I knew the atmosphere I wanted to create for my sister’s bridal shower, but I was stuck for inspiration until one morning when I realized it was literally staring me in the face: Victoria’s Secret! Fun, playful, and flirty, VS epitomizes femininity, and their signature classic pink and black color scheme made it the ideal starting point for what turned out to be a fantastic event.

As well as guests, there are several key elements to every fabulous party, not least the food. You can see from the buffet table that this was definitely a party for females. Having a dessert buffet gave everyone the opportunity to taste as many different desserts as they wanted, while keeping them canapé sized gave the event a relaxed, yet sophisticated feel. Save the formal dining for the wedding – this party was all about chatting, dancing, and catching up with friends.

Decor is another important criteria for a successful party. Guests have to know exactly what to expect from the moment they arrive, so we put a lot of effort into replicating the ambiance we liked at VS so much. A key part of this was the wall we decorated as a backdrop for our photos. It took two days, meters of ribbon, and more rhinestones than I care to remember, but it was worth the effort (even if it did ruin the wall – sorry Mom!)

My sister and I were so happy with how it turned out and, when we decorated a cardboard frame to match, guests loved having their photos taken there. VS bags filled with tissue paper and balloons added to the effect.

 

Guests were given goodie bags filled with treats like homemade lip scrub, along with cute bags of popcorn and candy. Making the most of our photowall, we had a mini-digital printer to print out photos of everyone to take home with them as a memento of the party. These were especially popular.

You can’t have a bridal shower without games, but rather than make a mess handing out paper and pencils that would only add to the cleaning up, my clever brother had them added to an app the girls could download to their phones. As well as being fun and environmentally friendly, it was an easy way for me to keep track of the scores (and make sure there was no cheating!)

It was almost as much fun organizing this bridal shower as it was attending it! It may have taken several days to pull it all together but it was worth it to see the excitement on our guests’ faces as they walked through the door. Our top tips for creating your party decor are:

• Have a clear starting point. Ours was the inside of a Victoria’s Secret store.
• Be consistent with your theme. We carried the pink and black color scheme through to everything, including food, drinks, and favors.
• Get creative. We wanted our party to be unique and had a great time creating decorations, labels, and favors.

 

Above all, have fun. Parties are for celebrating!