My bridal shower was a couple weeks ago! I had only really been to one before and I wasn’t really sure what to expect, to be honest. There were plenty of days when I was talking to my mom and she had to go because she needed to do “shower stuff”, but I was never quite sure what she was doing. And I love surprises, so I was happy to keep it that way. And when I walked into the room on the day, it was lovelier than I ever could have imagined.

The only thing I really knew about my shower going in was that it was going to have some sort of kitchen theme—the invitations had stand mixers filled with flowers on them and they asked each guest to bring a recipe for me. So I don’t know if you can imagine my delight when I walked in and saw the stand mixer flower arrangements come to life!

As I walked around the room, I saw that the other centerpieces were kitchen tools as well: bowls, colanders, and even giant box graters. Who knew that these could be so beautiful? I was blow away.

My mom excels at details—I’m sure it’s one of the reasons I enjoy making lists and tend to be so meticulous. And the incredible details just kept coming. When I walked in, I was met with a table set to receive the recipes everyone brought, topped with a beautiful carved wood personalized recipe box that I am going to keep forever.

Next I was drawn to one side of the room where they had set up a mimosa bar. Have you ever had a mimosa with peach mango juice before? I’m not sure I’ll ever be able to drink one with orange juice again.

Of course, because she thinks of everything, the champagne glasses were stemless. After the guests began to arrive we played the first game. Everyone got a sheet with a number of categories on it, and we had to write down the name of someone else who was there who fit the category, like someone who had been married more than 15 years or someone who drives the same kind of car as you. I picked a winner at random and they were awarded some adorable kitchen tools as a prize. Everyone also got an empty bingo board to fill in with gifts they thought I would get later.

Lunch was served shortly after, a selection of delicious salads and sandwiches…

…followed by dessert! I love dessert, and we had probably one of my top three favorite desserts, whoopie pies. I also adore the minions, and they made a hysterical appearance.

After dessert we played the last game, bridal emoji pictionary, which was a lot of fun. There was a list of different combinations of emojis and you had to figure out the wedding term illustrated by each. I strongly recommend this one! There were audible groans in the room when the answers were revealed to the trickier ones. I’ve been planning a wedding for months and I didn’t even get them all.

Then finally, it was time to open gifts. I got so many things I’ve already started using and others that I am looking forward to taking for a spin. Sitting at the front of the room at this point and looking out over the tables filled with women who loved me, I felt so lucky to have all of them in that one place. I was overcome by their generosity, but also just by the fact that they were there, and there for me. I’m excited for Jeff to experience that feeling at our wedding. But in the meantime, I had to focus; I’m pretty sure I was sweating by the time I made it through all the boxes and gift bags, and it certainly took a little while to open everything. I remember the first time in my Bat Mitzvah lessons that I chanted my entire Haftarah from beginning to end. It took me roughly twenty minutes, and when I was finished the cantor looked at me and said “yea, that’s not gonna work. You need to do it faster.” I hope I would have made him proud in my opening of gifts!

As the festivities wound down and people started to trickle out, they were invited to take some yet again adorable mini kitchen tools as a favor.

As I said goodbyes, I tried my best to express the gratitude and love I was feeling. I’m not the best at letting people do things for me, but I know that these once-in-a-lifetime experiences are worth savoring and appreciating. My shower was everything I could have hoped it would be and more. And if it looks like what you would want, my mom is available for consultations.