A Seattle Bride's New York City Bridal Shower

Jessica's Bridal Shower

bridal shower bride to be
Belathée Photography

On June 7, 2015, exactly 125 days before her Seattle wedding, Jessica Ritt's mom and sister threw her a bridal shower in New York City, where she lives. About 30 guests joined in the celebration at Tiny's and the Bar Upstairs, a restaurant in the TriBeCa neighborhood of Manhattan. Its private event space was a cozy setting for the afternoon soirée, which was designed in a palette of neutrals and metallics.

"I loved having all of my closest friends in one room—that doesn't happen very often," Jessica says of her East Coast shower, which occurred several weeks before another one back home in Washington State. "It was such a nice day between the amazing brunch and desserts, thoughtful gifts, and fun games!"

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The Hostesses

bridal shower family
Belathée Photography

Jessica's mother, Laurie, and her sister, Hanna, planned the entire event, without letting the bride-to-be in on the details until the day of. The festivities began with cocktails and visits to the makeshift photo booth before everyone sat down for brunch. In between courses the hostesses spoke and spearheaded a few shower games.

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Plenty of Photo Ops

bridal shower photobooth
Belathée Photography

The bride's sister made a large Polaroid-inspired frame with help from a local print shop. It featured calligraphy by La Happy Design (who also did the couple's wedding stationery) and plenty of props on sticks were nearby for guests to pose with.

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The Place Settings

bridal shower placesetting
Belathée Photography

Each seat was set with a menu, blue-striped bar towel, and a place card with a 3-D engagement ring sticker and a guest's name calligraphed by Sally from La Happy Design.

Cards were also set out so each attendee could fill in their advice for Jessica. Jotting down what to always tell your husband, what topics are best to keep a sense of humor when discussing, and what to always remember. They were then slipped in to a small album as a keepsake for the bride-to-be.

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Petite Floral Arrangements

bridal shower flowers
Belathée Photography

White and green floral arrangements of peonies, dahlias, Queen Anne's lace, and other greenery adorned the copper tables.

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Fun and Games

bridal shower crossword
Belathée Photography

One of the activities was a crossword puzzle where the clues pertained to the bride and the couple's relationship. Attendees were prompted to fill in the blanks for things like Jessica's middle name, what country she studied abroad in, the pair's honeymoon destination, and the sports team that the duo went to see on their first date.

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Personalized Cocktail Napkins

bridal shower napkins
Belathée Photography

Cocktail napkins foil-stamped with "Almost Mrs. Jacobs" were handed out with the mimosas and sweets.

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Custom Sweets

bridal shower macarons
Belathée Photography

Monogrammed macarons from Dana's Bakery were on hand, as well as other desserts made on site. "They were almost too beautiful to eat," recalls Jessica.

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That's What He Said

bridal shower groom
Belathée Photography

The bride's sister filmed Jessica's husband-to-be, Todd, answering a bunch of questions about Jessica and their relationship. The questions were first read aloud at the shower, so that Jessica could guess the answers, and then the footage was shown to reveal if she'd guessed correctly.

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Special Gifts

bridal shower gifts
Belathée Photography

Jessica opened several gifts, including a monogrammed tote from her sister and close friends, that was filled with thoughtful gifts including monogrammed slippers, a customized hanger for the wedding dress, a "bride" button-down shirt to get ready in on the big day, and other bride-centric items.

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A Surprise Guest

bridal shower groom
Belathée Photography

Jessica's fiancé, Todd, showed up, flowers in hand, at the end of the celebration. "I was happy to see him," the bride-to-be says. "It was such a fun day and I'm glad he got to experience all of the hard work that my sister and mom put into the party and to say hello to all of the guests."

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Sweets to Go

bridal shower cake balls
Belathée Photography

Cake truffles decorated with a tuxedo and a bridal gown were boxed with stickers printed with the number of days until the couple's wedding and their hashtag.

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Sources

bidal shower photobooth
Belathée Photography

Photography, Belathée Photography

Location, Catering, Flowers, and Coordination, Tiny's and the Bar Upstairs

Calligraphy, La Happy

Macarons, Dana's Bakery

Cake truffles, Keremo Cakes

Bride-to-be's dress, ALC

Bride-to-be's accessories, Oscar de la Renta (earrings); Alexandre Birman (shoes)

Hair, Ayumi Yamamoto

Makeup, Wei Lang

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