Tea time: A winter bridal shower

In case you haven't noticed, this month is wedding central in my family. Last week I shared my sister's engagement photos with you. Still to come are posts on the invitations and save-the-dates, a travel gift I made for the little girls and—I’m sure—a million photos of our upcoming trip to Colorado for the wedding (and a healthy dose of skiing).

Today I'm sharing some photos from the surprise bridal shower we threw for my sister a few weeks ago when she came to visit. The theme was simple: a winter wedding tea. Decorations included pine cones collected on our daily walks, boughs cut from our Christmas tree and winter-white tulips.

Somehow I didn't get a photo of the complete spread, but here is the table mostly set. On the right, the wedding invitations and save-the-dates are displayed on a burlap-wrapped canvas.

The menu included frittata, kale salad, muffins and baked cinnamon-sugar doughnuts.

It wouldn't be a tea party without displaying these family heirloom silver cups my aunt passed down to me a few years ago.

I used twine to make a pine cone garland for the mantel. 

Guests included my mom and sisters, as well as a cousin and friend who, lucky for us, now live in our area.

For gifts, we chose an "around the clock" theme. Jeff turned pale when I mentioned "around the clock," thinking it meant a 24-hour gathering at our house. But have no fear. It worked like this: each guest was assigned a time of day and chose a gift that corresponded to something Mari might be doing at that time. (And thank goodness for FaceTime, so my sister who was stuck at home with sick kids could still join us.)

Happy wedding countdown!

Click here for engagement photos and here for more DIY & events ideas.