A summer shower introduces possibilities that take advantage of the weather. So choose a theme that celebrates the outdoors. You might have a pool party, with guests invited to swim and then gather around the pool for the gift opening, followed by a barbecue.
For a somewhat more formal event, have an English-style afternoon tea in the garden with dainty sandwiches, hot tea biscuits with clotted cream and preserves with a finale of small finger desserts.
A theme can be a place (such as a pool), a colour (the bride’s favourite) or an item, which can be as simple as, say, a key, an animal or just a piece of fruit. On these pages, we have shown a shower built around apples. It would all start with the apple being the image on the invitation.
Apples and apple blossoms are symbols of love, beauty and happiness. (And remember how the apple tempted Adam and Eve?) Decorate a red apple and put at each place setting with each guests’s name. Bowls of apples, especially when the shower is outdoors, will invite munching. Use apple blossoms to add to the decor. If it’s a dessert party, at least one dessert should be apples, such as an apple crisp. Notice the table setting with a centrepiece that alternates bowls of summer flowers with bowls of apples.
Photography: courtesy of A Simple Photograph / Location: The Little Inn of Bayfield / Flowers: Luann’s Flowers and Gifts
