Eat, Drink & Be Married: Brewery Bridal Shower

Earlier this month, I had the extreme pleasure of working with my mom and sister to throw a bridal shower for my beautiful cousin, Liz. Liz and her fiancée, Donald, are getting married this September in Denver, Colorado .

The two got to know each other in the most American way possible, over a couple of pints of craft beer so when we began planning Liz’s shower, we jumped at the idea of an “Eat, Drink & Be Married” themed shower at a brewery in the suburbs of Chicago.

We chose a local independent brewery as the location for the shower and used mint and coral colors for the paper products and décor. The great thing about little local places is the eclectic charm they already have. Our brewery had shelves full of growlers, unique taps with in-house brews, and the days specials listed on chalkboard menus.

We knew how important beer was to the couple so we dressed up a few brown beer bottles with brown paper and twine. Centerpieces were surrounded by little beer steins filled with m&m candies and mint tulle.As guests entered the area, they were welcomed to sign a recipe book of small plates and cocktails, recipes supplied with each RSVP by those invited to the shower and put together via Shutterfly.

Because the bride was travelling in from out of town, we asked guests to bring a picture of their gift that was then put into a provided frame. Guests then proceeded to a wrapping station where they could wrap their frame however they’d like and attach a memory of themselves with the bride on the top. When it came time to open gifts, the bride read out loud the memory that was written on the top of each gift and guessed who it was from.

The bride-to-be posed for photos in front of a rich wood bar with an “Eat, Drink & Be Married” banner. She was surprised by her soon to be mother-in-law who travelled from Colorado to join the celebration. At the end of the celebration, guests left with owl-shaped bottle openers (Liz was a proud Chi Omega) with party tags bearing decorative tags on twine.