April showers may be over, but bridal shower planning is in full swing on Long Island. Although weddings tend to be somewhat formal, these celebrations come in all kinds of shapes and sizes. Long Islanders are especially creative when it comes to festivals like this, and they let their imaginations run wild. And putting on a casual gig often requires some spectacular DIY.
A bridal shower can also serve as a preparatory de-escalation before the big day, says Heather Cunningham, owner of the bridal organization Brides of Long Island. “A bridal shower is a way to connect with friends and family in a more intimate setting,” she says, adding, “A bridal shower is a celebration filled with incredible creativity, love, and fun anticipation.” Ta.
Couple: Jolie Clark (29 years old) and Brian Clark (32 years old)
Shower date: July 15, 2023
Number of guests: 65
Total expenditure: $7,000
Jolie Clark's shower was centered around strong visuals, with the help of her mother Karen Klein, 66, and sister and maid of honor Mia Klein, 34. With the help of family and friends, the two created what Clark calls an “Italian beach club.” ” in the backyard. “I wanted a non-traditional wedding shower. Something different, colorful and with a real theme,” she said of the late afternoon event. “I think a lot of people don't really want to go to the shower because they get a little sleepy.” Wanting to highlight her family's “deep Italian heritage,” her goal was to bring “the Amalfi Coast to Long Island.” was.
The star of the show (other than the bride) was a bright red Aperol Spritz cart handmade by Clark's aunt Michelle Mormando and father Noel Mazario, from which many Spritz Venezianos were served.
My mother happens to be a skilled craftsman, so sewing a dark blue toile tablecloth for the long table we rented was no problem, but she took me everywhere from the East End to New Jersey to find enough fabric. Ta. She crocheted sunflowers into a burlap bag to hold silverware (gold, plastic) and created a macrame background arch for the photo. As her take-home gift, along with her homemade lemon-shaped cookies, she made her own lemon verbena soap and packaged it with a label that read, “From Jolie's Shower to Yours.” .
The big problem was finding enough Blue Willow china to serve 65 people. Klein wisely put out a call on Facebook to a group of local moms to borrow the pieces all at once, and placed a sticker on the back of each plate to indicate who it belonged to. Some of the lenders? Amityville Mayor Dennis Silley;
“We thought the decor was really important and the balance between a gentle atmosphere and something homemade. We played to our strengths,” says Mia. To set the mood, the family covered the underside of a large pergola in the backyard with vines and plastic lemons imported from the Amazon. Food was provided by Uncle Giuseppe, flowers (blue and white hydrangeas) were provided by Lidl, and alcohol was provided by Costco.
The assembled people played two games. In one, guests are asked to sketch what the bride's dress will look like (these images are hung on clothespins). Another is the popular “he said/she said” shoe game, where the bride and groom answer the following questions: each other.
“I think this was the most beautiful, fun, and different thing,” Clark said. “It was a huge success.”
Couple: Brittany Hickey (26 years old) and Brian Taus (34 years old)
Shower date: March 9th (wedding on May 25th)
Number of guests: 45
Total expenditure: $7,000
A photo of her beloved late paternal grandmother, Frances Hickey, inspired Hickey to celebrate Ranch's bridal shower in Barbie mode. “I was very close to her and I found a picture of her wearing striped clothes. She looked like the original Barbie doll,” Hickey explains. Coincidentally, the day of her shower was National Barbie Day.
The bride requested that all guests wear pink for the ceremony, which was held at Italian restaurant Nunzi's. “People fought me about it,” Hickey says. But in the end, she says, “There was a common sense of sisterhood, and that's what I wanted.”
Family friends made her a life-size Barbie doll box for the photo shoot, with a neon sign in the background spelling out her grandmother's nickname, “Dolly Girl,” which she bought on Amazon. Her grandfather, Jack Hickey, helped her build it.
DJs were instructed to play pop songs by female-only artists from the late '90s, such as Britney Spears and Gwen Stefani. These were the basis of the game. A version of “Name That Tune” where guests guess which movie the song appears in. “It was like bringing out my inner child,” Hickey says.
As for her ensemble, Hickey went full Barbie in a beaded dress that she “probably weighed five pounds” and high white stilettos. “She wanted something fun,” she says. The same goes for flowers. She told the florist, “Do your own thing, be creative, make it hot pink, use her feathers.” Mission complete. Participants went home with a goodie bag containing cat-eye sunglasses and red lipstick. “Now anyone could look like a Barbie doll,” Hickey says.
Couple: Stephanie Jones (53 years old) and Kenneth Maldonado (54 years old)
Shower date: April 30, 2023
Number of guests: 82
Total expenditure: $3,000
“Butterflies have always been a part of my life,” says Stephanie Jones, owner of Baldwin beauty salon StudioTen. “They're one of my favorites, a metaphor for change.” Butterfly motifs were featured at Jones' bridal shower, held at the Royal Room in Freeport. There, a giant paper butterfly was placed in the center of the dance floor, and winged creatures adorned her cake and even a cloud of white rose centerpieces. Her favorite colors, orange and green, featured on a scape of balloons of various sizes, and the bride asked her guests to wear green.
Jones, who was married for the second time, was completely reluctant to shower. She didn't even shower in her first marriage, but her sister Janet Jones-Bazanski and her bridesmaids insisted. DJ and 82 of her closest friends gathered in the late afternoon to enjoy a meal that included collard greens, fried chicken, macaroni and cheese bites, and crab cakes. “I chose the date and the colors. Other than that, I had no involvement,” she said, giving credit to her sister and bridesmaids. “We were so happy and overwhelmed. She opened presents at the event, but there were no bridal games. “We felt like we were getting too old,” Jones explains. But the crowd wasn't old enough to drink boogie, so the DJ got them dancing. Mr. Jones entered the room to “her” song, which was played as the first dance at his girlfriend's wedding a few months later. She was “I Found Lovin''' by the Fatback Band. And…she did.
Couple: Jenna Starr (26) and Andrew Starr (27)
Shower date: July 22, 2023
Number of guests: 58
Total expenditure: $5,000
The groom's last name inspired the theme for the backyard evening event, held at the home of Marybeth Medora, 56, the bride's aunt. A welcoming sign that read “Sangria, Sunset, Star” set the stage. “I wanted something non-traditional, so I wanted to go barefoot,” says the star.
“Luckily, I have a sister who is very creative,” Starr's mother, Katherine Siletti, 54, said of Medora. She said: “Jenna didn't want a restaurant party like that, she just wanted a night of fun for the girls.'' The event was catered by Garden City's Prime.
“We left no stone unturned,” says Starr's aunt. “It’s all about the details, and we wanted to create an environment where everyone felt a part of it and could get to know each other.”
On display are rolling racks filled with emerald green bridesmaid robes (the color of their wedding dresses) and gift baskets. Medora incorporated a crystal chandelier from her home into the tent, added sparkling curtains for guests to enter, hung vases full of flowers on a tree and set up a sangria bar. Partygoers signed in on giant Jenga his game pieces (a fun memento for couples who play the game) and took instant photos with wishes and advice written on them. The centerpiece of Starr's shower was a 1955 Ford pickup truck that her aunt had borrowed from her friend and filled it with buckets of flowers (from Whole Foods) for guests to choose from for their bouquets.
Star says, “It was 100% a dream and everything I wanted.”