Recently, Tara and I hosted a beautiful bridal shower for our dear friend Claire, who will be getting married in November.  Y'all know we love an excuse to have a party, so when Claire got engaged, I didn't waste any time starting to put together ideas for her bridal shower.  This party was extra special to me as I am blessed beyond measure to be Claire's Fairy Godmother.  Claire was in middle school when I moved back to Ocilla after college.  I rented my first little house from her family and since that made us backyard and backdoor neighbors, Claire and I became fast friends.  She would pop over to my house in the afternoons to chat about school.  She begged me for a job at the store and never forgot that I told her she had to be fifteen to start working.  She rode her bike to work on her 15th birthday and she has been a part of The Shoppes family ever since.  When I bought my little house and moved around the corner, she was thrilled that we would still be backyard  neighbors.  It is so comforting to live so close to someone who has become so dear to my heart.  

Over the years we have cried together, mourned together, worked hard together, laughed together and celebrated together.  It is so exciting to now be celebrating her upcoming wedding!  I don't think it is possible for me to be more happy for her. ​She is going to make the most beautiful bride!

The date was set, the menu was planned and we got to work on the decor. Tara and I put our heads together and decided on a color palette of greens, and shades of pink and coral.  We used citrus fruit and peaches for an extra pop of color.

I used my collection of vintage milk glass containers as vessels for the beautiful floral arrangements.  Some arrangements received whole peaches or small oranges and others were decorated with halved grapefruits.  The addition of the fruits to the decor was really beautiful and added an extra special touch.  

We enlisted the help of Jorjanne and Claire's special friends, Courtney and Kelsey, to help us host.  This talented group of women worked hard to make our vision come to life!

The shower took place in the morning so we decided on a brunch menu.  Tara was full of good ideas for this because brunch foods are her favorites!

We knew we needed sweet and savory menu items alike, so of course cake was at the top of our list.  How can you have a party without cake?!

Tara took one of her favorite recipes and dressed it up a bit.  She started with a vanilla cake and layered it with white chocolate buttercream and peach filling--yum!  She piped the outside of the cake to look like petals to give it a fancy flair.

Our other sweet option was a glazed lemon cookie.  These treats were tiny and delicious--perfect for a brunch!

We love a beautiful charcuterie board, and we thought this would be a fun opportunity to have one!  Full of baked ham, cheese slices, fresh fruit and miscellaneous biscuit toppings, this board was a hit!

We offered homemade plain and blueberry biscuits to go with our board.  We thought we needed another savory option, so we decided on a Sausage and Cheddar Quiche, baked as individual servings!

It turned out to be a beautiful display of delicious breakfast favorites.

This shower was so fun and so sweet.  As I looked around the room at all of the beautiful women that came to celebrate with Claire, I was overwhelmed by the amount of love contained in one space.  Our gathering wasn't just about gifts and cake.  (Although it might have been the best cake I have ever eaten.)  This group truly came together to shower Claire with love and support as she prepares to enter into a new season of life, which made the day just perfect.

If you are planning a party or shower for someone special to you, check out our blog posts about "parties and get-togethers".  ​

In case you hadn't heard, our Tara is expecting a baby!  A sweet baby girl that is due to arrive in July.  Y'all know we couldn't wait to host a baby shower and start spoiling that baby (and her Mama)!

I would like to point out that to we Southerners, a shower, whether it be for a baby, wedding, house warming, etc., is not just about the spoiling. Showers and parties are the perfect way to make someone feel loved and supported by the community they live in, or by the church family they have chose to be a part of. You've never felt so special until you sit and look around a room filled with the people you loved most, who have all gathered to take time out and celebrate you!  The gifts are just an expression of love and support, as we honor the special times and the new chapters in life. (And... the gifts at Southern showers can be abundant and overwhelming!)    

At The Southern Merc, we love a theme! The chalkboard in our Cafe dining room was already decorated with our favorite Oscar Wilde quote and we thought this was the perfect starting point for the party.  Tara loves old books and the vintage feel so we kept things simple by using simple flower arrangements, stacked old books, and this fresh greenery garland.  

All of the fresh greenery was cut from Mr. Crain's yard. The purple butterfly bush blooms were cut from Jorjanne's yard and the pink and white tulips were purchased from the grocery store.  Mixing store bought flowers with things you grew yourself is a great way to keep the cost down and still have beautiful arrangements.  For some tips on making your own arrangements with grocery store flowers, you can check out Roxie's tutorial! We tried hard to pick all of Tara's favorite foods and made sure that every detail would be a reflection of her sweet personality. 

​We keep things pretty simple at our showers so after a time of eating and visiting, Tara started digging in to her presents!  She was so blessed to receive so many beautiful and useful things.

Friends came from near and far, including two of Tara's college friends, which made the day extra special!

The Southern Merc and Fourth and Cherry crew had a blast celebrating our special girl and we can't wait to add baby Lila to our family of littles!  Because of her mother's sweet spirit and ability to love others so deeply, Lila has already won our hearts!

The Southern Merc is full of helpful tips for parties and showers!  Check out our archive to finds great ideas for your next wedding or baby shower!

Our shop is stocked with cute gift ideas for wedding and baby.  Look around while you are here, we'll be glad to send a little something your way!

Team Colors
Keep team colors in mind when choosing your decor for the party.  Don't go overboard, but your team of choice should be obvious by your selection.  Stick with prints and patterns that could be used every day to show sophistication.

Have a little fun and keep the theme going throughout the party.  An easy way to do this is to make banners and food tags that coordinate with the invitation.  I printed off letters to spell "Go Dawgs" in the same font that I used on the invitation.  Cut them in the shape of a triangle and wallah!  I did the same thing for the food tags to tie it all together.  The ribbon I chose for the banner matched my fabric choices on the food  table.  You're sure to make an impression by carrying out your theme!

Menu Choices
​Have a little fun when it comes to the menu!  Stick with fan-favorites, like Chips and Dip, Cheese Burger Sliders, and Lemonade.  
All of the bridesmaids brought a finger food for guests to enjoy.  This worked out great and we had plenty to choose from!  
​When it comes to dessert, you can get a little creative!  I chose to make Red Velvet cupcakes to go along with my color scheme, but the possibilities are endless!  Cupcakes are fun since they are easy to grab and totally customizable.  

Keep it Simple
Remember, this is a football party!  Relax and have a little fun.  Don't stress about the details, just focus on creating a comfortable environment where people feel at home and are able to enjoy the game.

We put a TV outside on the porch so people could enjoy the game wherever they were.  Although it was hot, we had a great time celebrating Mary Beth and J.D.  Though I didn't have time to capture many pictures before the party started, here are a few pictures I snapped during the festivities!

If you're looking for a few great appetizer ideas for your next party, add "Southern Appetizers" to your cart!  It is full of delicious menu ideas your guests will love!

This past Sunday we had the honor of celebrating Jorjanne and baby Perry!  We thought this would be a fun way to spend the afternoon on Mother's Day.  When coming up with a theme for the shower, we were inspired by Perry's nursery.  Jorjanne chose to decorate his room with maps.  We decided that a "Welcome to the World" theme was appropriate!

Vintage globes and maps were used to pull the theme throughout the room.  We even made little map flags to top the cupcakes with!  We had a delicious spread of southern favorites; a cheese ball, chicken salad sandwiches, pasta salad, wedding cookies and lemon cupcakes.

Roxie found the sweetest children's book to use as the guest book.  It's called "The Wonderful Things You Will Be."  Its pages are filled with beautiful illustrations and encouraging words.  It was so fun to read and imagine what baby Perry will become!

Jorjanne had a wonderful crowd at the shower, most of which were family!  Chris even stopped by to say hello.

Jorjanne's sisters, aunt, niece and mom were there to celebrate with us.

Chris' side of the family was there too!  

When it came time to open gifts, we had a ball!  We laughed at the tiny clothing that we knew Chris would love and were in awe of the handmade gifts they will cherish for years. 

Jorjanne received tons of practical items, as well as a few fun things too!  Baby Perry, we are now ready for you!

If you are new to The Southern Mercantile, you may not know that we have a brick and mortar store called The Shoppes at Fourth and Cherry.  The Shoppes is where The Southern Mercantile was born.  Inside The Shoppes, we have a Cafe.  Running the Shoppes and Cafe is our "day job", I guess you could say.  We have a wonderful work family that we are blessed to share life with.  The Lord has always provided the right people at the right time.  And right now, we are prepared and ready for baby Perry's arrival!

The Southern Merc girls (and The Shoppes at Fourth and Cherry family) recently had the opportunity to shower our dear Katelyn as we prepare to welcome little Lainey Kate into the world!  As you know, Katelyn loves all things artsy and beautiful, just like us!  We knew this shower needed to be filled with soft pastels, florals, good friends and delicious food.  Like any good event, we created a pinterest board and began the planning process!

Check out our Pinterest board here!

We were inspired by our Pinterest board to incorporate balloons in some way to make a statement.  And a statement we made!  We decided to create this beautiful balloon arch and add in flowers and greenery.  We'll let you in on a little secret--we did not come up with this balloon arch idea by ourselves!  Thanks to a fellow blogger, we learned all that we needed to know from The House that Lars Built!  If you have a minute, take a look at her fun video tutorial!

We adorned her initials with flowers to use as decorations as well as a gift Katelyn could take home!

We had a few party favorites on the food table: Spinach Dip, Mini Cheese Balls (pimiento cheese, bacon and pecans...yum!) and Iced Sugar Cookies!

We decided to experiment in the cookie painting business--and we didn't think they turned out too shabby for our first try!  You can never go wrong with a fun shaped cookie decorated with floral patterns!

We were so glad that Katelyn's mom was able to make the trip down to join us  for the shower.  We had a wonderful time sharing sweet memories and dreaming about the day when little Lainey Kate will be here with us!

Roxie had an extra special gift for Katelyn--a hand quilted blanket she made for Lainey Kate's crib!  This little one will sure be stylish!

Katelyn had a wonderful idea to use a journal as her guest book for her showers!  She encouraged guests to write a little note to Lainey for her to cherish through the years.

We had a wonderful Sunday afternoon filled with lots of love and laughter.  It's always a good time when us girls get together, and we love having the opportunity to share it with you!