As is with everything about the wedding, Saturday’s bridal shower was quite the intimate affair.  You can even say it was simply an excuse for the Ferrer girls to get together.  My lovely mummy and sister brilliantly planned the whole thing.  There were nine ladies (and a little baby) constantly eating chocolate fondue desserts and drinking Mom’s famous sangria.  If we didn’t have either in our mouths it was because we were laughing…hysterically.  To sum it up, Saturday was a relaxed, laughter-filled day and I have to give so much gratitude and credit to the ladies who made it happen exactly, or even better, than I imagined.

This time around my mom had a new party planning partner in crime — my darling older sister, who is a brand new mama of an 11-week old baby.  I knew they would execute everything well because they are bad ass women with a keen eye for detail and for what I like.  There was a lot of behind the scenes work from what I could tell by the sounds of scurrying and frantic setting up, as well as pre-party prep work that I’m sure happened days or weeks in advance.  Thankfully, I was not privy to it all because The Reveal was just stunning.  The table was set with gorgeous square, white plates that my mom knew I’d die for and perfectly folded napkins.  And the dessert table…oh the dessert table…there was a chocolate fountain and all the dessert fixings that would make the Melting Pot proud.  Bananas, strawberries, cheesecake, rice crispy treats, brownies, Oreo covered marshmallows and graham cracker covered marshmallows all waiting to be consumed in the most ungraceful fashion.  For starters my mom served tomato, mozzarella cheese, and basil appetizers topped with balsamic vinaigrette.  Then came my sister’s main course of cheese tortellini with spinach, bacon, and Parmesan now dubbed the Katrina Tolentellini.  After several glasses of sangria, we moved from the dining table to the game area.

We played “And the bride wore…” which basically tested everyone’s observance skills, and “Get to Know the Groom” to make sure the ladies in the family knew more about who I’m marrying. But the best game we played was the initial game starter, Charades.  As the bride to be, I got to go first.  I stuck my hand in the hat, swirled my hand around, and picked out a magenta heart.  I read my movie title and I was immediately relieved…I got Dirty Dancing.  I started to hop in place out of pure excitement because I knew I’d be out of there in 15 second tops!  5 minutes later, I was kneeling on the floor almost in tears out of complete and utter frustration.  ”What?  They think my movie title is Dances with Wolves?  Happy Feet?  What did they think I was acting out when I was shaking my head and rocking a fake baby in the corner?  I even performed the signature Dirty Dancing dance move!  But I guess that was a little difficult to get, I don’t have a Patrick Swayze to hold me up in the air.”  I was on my knees and resigned to the fact I sucked at Charades.  Then my sister chimed in and said, “Sister, we know the movie is Dirty Dancing.  We all just wanted to see how long you’d do it for.”  I was shocked and as I walked up the stairs as they prepared for the second game, I stopped in my tracks and said, “Wait, do all the papers say Dirty Dancing?”  My sister opened every single paper and they all said Dirty Dancing.  Yup, I was duped.  If you ask my sister, I’m sure she’d gladly show you the five minute video of me trying to dirty dance the hell out of Charades.

Afterwards, we took advantage of the gorgeous high 80s weather in November and started painting pots to plant rosemary, basil, and parsley outside.  Everyone took their time with their projects that we even snacked on chips and dip while painting.  As brilliant of an idea as it was to eat and paint, it was a near disaster as my mom dipped her chip in lavender paint and almost ate it.

The last bit of the planned activities was to watch a classic wedding movie.  Nope, not Father of the Bride or Wedding Planner, but My Big, Fat, Greek Wedding.  It added even more laughs to the already beyond happy occasion.  But what got the most laughs were the gifts.  Of course, I got the gorgeous pieces of lingerie and practical honeymoon items, but the best were from my Auntie Trisha who made the bridal shower a legit bridal shower by giving me strawberry flavored body dust, a sexy spinning game, and the unmentionable gummy crotchless panty.  If you knew what this gummy panty looked like you’d be laughing as hard as me, and you’d also be just as confused as to how to put the darn thing on.

Auntie Trisha & I getting silly.

 All I could think about Saturday night and the following day was how lucky I am to be surrounded by strong, loving, hilarious women.  And I am beyond grateful every day that we are as close as we are and as happy as we are.  Nothing beats having a supportive family, and I am so fortunate to have two of the best women in the universe be my best friends.  Much love and gratitude to my mom, the Mother of the Bride, and my sister, the Matron of Honor, for the best bridal shower I could ever want.