To say we’re obsessed with Steph of SS LIFE + STYLE is putting it lightly. She’s one of our favorite ladies in the blogosphere and today we’re lucky enough to peek inside her insanely pretty Toronto bridal shower. Inside the gallery from annawithlove you’ll find dreamy tablescapes, cascading florals, and a dessert bar worth drooling over. Want to get the look? Read on for Steph’s tips to create a photo-worthy bridal shower.
From SS LIFE + STYLE… Hosted by my mother Voula, we celebrated my bridal shower at my favorite restaurant in Toronto, Colette Grand Café, on a sunny spring morning in April. I couldn’t help myself but to get involved with planning my shower (even though it isn’t always customary to do so), but any excuse to plan something pretty with my favorite vendors and I am in! Blame it on the blogger in me, but creating and styling pretty vignettes is just pure happiness! Since our upcoming wedding will be all black and white, this was my time to have fun with feminine details and a rose palette.
Upon arrival, guests were greeted with mimosas – fitting for a bridal brunch! The light poured in to the windows of the pavilion on the gorgeous sunny morning, illuminating the room.
Each guest was seated at long harvest marble tables, laced with calligraphy place cards and customized menus to match the invitations created by Paper & Poste. The florist, Lisa Gray of Sweet Woodruff, created a gorgeous tablescape of candles, peonies, garden roses and foliage. I love that Lisa of Sweetwoodruff pulled inspiration for the décor from the invitations created by Paper & Poste – including my love for blooms, rose gold and grey. We took advantage of the beautiful bouffet wall unit inside the pavilion and incorporated it into the décor, styling my favorite photos of my fiancé Neal and I, printed in black and white to personalize the space. Lisa brought the shelf to life with gorgeous, elaborate arrangements in rose gold vases, which gave it such a lush feel.
Fresh Blooms | Flowers are a must! It makes any vignette that much more photogenic and adds natural beauty and fragrance. How to incorporate it: centerpieces, giveaways, cake topper, flower crowns, garlands – go wild! No one will ever say, “there were too many flowers” because there is no such thing! *Wink*
All in the details… | Paying attention to the little details like place cards, menu etc. can really personalize your event. Take up a calligraphy class with your bridesmaids and make a fun night out of creating your shower place cards, or find cute a printable online!
Just the Right Light | Choose a venue or space that has a lot of natural light and windows for your event. This will aid in better photography and make all of your décor and hard work look gorgeous!
Something Sweet | Your cake or sweet table can be used just as much as part of your décor, as it is to feed your guests! I have always loved naked cakes and macaron towers, but you can include any kind of sweets (maybe it’s homemade pies with cute toppers, or cake in a jar with glitter spoons etc.). I kept all of the sweets white to fit in with the décor and personally reflect my style, and requested my favorite flowers to decorate around them. They weren’t just something to eat; they were also pieces of art to look at!
[dotted]
From Sweet Woodruff… We wanted the look to be soft, sophisticated and feminine so we started with a simple and muted colour palette of white, blush and grey. We incorporated natural oatmeal and blush colored linens to complement the beautiful French Bistro setting.
For the tablescape we scattered delicate glass and rose gold bud vases filled with soft romantic spring flowers like lilac, peonies, roses and pieris down the table.
To complete the look we layered lush garden-inspired arrangements in the bookshelf as a focal point.
Guests enjoyed a delicious three-course brunch – a choice of quinoa pudding or salad for appetizer, followed by a choice of lemon ricotta pancakes, omelet or grilled turkey club on a pretzel bun. A sweet ending included fresh fruit and fine petite cakes. Following this was a delightful moment with the firecracker candle on the gorgeous “naked cake” created by The Wedding Cake Shoppe. We went with a carrot cake with cream cheese icing – my favorite, accompanied by delicious vanilla macaroons, plucked off the two towers on the sweet table made in-house by Colette.
In between foamy latte sips, mimosa clinks and brunch chatter – my mother, who invited my mother-in-law and myself up with her, so sweetly thanked everyone for coming and offered a bit of wisdom with a toast. My mother (also known as my “momager” – thank you, Kris Jenner) has been with me every step of the way in my wedding process, always making it enjoyable and helping me put together all the details. The shower was our day to just relax and soak it all in.
My groom-to-be, Neal, popped in at the end, with beautiful roses for both of our mothers and myself – a gentleman always! Sweet Woodruff also set up a beautiful “flower market” inspired station for guests to take away as gratitude, tied with a thank you note from myself, created by Paper & Poste. My love for blooms (especially Parisian flower markets) runs deep and I wanted to lace this through every detail of the shower, from the invites to the tablescape to the giveaways.
It meant so much to me to have all the women I love in one room, taking time out of their day to shower me. I felt truly grateful, especially to my sweet friend, Anna of annawithlove photography (who is 7 months pregnant at that!), for capturing the day for me in such a beautiful way.
Photography: annawithlove | Floral Design: Sweet Woodruff | Dress: Mrs. Self-Portrait | Cake: The Wedding Cake Shoppe | Invitations: Paper & Poste | Makeup: Debbie Sioutis | Hair: Manny Dimi | Venue: Colette Grand Cafe | Blogger Bride: Stephanie Sterjovski | Macaron Towers: Colette Grand Cafe | Menus: Paper & Poste | Place Cards: Paper & Poste