April Showers Bring...

June weddings! On Sunday, my Aunt J hosted a bridal shower for me at Alice's Tea Cup on Manhattan's Upper East Side, kicking off Day Two of my bridal weekend extravaganza.  The place was adorable.  In case you didn't get it from the name, it's an Alice-In-Wonderland themed tea house that was just the cutest thing ever!

For some unknown reason, the sidewalk in front was decorated with chalk.  It wasn't for me but it made for a fun picture.

The best part about the shower was that I pretty much had zero hand in planning it, making everything a total surprise.  My aunt did these really pretty favor bags from Pottery Barn that held a small glass vase in a little basket with a package of tea (since it was a tea house) in each one.

She even had ribbon printed with my name and date on it to decorate the bags!

Look at what greeted me when I walked into the entry of the party:

A whole mess of presents! Given my obsession with (both giving and getting) presents, you all know I was pumped to see that pile :)

When I made my way to my spot, I was greeted with this absurdly massive tea cup. It's hard to tell without a person for scale in this picture but that thing is the size of a large mixing bowl.  I love it! 

My amazing MOH Pip started things off with a fun ice breaker game: She had the names of famous couples written on name tags and everyone got one to put on their backs, without looking at who they were.  The idea was to ask yes or no questions to try and figure out who you were, then find your match.  The first pair to find each other won a prize. It was really fun and good way to chat with everyone (not that I really needed any help with that, I'm a total chatty Kathy, especially after a glass of champagne, haha...)

And then we ate.  Oh, did we eat.  There were strawberry scones, pumpkin scones, scrambled eggs, potatoes and crepes with fresh berries, not to mention tons of different types of tea. They even had a special bridal tea made with rose petals...Mmmmmmm...

When I arrived, I was immediately given a tiara and wand, which I had a blast waving about (and ordering everyone about.  HA! Kidding, kidding...)

After stuffing our faces, we played a Newly-Wed type game where I was asked questions that Mr Trail Mix had previously answered to see how well we knew each other. I kicked butt at that one, I know him so well.

And then it was all presents, all the time.  I'm not going to lie, I loved opening all those gifts and I got some amazing, thoughtful, generous presents! I think the highlight of the gift-opening was when my mom handed me a bag with a string hanging out one side and instructed me to pull out the string.  Attached to this string were clothespins with 11 pairs of undies, one for each day of the honeymoon.  I think this next series of pictures is hilarious!

And of course, no shower would be complete without the requisite ribbon hat and some beautiful girlfriends...

It was truly a celebration of womenhood and I could not have asked for a more perfect shower.  The love that I felt that afternoon was incredibly powerful and uplifting, I was pretty much floating the entire time. I only wish it had gone longer!

Special props must go out to MOH Pip, who did an awesome job planning all the games, complete with prizes, as well as an extremely creative gift for me that brought down the house! Thanks, Pip, after 15 years of friendship still going strong, I love you more than ever!

And finally, so much love must go out to my wonderful Aunt J, who planned the entire thing from start to finish.  It was more than I ever expected and the experience is a memory I will always cherish.  Thank you, thank you, thank you.

I could seriously write twice as much as I did here but enough gushing adjectives and exclamation points, I'm sure you all get the picture.  Love, tea, presents and champagne made for a divine shower experience I'll always be grateful for.

What was your favorite part of your shower? Share, I'd love to hear about your experiences!