Are you HOT for neon? It might seem like a cliche, but brides are typically “glowing” (or is that pregnant women?) on their big day, so this Neon Bridal Shower theme is perfectly fitting!  Fashion forward and trendy, this theme is fresh and festive and sets the tone for a fun celebration.

Xiomara of A Styled Fete created the “He Makes My Heart Glow” concept and styled this bridal shower in a lush outdoor space.  The neon on neutral tones combined with gold accents really makes this shower GLOW!

CREATIVE HIGHLIGHTS to look out for:

• DIY Neon Confetti Table Runners
• “Don’t be blinded by her glow” tags on the sunglasses favors (so clever!)
• Glow in the Dark neon bracelet party favors
• DIY Neon spray painted napkins
• Neon washi tape accents to coordinate with the graphic decor

We (Anders Ruff) were so inspired when Xio introduced us to the theme and asked us to design the printable graphic invitation and other coordinating elements for this bridal shower!

PARTY DETAILS, as told by Xiomara…

For this shoot I was inspired by what I was seeing in fashion.  It seems like every store I went in there was this pop of neon color trend going on that was simply irresistible to me. I thought it would be really fun to translate it into the party scene and a Bridal shower photo shoot seemed like the perfect fit. The phrase “you make my heart GLOW” immediately came to mind when I thought about doing this neon bridal shower and decided to do a little play on the word “glow”.

After talking to Maureen from Anders Ruff about the concept and vision for the shoot, she came up with the most amazing invitation and other paper goods that simply inspired me even more! I thought the use of confetti and washi tape graphics was genius and definitely gave the party that “Kate Spade” aesthetic that we wanted.

TABLESCAPE

Using white and neutral tones as a base – and then adding pops of neon pink, orange, yellow, and green with a touch of gold – I was able to achieve an elegant yet super fun and chic table scape for the shoot. The thing with trying to use neon color items for a party is that they are not that easy to find! Which was super exciting for me as it gave me complete creative freedom to come up with unique items.

I made table runners out of muslin fabric and painted neon dots in neon colors to resemble the confetti graphics on the invitation. This was super fun to make and really gave the table that ” pop of color” I was looking for.

Another fun DIY project was the napkins. I bought fabric spray paint in neon pink/ green and painted both ends of the napkin in layers creating an ombré effect. As a centerpiece for the table, I used different size lanterns I had also spray painted to match our theme.

THE SWEETS TABLE

Mini clear boxes from Nashville Wraps with two delicious macarons inside served as the favors for the party and were arranged as part of the table setting. Three 36 inch balloons embellished with neon ribbons and gold fringe the perfect backdrop for the table. These balloons are just so magical! Definitely one of my favorite go -to party items.

Since this was an inspirational photo shoot I decided to make a small dessert table with lots of fun details. I draped a gold fringe garland from Party City and used it as a back drop. The soft wind blowing on it and the rays of light reflecting on it just made it look even more beautiful. This is one of those things that you would never think it would look this good, but it did! I was in love, so pretty and feminine!

I used my bedroom mirrored furniture the table for the desserts to give it a sophisticated look. Petites Bouchees made the stunning neon color macarons that worked so perfect with our theme. She also made the small white cake that was adorned with a beautiful orange peony by A Cake to Remember.  This flower was definitely a show stopper and obvious centerpiece of the dessert table.

Sweet confetti popcorn was served in little chevron paper bags with a printable “He makes her heart GLOW” tag. I wanted to find a creative way to display the popcorn bags and after a little brainstorming session I decided to hang them with clothes pins. Fun, right? I stuck two wooden dowels to a  foam rectangle ( wrapped with kraft paper and adorned it with washi tape) and used some ribbon to create a little garland. Then I hung the mini paper bags from it. Kind of the same way you would make a mini bunting on a cake.

The cupcakes, oh the cupcakes…I had initially ordered some ( I am sure pretty) cupcakes from a local bakery but unfortunately didn’t have the time to pick them up! It was one of those difficult decisions sometimes you have to make. It was either being late to set up everything and risk the good lighting, etc. or buying cupcakes from a grocery store. Sometimes it is better to let go of the smaller things and not lose sight of the big picture. So, the grocery store cupcakes it was! Thankfully I had some pretty paper flags to dress them up. Each cupcake had a flag with a phrase: “He asked“, “she said“, “I do“.

PARTY FAVORS & GIFTS

Other fun elements included sunglasses with a “Don’t be blinded by her GLOW” tag and glow in the dark bracelets packaged in glassine bags with a “He makes her heart glow” label. Super fun!  Oh, and how can I forget about  the pretty gifts! I was so inspired by Kate Spade’s Christmas promo video that I decided to make colorful gifts as props for this shoot! Loved how they turned out! I wrapped them in colorful wrapping paper and then embellished with gold sequins, neon sticky labels, crepe paper and fringy garland. Whatever I had in hand, I used!

I had such a fun time planning/designing this photo shoot! It just had me wishing I could have my bridal shower all over again! Specially if it is this chic and fun! I think it is the perfect theme and with a little tweaking it would be great for a baby shower too…you know how people are always talking about the “pregnancy glow“… Oh, so many possibilities!

The printable invitation, tags, banner and labels are all available in the Anders Ruff shop.