Over the summer I had my first experience throwing a bridal shower.  It was a lot of fun and turned out well.  I found myself in need to throw another one this fall, with a completely different theme and on a smaller scale.   I opted for a luncheon with a “Fall in Love” theme. While I had hoped to have it outdoors, last minute, the weather just did not cooperate, so I brought  some of the outdoor elements indoors. I loved the element of birch trees and fall leaves, so I tried to incorporate that from the cake to confetti and even utensils.

I wanted to share some of the great items I found while looking at putting it together.

Given that it was a lunch time shower, I had Chick-fil-A cater it.  I am actually a part of  the Chick-fil-A’s mom panel, so I know that even though it is fast food, it’s a great choice for entertaining.  I’d never tried their wraps or sandwiches before, but wow, it’s worth throwing a party just to be able to order their sub sandwiches!  They are thin sliced grilled chicken, cheddar, lettuce served on a whole wheat roll.  Really delicious–I wish it was on the menu by itself!  I also had their nuggets, fruit salad, and garden salad to round out the meal.  All of it is very well done and was thoroughly enjoyed.

I also made some sparkling apple cider to drink, which was so easy to make and oh, so good!

For the tables, I was happy to showcase the cool table runners from CreativePlaces.  She was able to create a personalized runner for the happy couple to use in their future home together, as well as some fall-themed runners for the party.  Loved them and how they turned out.  She does great work and can customize something just for you!

If you are looking for unique favors, consider having some sweet candles made up for the occasion.  I found just what I was looking for on etsy.  They were so cute and smelled amazing!

For dessert, I had an assortment of  special treats made from Chocolate in the Oven.  Fresh cannolis, apricot bars, raspberry bars, a variety of brownies, chocolate bites, and chocolate covered strawberries.   We also had a red velvet birch tree themed cake from The Murphy Girl’s Sweet Shop with complimenting vanilla autumn leaf cupcakes. She is always my go-to for incredible creations for parties.  All of which was incredibly delicious and decadent. It was fun to have an entire dessert bar to choose from.

As part of the table decorations, I loved these silver gray velvet and taffeta pumpkins. It was a great way to tie in the fall elements with the color scheme of the event.  I loved that they were made with real pumpkin stems.  Etsy shop OrnateSplendor created these pumpkins and they turned out amazing!

I loved these mini candles, made in the United Kingdom (my favorite place, ever!)  from etsy shop CharminGifts.  So unique, these handmade soy candles were scented to match the theme, topped off with sweet ribbon and pearls to match the color scheme, as well.

I also loved these apple cinnamon hand made soy candles from etsy New Jersey-based shop FavorFreak, personalized for the bride and groom-to-be, wrapped in a delicate organza gray bag to also match the theme of the shower.

Each of these candle vendors were completely different, yet equally wonderful.  It was great to share these favors with my guests, who loved them both so much.

I love etsy shop Twisted Tree Occasions!  She was able to create birch tree confetti printed with the initials of the guest of honor, along with the date of their wedding.  Such a nice touch sprinkled throughout the party.  She also created these mini thank you tags, perfect to go with the favors.  They were so dainty and sweet.  I loved them so much!

I had to have utensils for the shower and I thought these heavy duty disposable birch  utensils would add the right touch to compliment the theme of a fall shower.  I loved that these were so different than any other utensils that you would typically see at a party. You can pick up your own, including little tasting spoons, from The Bakers Bin.  I love that these are eco-friendly and unique.

I knew that I wanted to use my favorite napkin vendor/maker that I used for the last shower I threw, Paper Event. These embossed napkins add such a nice touch to any special event and they are very affordable.  I love that you can select any kind of print (we used chevron for this shower) and any color combination, depending on your needs.

I was so happy to find all these great shops operated by some very talented people that helped to make my shower a success!  It was a completely different look than the last shower that I threw, but I was really happy with how it turned out for a fun gathering of friends for a crisp autumn morning shower.