Wedding Planner Getting Married – My “La Vie en Rose” Bridal Shower

A few weeks ago I was fortunate to celebrate my bridal shower with some of the women who are nearest and dearest to my heart. I have to admit that it has been one of the highlights of my wedding planning journey so far — with the exception of my fiancé Michael’s beach proposal.  It was truly an amazing day full of love and laughter and I’m so grateful to have such amazing women in my life.

Welcome to my bridal shower!

And since I’m a wedding planner,  I couldn’t help but be fully involved in the planning of it!

With my best friend and Maid of Honor Vanessa being over 1,600 miles away in Houston, Texas, I knew it was going to be a challenge to pull it all together, but we did it with lots of phone calls, texts and some help from my bridesmaids Nakoley, Diana and Jacinta as well as Pinterest.  Vanessa came up with the theme for the shower: “La Vie en Rose” which means “Life in Pink” in French. Being friends for 24 years has its perks – she knows my taste and style like no one else and this theme sparked our creativity for chic, pink-hued perfection! We even asked all of the guests to wear pink attire and they obliged.

An unbreakable bond. 24 years of friendship and still going strong :)

During brunch on a Sunday afternoon with my friend and wedding coordinator Lauren of Elle’s Couture Events,  she suggested that I use iCi Restaurant  as the venue. She produced a gorgeous styled shoot  there, so I was curious to see it for myself in person. It did not disappoint. Michael and I stopped by for dinner one night and I fell in love with the food and even more in love with the all-white space. I knew it would be the perfect backdrop for my French-inspired bridal shower.

Parlor level of iCi Brooklyn before the guests arrived.

So with the theme and venue locked down, I went to work on creating a design concept. I wanted to give a hint of what’s to come for the wedding so I included elements of our wedding color palette throughout the decor. I absolutely adored the floral arrangements from Emily Howard of Phileanor.  She captured my vision perfectly and went above and beyond the call of duty by finding the prettiest pink peonies still in bloom at the end of their season.

Coterie member Kisha Kingston of Royale Amethyst Invitations  designed all of the beautifully coordinated stationery for the event. The die-cut menus, striped favor tags and place cards were a real hit and added a touch of whimsy to the Parisian theme. She even created “Date Night” cards so that guests were able to jot down really cute ideas ranging from cooking classes to wine tastings and sunset strolls on the beach.

I headed to Etsy on the hunt for other decor items to put the finishing touch on my design. These custom paper flowers from Paper and Peony  allowed me to jump into DIY mode to create a garden themed frame and wall display.

The brunch prepared by iCi Restaurant was divine! We dined on brioche French toast, thick cut bacon and mini quiches. And of course we kept the mimosas flowing. I’m always inspired to find unique ways to incorporate hashtags  into events like these fun cocktail napkins.

The dessert table was a real showstopper with this cake from BCake NY  and the sparkly cake topper from Ten23 Designs.  The cake was just as delicious as it looked with layers of chocolate and Bailey-infused buttercream. We had the prettiest pink and gold dessert spread with custom designed treats from the super-talented Yvette Ramos of M.Y. Dulce Delights  featuring sugar cookies, cake pops, rice krispie treats and chocolate covered Oreos and strawberries. And they were all expertly displayed on stunning chandelier stands and sequin linens courtesy of Judy by Design.

But the real icing on the cake was having all of the design details and lovely ladies captured by Amy Genao of Amy Anaiz Photography.

Michael even stopped by for a quick hello.

We played several games throughout the afternoon including the “Newlywed Game” where my Maid of Honor Vanessa pre-recorded Michael’s answers to questions about our relationship and then asked me the same questions to see how many I answered correctly. Needless to say I did pretty well :) We also played a game called “Winner Takes All” where the guests put money into a jar and then they had to guess how much was in there and the person who guessed closest to the amount “Takes All.”

 My cousin Gladys was the lucky winner of a bottle of All detergent and I got the jar of cash :)

I always advise my clients to have their wedding makeup trial on the same day as a significant event, like a bridal shower or engagement shoot. Those who know me know that I hardly ever wear makeup, so it was a real treat to have Khadeen Ellis of Kolor and Kontour by Kay  work her magic. It was such a wonderful experience to be pampered and beautified right before the event.

My fitting at Pantora Bridal :) 

And last, but certainly not least, I had to have the perfect white dress for the occasion, so I tapped my friend Andrea Pitter of Pantora Bridal  to create my dream outfit with a rose gold and rhinestone belt. Not only is she also designing my wedding gown, but all of the looks associated with the big day, including my engagement shoot, bridesmaid dresses and even a gown for my mom. She is simply the best and I feel so lucky to have found her.

This was truly one of the best days of my life and I feel so blessed to be able to share it with you — thanks for reading! In my next blog post, I’ll dish about all things “bling” when choosing wedding bands for the big day with Jennifer Gandia of Greenwich Jewelers.

Thank you all!

Happy Planning!
Xoxo – Victoria

Vendors

Event Production & Design: Victorious Events NYC
Photography: Amy Anaiz Photography
Stationery: Royale Amethyst Invitations
Dress: Pantora Bridal
Floral Design: Phileanor
Makeup: Khadeen Ellis of Kolor and Kontour by Kay
Desserts: M.Y. Dulce Delights
Dessert Table: Judy by Design
Cake: BCake NY
Cake Topper: Ten23 Designs

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Victoria Nee-Lartey is a contributing author for Munaluchi Bride Online and owner of Victorious Events NYC. To keep up with her, follow her on Instagram  and Facebook.