Bridal Tea Party at Shearer Elegance

I was asked to make centerpieces for a tea party bridal shower given at Shearer Elegance. Tea cups were a natural! I collected a variety of tea cups in various shades of pink, the color palette for the shower. This beautifully restored Victorian Mansion is the perfect place for any party - but particularly for a tea party. My friends all know that I am a tea room aficionado and Shearer Elegance certainly fits the bill for a tea party. Sue Tator, owner and host, has a terrific collection of tea cups and tablecloths. The venue is charming. And Sue makes wonderful scones and tea sandwiches. Every year a Mother's Day Tea is held here. And Sue has a woman dressed up in Victorian clothes there to tell about Victorian Teas. Please "like" the Shearer Elegance Facebook page to keep up with future events.






After using teacups on the party tables, I thought that a teapot would work well on the cake table. I found a really cute one with a bluebird on it! I created a base of flowers for it to sit on. The bride-to-be was then able to keep a wonderful memento of her bridal shower.



The dining room in the mansion is quite lovely. High tea can be served at the long table as well as at individual tables placed around the main floor. A beautiful venue with several options available. And the food is always wonderful. I highly recommend that if you book your party, shower, luncheon, or small wedding at Shearer Elegance, your guests will be thrilled. Gorgeous rooms are available for your out of town guests also. www.shearerelegance.com

My son and his wife rented out all the bedrooms for their bridal party for the weekend of their wedding. They said it was fabulous. And Sue provided brunch for the rest of us the next day. It's a wonderful place indeed!






P.S. I also wanted to share these adorable tea bag favors that were made for the guests at the tea party shower. Sue Tator made the arrangements to have these done so please contact her - or me - for details. Cute huh?

Emily & Zack - Citrus Colors

It's always a welcome challenge for me whan I bride has a "certain" budget to work with. How do I make a wedding look like they spent a lot of money....without breaking the bank? Emily wanted to use a bright color palette of orange, yellow, and green for her wedding at Blair Mill Inn so I knew we could have fun with color. The venue gives their brides candle centerpieces to use, but I felt that the room, and the candleholders, needed a blast of color. Below is the result.









Emily's colors included orange orange, lemon yellow, and lime green. Fun!!! I had Emily buy all kinds of glass bottles and vases. Each table was designated a color, so into each vase or bottle, went "bits" of flowers. On one table all the flowers were orange and another had all yellow flowers, and a third of the tables were green. To tie everything together, we scattered rose petals in a like color under the candles. I think these centerpieces really did brighten up the room!

I also buy unique, one of a kind containers when I find them on sale to help some of my brides with costs. Emily made use of a few of them. And they're usually so inexpensive, that the bride gets to keep them instead of renting them. On the cocktail tables, I used test tube based containers - since Emily is a chemist. Different mixes of flowers were used in each.



Emily loved this black wire piece - especially since black was her accent color. I filled it with lemons, limes, and oranges, coordinating straws, and bits of daisies. Where did this go? On the bar, naturally!



I also use citrus colored acrylics in the base of this V-shaped vase. I added matching ting ting and flowers to the mix to create a whimsical welcome for the placecard table.



Since I had such beautiful colors to work with, the bridal party flowers were a breeze. The MoH carried an all orange bouquet including some outstanding huge orange ranunculus.



Bridesmaids' bouquets were all yellow - so bright and cheerful!



And the junior bridesmaid carried a lime green flower bouquet.




And then there's Emily's bouquet which contained all the colors and flowers used in the other bouquets. Zack's boutonniere matched.



The ceremony took place under a chuppah created by Emily. I created two arrangements to frame their wedding canopy. Congratulations to Emily and Zack on their wedding and a job well done.