Given that Lexie and RED had gotten married in our backyard in front of an audience of seven, and given that they were living in a dark, damp basement bedroom in our home, I was determined that Lexie would still get to enjoy some of the traditional wedding experiences.
So last fall, my best friend and I—the mother of two of Lexie’s closest friends—planned a bridal shower for her.
Since I was running the show, I decided that I could pull out all the stops and make it as grand as I wanted. In the end, we settled on a travel theme, since travel was how she and RED had met. It wasn’t quite as fluffy and romantic as some of my original ideas, but it was perfectly suited to them, and we had an absolute blast putting it together.
I invited everyone I could think of who had been part of Lexie’s life and our family’s story. Two of my sisters and my niece even flew in from Toronto for the occasion.
For one glorious afternoon, Lexie was the princess bride.
She was showered with beautiful gifts—so many, in fact, that we had to store them temporarily at my sister-in-law’s house because we had absolutely no room for them at ours. Our friends were so generous. They send funds and my friend and I did the shopping off of Lexie’s bridal registry. We had SO much fun.
At the shower we took countless photos. We watched a video chronicling Lexie and RED’s relationship, lovingly put together by my niece. We sipped mimosas and laughed and cried in all the right places.
One of Lexie’s friends made a stunning Lambeth cake. I made homemade macarons, which turned out surprisingly well considering they’re such tricky little buggers. There were candles, flowers, and twinkling fairy lights strung across the ceiling beneath billowing clouds of organza. Luggage and globe vignettes.
In other words, it was exactly what one would expect from the bride’s crazy mother. We don’t just go the extra mile. We go completely over the top. But it was well worth it. I wouldn’t change a thing.
The Red Plaid Apron 