Showering with nautical cheer

Summer break launched with matrimonial readying. Dear friend Elaine is tying the knot this Saturday, so the bridal party recently threw a shower to usher her in to merry matrimony. When she told us that her sole request was for it to be nautical themed, we attempted to incorporate sailorly touches from predominantly recycled materials or things we had on hand amidst a homemade menu of tasty savories and sweets.

I really love petite tea sandwiches for luncheon gatherings. They're simple to assemble, fresh, tasty, and pleasing to the eye, especially when displayed on cake stands. Here are some longtime favorites that we featured at the shower. They might just be worth your try!


Petite Tea Sandwiches
1) turkey, swiss, pesto, hummus, and spinach
2) caprese: tomato, fresh basil, buffalo mozzarella, extra virgin olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt, and freshly ground pepper
3) smoked salmon and chive cream cheese

Notes: We used whole grain honey wheat bread to sandwich them all and cut them into fours diagonally. We also stuck personalized mini sails onto the tea sandwich boats.







We made a fleet of paper boats from grocery bags to garnish the table spreads and to hang as a charming mobile. I don't recall the last time I folded a paper boat, so it was really fun. I braided strips of fabric and feedsack as "rope" to adorn the buffet table. We offset a neutral palette of vintage milk glass vases and mason jars with pretty pops of color from her favorite flowers. We also got seashells from the local dollar store to scatter onto the table spreads. To personalize the affair, we arranged flags made from kraft paper, skewers, red & white striped happy tape, and chalk into the vases.


Instead of a guestbook, we had messages in a bottle. I initially envisioned guests scribing sweet messages, rolling them up, and sticking them into mini vials with cork stoppers, but time escaped me to purchase them. We worked with what we had, and guests placed the lovely notes into mason jars instead.

All in all, the bridal shower was simple, sweet, and resonated with lots of love for the glowing bride-to-be.