Roses for a Bride! a Mother! a Sweetheart! etc.

A friend of mine has asked for my help in planning her wedding.  It got me thinking about a lot of possible themes and ideas.  I've been playing with an idea for a rose themed party for a long time now.  With weddings on my mind, I thought it would be perfectly suitable for a bridal shower - though it can easily work for Mother's Day, Valentine's Day, etc.  Below is my inspiration board. 

The inspiration arose from these cards that I picked up on sale at Papyrus.  They are "hand sparkled," blank cards, ready for personalization.  Bonnie Marcus cards are always fun and girly... though I'm not a very "girly" girl, this is a go-to line for fun & pretty stationery.  The line is made in the USA and uses recycled and FSC certified papers.  As a bonus, they donate a portion of their proceeds to Breast Cancer Research. 

They can be found directly from Bonnie Style Press here: Bridal Dress Invitation

These cards together with my favorite L.A. rose specialties have bloomed to form the following inspiration board. Take these ideas and run with them!

Ideas for decor

These adorable, inexpensive crepe rose pomanders can be used as centerpieces or hung with ribbon throughout the venue.  The wonderful idea was published at wedshare*daily, complete with a step-by-step tutorial.  One of the comments there suggested using white paper lanterns in lieu of styrofoam balls because they were less expensive... I particularly love that idea because styrofoam is so terrible for the environment.  While it's nearly impossible to make every darling detail eco-friendly, we can easily eliminate the worst offenders from our guest list. FYI: the same commentator noted that she required 2 rolls of crepe paper per lantern, or approximately 60 crepe paper roses.


Ideas for food & drink

2 Stews is in love with roses too!  The pasta roses are ingenious.  The simple recipe for Rose Chantilly Cream, served here with raspberry sorbet, is foolproof!  One of my favorite L.A. specialties is the Rosewater Ice Cream from Mashti Malone's.  They make delicious flavors including Rosewater Saffron with Pistachios and Lavender... mmmm, simply refreshing.  Squeezed in between their delicate wafers (forming their famous "Mashti" ice cream sandwich), ice cream is easily transformed into a quick and lovely treat. 

Another of my all-time favorite L.A. treasures is Galco's in Highland Park.  They have the greatest assortment of pop flavors and old-time sodas, including their Sweet Blossom Rose Soda.  2 Stews suggested serving sparkling rosé wine spritzer with rose petal ice cubes.  Be sure to use organic rose petals!  Pesticides are toxic.  Party attendees who abstain from alcohol can also join in the bubbly fun with non-alcoholic Bauser's Extra Dry Champayno.  My friend's favorite wine, the aptly named Stella Rosa, can also be found at Galco's, which also carries a large selection of hard-to-find domestic and imported beers, wines and spirits.  I love Galco's!

Ideas for favors

Thank guests for joining the celebration with these darling little favors!  They're practical, adorable items that guests will actually want to use.  The Bloembox from Olive Barn contains rose seeds for guests to grow their own edible and fragrant flavors.  Olive Barn carries all sorts of adorable, eco-friendly favors!  Rose soaps can be found at beaucoup.  They look and smell like the real thing!  The beautiful rose lollipops from Candy Warehouse will make everyone smile... and can be included in the decor! 

Lastly, a party without cake just don't seem right.  I LOVE cake and will have one for any celebration.  And a party for women without chocolate also seems out of line.  So check out this beautiful chocolate cake I picked up for a previous party from Portos Bakery.  The rose on top is made from solid chocolate... om nom nom!