pumps and stilettos. After all, "decorations, from the simple to the elaborate, can transform a regular setting into a place of celebration," writes author Jennifer Adams of Wedding Showers. Oh, and of course lots of martini glasses were on display and for cocktails. Plus, Sex and the City DVD was playing on loop inside on the TV for an extra touch as those went in to refresh. 

Cocktails & Cupcakes

For drinks we had a fountain bubbling out pink lemonade and vodka, which looked like Cosmopolitan’s when poured into a martini glass, but not as strong for an afternoon party, although they were lethal in its ability to mask the taste of the alcohol. We also had wine and champagne and placed flower designed Wine-O cards around their necks for added decoration, which I first heard about over at Hostess With The Mostess. For dessert, we of course had Magnolia NY cupcakes and some awesomely designed ones from Sweet in Boston with little edible emblems with shoes and handbags on them added to the frosting.

The Favors

The Bridal Association of America estimates that the average couple spends over $400 on favors for their guests!

"Favors are such an easy thing to do, and they make the shower much more memorable. It's fun to send your guest off with their own memento from the party," writes Adams.

Well, my guests got more than just one memento, but several flirty and fun gifts that matched the overall theme. I probably did more favors for the shower than I am doing for the wedding, but then again the shower was only around 25 people and the wedding is 150.

First item in the favor bags, that my bridesmaids and I stuffed, were Cosmopolitan jelly beans in a cool tin from Beau-coup Wedding Favors, they also sell Bellini, mojito and lemon drop flavors as well. Way better than doing boring mints. Jelly beans are the new mints ;)

Next up was the ZookHooks quality purse hangers, which hang from a table and hold on to your purse so it doesn't touch the dirty ground. I was skeptical of how it would work, but it can hold purses up to 20 pounds, which is good in my case and now I use my hook at work for some added glitz. Anyway, I couldn't wait to give them out to my fashionable friends and they come in a velour pouch.

I loved the vintage designs on the tiny lip balm tins from Pin Up Balm - All Natural Lip Care ($4), each flavor came with a different glamorous retro pinup girl on it. I kept a Voluptuous Vanilla for myself and gave out their assorted flavors randomly in the bags.

Oh we're not done yet, I also had two very SATC favors for my girls from MyWeddingFavors.com -- a mini martini gel candle (I love gel candles and we were going to give away martini glasses as a favor so this accomplished both and more uniquely) and a chic leather stiletto key chain. I love the idea that the candle might appear on their dresser or desk and the key chain will be on their keys always reminding people of the fun day and our friendship. What's especially great about these two gifts is that they come in cute black and white boxes already and with hanging Thank You tags, thus the work was done.

For my bridesmaids:

For my awesome bridesmaids, after I opened my gifts I called all of them up to join me and presented them with a little thank you by giving them personalized bow pads with their names on it and a Thank You note written by me.

Bridal Shower & Bachelorette Party Games:

We did a how well you know your fiance game, personalized bingo boards during the Shower and the Guess the Panties games the night before during the bachelortte party.