Whenever I’m back in my home town, it’s usually a crazy whirlwind for me. So I apologize for not updating enough. When I first arrived on the East Coast, I was caught up in grocery shopping, prepping, and cooking for my friend Shauna’s bridal shower. To me, it was an honor to do that for her because back in the day when Shauna was still single, she spent nearly every day with me and Joe in our New Jersey apartment, almost like a roommate!
She would come over to our place at night after we both got off of work, prop up her computer next to mine, and we’d chat about our days. In fact, she was sitting next to me the day the Food Network called me out of the blue to ask if I could do a food styling job for them. We high fived and cheered together in excitement when I got off the phone.
Shauna at the dessert table
When Joe and I decided to move to California, Shauna was there to help us pack up the truck and stayed until midnight on a hot and humid night. And then she cried as she hugged me goodbye. She’s a good friend. That’s why I wanted to fly out early, cater her bridal shower, and then stay to stand by her side as her bridesmaid at the altar.
Now she’s officially married and I danced until my feet and ribs hurt. I’m glad she had a good time at her wedding and enjoyed her honeymoon in Hawaii. To go with that theme, we bridesmaids threw her a “beach spa” bridal shower at her parent’s house in New Jersey. We wanted Shauna and her guests to kick back and relax. And that’s exactly what we all did.
I knew I wouldn’t have much time to shop and prep for the party once I landed, so I came prepared with custom-designed signs and menu cards, thanks to Joe, which I brought with me in my carry-on luggage, along with a pastry piping bag, and tiny bamboo forks. I almost packed dried herbs and spices in Ziplock bags, but Joe told me to simmer down, so I didn’t.
Veggies and Creamy Pesto Dip
I wanted to keep all the food light and fresh because of the toasty weather outside, and to go along with the spa theme.
Beef and Arugula Wraps with Herb Cream Cheese
Also, frankly, I was on a diet during this time, so I wanted to make food that I could eat. Yeah…slightly selfish, but hey, I’m the cook! So I chose to use ingredients like low-carb flat breads, lots of fresh veggies, and whole wheat pasta.
Prosciutto Wrapped Melon
Shauna loves Italian food so I added a little Italian flare to the dishes in subtle ways whenever I could.
Avocado and Heirloom Tomato Bruschetta
Everything was of course mini because as you may know, I’m obsessed with finger foods. That’s why I had to make tiny versions of my crowd-pleasing avocado tomato bruschetta!
Deviled Eggs with Turkey Bacon & Chives
Shauna doesn’t like eggs, but lucky for me, the only way she’ll eat them is boiled! Whew! She really enjoyed the deviled eggs and everyone thought the turkey bacon garnish was a nice touch.
Antipasto
In my opinion, antipasto is always a good thing to have at any party because it can stand well at room temperature and looks so colorful. I used green beans, artichokes, roasted red peppers, red onions, garbanzo beans, and salami. I made the vinaigrette based off of my savory salami chopped salad recipe.
And Shauna’s favorite was of course the pasta. She always goes crazy for pasta. It’s her favorite thing to eat. I lightened it up by using whole wheat pasta and lots of kale. I roughly based it off of my pappardelle with sausage and kale recipe.
The guests were not shy about digging right into the food. Many eagerly went back for seconds, and thirds. Some guests already knew about my blog and background, so they were excited to try the food. Talk about pressure! Others had no clue about it, so Shauna went off on a boasting monologue about me, which made me bashful yet thankful. Shauna’s a professional voice teacher and a truly amazing singer, so I’m always bragging about her too.
Liz, the maid of honor, did a fantastic job with all the games and most of the decor, while Christina, the other fellow bridesmaid, took care of the cute dessert table. She even recruited her husband to help her frost some cupcakes while she took breaks to feed her baby.
Since I was staying with Shauna at her parents’ house during the party prep, I rummaged through whatever materials they already had lying around, and fashioned a sign and banner to add to the beach-theme decor.
Shauna and us bridesmaids
Christina, Liz, and I really enjoyed throwing this party for our home girl Shauna. We all met in our early 20’s, in New York City. Now none of us live there anymore, so it was so cool to come back together again for such an important occasion.
We were so happy to hear that Shauna thought her beach spa bridal shower was absolutely perfect. All the guests had fun with the mildly inappropriate yet hilarious games, and left stuffed like turkeys. We finished off the party with a child-like scavenger hunt and then the bridal party went out to do the wedding rehearsal and sing some karaoke.
