Marryin' Martello: The Bridal Shower

This is my favorite picture of Marion and Bobby. It was taken YEARS before they started dating!

This past weekend we celebrated our dear friend, Marion, at a ladies' bridal luncheon held here in Atlanta. The eight bridesmaids hosted the shower in my building's club room, and while my condo building may have strict rules with respect to parking, signing in, etc., the club room itself is actually quite spacious and perfectly fit our needs.

We drew our inspiration for Marion's shower from the lovely flowers that have started popping up in manicured yards and farmer's markets alike. Mixing these beautiful flowers with silver and glass serving pieces made for an elegant brunch, if I do say so myself.

Our friend Beth (and her fiance, Cameron - must give credit where credit is due!) came up with the most clever hashtag - Marryin' Martello - which played upon Marion's name and her new last name. She had the phrase printed onto some frosted plastic cups which turned out beautifully! She carried the floral design featured on the cups to the DIY mimosa bar, where we served chilled prosecco, fresh berries, and carafes filled with a variety of juices.

We kept the food simple yet elegant, keeping in mind that ladies prefer to lightly lunch at events like this and are not looking to chow down on mounds of sausage and bacon. I prepared a light apple, pecan, and feta cheese spring salad to provide a touch of green to the table. I whipped up some homemade honey apple dressing to go with it and added some pan-cooked bacon to give the salad a touch of meat without being too heavy. I also dove into the world of cheese grits, borrowing a recipe from the one and only Southern Living. This grits casserole can be prepared the night before, which is a necessary quality when your time is so precious the day of an event. I'd also like to give a special shout out to my mother, who prepared her world-famous cheese straws and shipped them to Atlanta for the shower. They were a huge hit!

Beth took over the main entree, preparing two breakfast casseroles that were absolutely delicious! The red peppers and the fresh rosemary added beautiful color, texture, and taste to the casseroles as well, a far cry from my own breakfast casseroles which always turn out looking like a brown mass of baked cheese. To round out the food offerings, Callie prepared an adorable biscuit bar with three different spreads, as well as fruit skewers and yogurt parfaits in mini dessert shot glasses.

We pre-set the tables with glass plates and silverware, adorning each plate with a cornflower blue napkin and favor bags filled with homemade heart-shaped sugar cookies prepared by another hostess, Sophie. Callie's grandmother made some beautiful runners for each table, which were topped with bud vases brimming with vibrant, fresh flowers. Callie herself arranged the flowers gracing the food table, which were absolutely breathtaking!

After lunch we all gathered around to watch Marion open her gifts. I definitely made a mental note of the items that I liked! Before we knew it, the shower was over and all that remained was to clean up and distribute the flowers. We all had a great time throwing this party for our sweet, lovely friend, and we are looking forward to her wedding this summer!

Ashes, Kangaroos, Maracas, and Cameras

Happy Wednesday, G&G readers! Please excuse my blogging hiatus - between a two-week work conference, a time-sensitive year-end audit, hosting a bridal shower for 40 people, and seeing my husband off to Australia, it has been quite the busy few weeks!

Here's a rundown of what's been happening. 

Ash Wednesday - Did you get your ashes? 

Matt went to Australia and New Zealand for two weeks as part of his MBA program's international requirements. I was quite jealous to say the least...He also managed to somehow take approximately 10 pictures, all of which were of Hobbiton, the Hobbit village set used in the Lord of the Rings and the Hobbit...sigh.

This kangaroo is not feeling the group picture

I hosted a fiesta-themed couple's shower, along with four of my St. Agnes buddies, for our dear friends Beth and Cameron who are getting married in August. We utilized the club room in my building and had about 40 guests attend - definitely the largest party I have ever hosted at my house! The decorations were cute and festive and everyone loved the spread of Mexican treats (especially the churros!).

I spent the two weeks that Matt was in Australia in a departmental conference at the W. I had so much fun meeting some of our international counterparts, having some of the most senior Company executives come speak to us, and celebrating at the end-of-conference costume party. 

The theme of the costume party was "Historical Figures," which most of us took in a very broad sense. Even though she is still alive, I chose Mia Hamm as my historical figure in homage to the upcoming Women's World Cup and for everything Mia did to pave the way for Women's Soccer. #1N1T

Lastly, we picked up my birthday present last night just in time for our trip to Asheville tomorrow...

I have really wanted a nice DSLR camera for some time and I figured no time like the present! I have a lot of research to do on the different camera settings...photography jargon is like a foreign language! Here's to hoping for an upgrade in the pictures that will grace the future posts of G&G!