Love is in the air! Katherine threw her friend Leslie this Bird Inspired Bridal Shower! With a cake “fit for a princess”, cute wishing cork board, creative welcome “sign” + more charming details, I think all the early planning was well worth the effort! :)

PARTY HIGHLIGHTS to look out for:

• Pink roses & hydrangea floral arrangements in milk glass vases
• Mini bird nests with blue spotted egg napkin rings
• A stunning pink birdcage cake!
• Monogram mug favors + matching custom cookies

PARTY DETAILS, as told by Katherine…

Moving is a chore that no one likes. In the years that my husband and I have been married, we have moved six times.  Our most recent move took us to Aroostook County, Maine, the northern-most county in all of the United States. What led us here? Well, that’s a long story.  The short version is that my husband graduated from dental school in May of 2010 and we both saw the need to move to an area that was under-served. More work makes for a better dentist, so we packed our bags, put a for sale sign in the yard and made the journey from Kentucky to Presque Isle, Maine.

The first couple of weeks were a whirlwind of activity.  My husband’s employers correctly sensed the need for me to find some women in the area who I could befriend, because, as you can imagine, the Maine winters are harsh and can be quite lonely. A local ladies’ book group introduced me to Marcie, through whom I met her sister, Leslie (the bride).  Quickly, two kindred spirits turned into fast friends. Though our accents are different (she says “mum,” while I say “mom”), both of us love exercise, food, and all things girly. When Leslie got engaged to Kyle, I was so thrilled for them that I wanted to give her a beautiful bridal shower, mostly to show her how much her friendship has meant to me.

Since we don’t have so as much as a Macy’s, I got started planning the event with her mom really early.  The Internet became my best friend, with Esty as my partner in crime. There are a few, really quality local retailers here, and I knew I needed to beat down their doors before winter set in and slowed transportation between me and local vendors to a crawl.

In October, I went to Noyes Flower and Plant Shop in Caribou, Maine with plans for an event that was to be held in April. The shop’s owner, Cindy, and I had a ball.  We chose flowers: the Panama Rose, a two-tone beauty that coordinated well with the linen napkins.  I loved the combination of roses with hydrangeas. Employing the milk glass vases gave me a wonderful excuse to dust off my grandmother’s treasures, and what I didn’t have, I bought from Cindy who has oodles of milk glass on her Esty site Shift Years.

The sweet little birdie salt and pepper shakers were from one of the most beautiful decor shops that the coast of Maine has to offer: Jo Ellen designs in Camden – dental conferences often have great perks for the spouses. Each guest was presented with a monogrammed mug from Anthropologie and a coordinating cookie from Amber Spiegel who has a terrific Esty site.

I also had a wonderful time with Presque Isle’s legendary cake maker, Torri Bell Huston. I really wanted the cake to look like an edible birdcage, fit for a princess.  Torri really delivered: it was as beautiful as it was delicious. We hosted the event at Café Sorpreso, which is a beautiful little eatery and a favorite of the bride.  The owner, Judy, was more than accommodating with all of my requests.  We were able to have a beautiful Sunday brunch filled with Leslie’s girlfriends, (many of whom traveled long distances to the woods of Northern Maine,) relatives, and long-time family friends – all a testament to Leslie’s sweet spirit and caring nature.