Sunny destinations like California serve as the perfect backdrop for al fresco festivities. Fresh air, good friends, and a table under the sky—aka the recipe for instant magic whether it’s a bridal shower, birthday bash, or a rehearsal dinner.
Gather your people, not your party clichés. We’re skipping the toilet paper games (you know the ones) and focusing on what really matters: bringing your favorite humans together for an effortlessly charming backyard bridal shower. Picture this: a table made for lingering, citrus-kissed centerpieces, date garlands hanging like little love letters, and shareable boards piled high with all the good stuff—crudités, charcuterie, cheeses for days. 🧀🍊 This is your gentle nudge to keep it simple and and host the kind of gathering that feels like a warm embrace. Because the best kind of party is the one where everyone knows they belong at the table.
Reporter: Dena Cohen of The Planning Society
Photography: Jenna Peffley for Bub + George
Skip the traditional floral centerpieces for an antique hand-carved wooden dough bowl filled with citrus, pears, pomegranates and artichokes. Here, we took it a step further and utilized olive branches and unripened dates as garland.
Another fun touch is mismatched linen napkins that stay within your color palette but are uniform with mustard-hued leather holders.
Our take-home favors include individual rosemary-infused olive oil bottles guests can bottle at together at the party, in addition to individual bread rolls tied with twine and topped with a sprig of rosemary and dried blood orange. For the bride-to-be that prefers do-it-together activities over the traditional bridal shower games, this idea is a creative way to weave your theme into every moment and detail.
We love experimenting with unexpected toppers when it comes to the cake. Carrying over from the citrus centerpiece, you see dehydrated cara cara oranges atop an Italian vanilla buttercream naked cake. A bright and colorful way to end the day on a sweet note.
Credits:
Reporter: Dena Cohen of The Planning Society | Creative Studio: Bub + George | Photography: Jenna Peffley for Bub + George
