Gift cards in the garden

My beloved little (29-year-old) sister got married this past weekend in Minnesota, and I've been riding waves of nostalgia and disbelief... Is the baby who liked to pet the dead fish we caught in the creek below our house really that stunning woman in an ethereal white gown? Is the toddler who teethed on a SuperGlu tube and cemented her little gums together really walking down a flowered aisle to stringed music?

Being the Matron of Honor, I was happily in charge of a bachelorette party and bridal shower, but Sister was in Tacoma, WA, and I was in Prague for most of the planning. Thankfully, the bridesmaids were helpful and very attuned to my Sister's bright and quirky personality.

One of the bridesmaids volunteered her moms' lovingly landscaped yard for the shower, as it made a much classier backdrop than the microbrewery I was originally planning to use. Thus, the idea for a "Gift Cards in the Garden" shower was born.

Acutely aware of how likely I could end up with a lot of Pinterest fails, I logged on to the site nonetheless and loaded a pin board with recipes and decor that seemed foolproof. This is what I did not want:

Martha Stewart I am sorely not, but I do like a good DIY challenge. We convened in Minnesota the weekend before the wedding and everything came up roses, pardon the pun.

My Sister - beautiful inside and out - under a handmade banner. I never thought I'd ever use the yuppie word "handmade".

The food was actually fun to assemble, and my MN mother-in-law cut fresh herbs to use. One of the moms who owns the backyard - and happens to be a professional garden designer - dipped into her flower beds and made bouquets for the tables.

Yes, that's a gummi worm dirt cake at the front. Don't judge.

Tomato-egg salad tulips 

Looking quite nimble despite having the bachelorette party the night before

Even silverware got a face-lift

I am not a fan of shower games like "make the bride a dress out of toilet paper", so we kept it simple with marital advice telephone pictionary and a quiz that required Sister to stuff a piece of Double Bubble into her mouth every time she got a question about her fiance or their relationship wrong.

This is about 6 pieces of bubblegum in, poor thing

This is good marital advice, no?

The icing on the cake was a pinata full of candy, procured by the garden-suggesting bridesmaid. We had a good laugh while Sister sliced the air with a broomstick.

Did I mention she was a State discus champion? There is power in that swing!

Bwahahaha look at the silly blindfolded girl

 And then, victory!

Candy and gift cards - what else could you want?

Thanks to a refreshing rain shower, we moved inside for the opening of gift(cards); as my Sister lives in Washington, she couldn't exactly pack a load of kitchenware onto the airplane home.

The house is gorgeous, too, no?

A few shower outtakes for the fun of it...

I like the bridal shower custom we have in America, which doesn't exist in the Czech Republic. It was fabulous to be home, celebrating with the little sis!

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Love, Czettish Scoch style

What do you call a Czech and a Scot who get married? Czettish? Scoch? Intra-European? Really adorable?

We spent our 4th of July not with sparklers and hot dogs, but with our dear friends as they wed in the ornate, 800-year-old St. Thomas Church and then threw a shindig at a restaurant just under the Charles Bridge.

It was roasting outside... so maybe we'll call our Scottish groom and our Moravian bride cool as cucumbers as they looked fresh and full of love and light despite the hot temps. I, myself, was absolutely cooking in my little black dress.

Anyhow, isn't this just a feast for the eyes?! It was a bilingual ceremony. 

Our friends caught each others' eyes at the school where BW and I work, but it was a couple of years before she asked him on a date. Well played.

After the ceremony, per Scottish tradition, we were led by bagpipes out of the church and through Mala Strana (the oldest part of Prague)...

...then athwart Charles Bridge and to the reception. Tourists had a heyday snapping photos!

At the reception venue, per Czech tradition, the couple cleaned up a broken plate together and fed each other soup. Our fetching newlyweds made even a large bib look good. 

Music was provided by the Brownies, a fantastically jazzy group famous for the huge crowds they draw at weekend farmers' markets. The lead singer's voice is simply buttah, dahling.

It was a flawless night, all champagne toasts and duck páté and dance floor hijinx... and lots of love! (And air conditioning, thank goodness!) 

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