An Herbal Affair

My mom & her friends are helping with another bridal shower in the coming months, with 'herbs' being the theme... so I have to chime in with my herbal ideas! (Note to self: I must get a life, since I am lately just planning things via my mom's social calendar!)

Shower Decorations
The shower is being held in a restaurant with booths, so we need something smaller for the table decorations, but this Herb Centerpiece would be gorgeous on the gift table or the table of the guest of honor!



Table Decorations
There are so many cute ideas out there. One I love is this mossy pot... true, not an herb, but it does blend in with the color palette & plant theme nicely.


Use the same small pots & put potted herbs in them as table decorations, favors, and even placeards. I love the idea of painting the terracotta with stripes like this.


The neat thing about using herbs is that, like flowers, many have a meaning... it would be cute to tie a ribbon around the pots with a tag naming the herb and giving it's meaning. The meanings of some wedding/love-related herbs are:

Basil : Love		Lavender : Devotion		Sage : Long life, good heath, and domestic sweetness
Burnet (or salad burnet) : A merry heart		Marjoram : Joy		Scented Geranium : Happiness
Chamomile: Patience		Mugwort : Happiness of the day and the years to come		Sweet marjoram : Goodwill (Greek symbol of joy and happiness)
Chervil : Serenity		Myrtle : Love and passion		Tarragon : Permanence
Dill : Good cheer, Survival		Parsley : Festivities, merriment		Thyme : Strength and courage (ladies tucked sprigs of thyme into the armor of knights due for battle)
Heartsease : Happiness		Rosemary : Remembrance

A slightly larger size would look nice as a centerpiece for a smaller table - be sure to use the labels & give each table their own herb! The bride's can takeaway a sampling of all the herbs- the Recipe for a great marriage!

Favors & Game Prizes
When you're talking herbs, of course wonderful sachets come to mind! While it can be a fairly common shower favor, for this one it actually carries on the theme. You can easily buy sachets, but they're very easy to make- just sew a pouch (to be tied shut with a pretty ribbon), or make a small 'pillow' to fill with herbs... a heart-shaped one is especially fitting! (A halfway-DIY idea is to buy pre-sewn organza pouches, found in the bridal section of a craft store, and fill with herbs.)

A great prize for a game is this adorable herb-embedded paper from etsy seller porridge papers. The paper can be used as a card, but then planted by the recipient to grow the seeds!




What a beautiful (& beautifully scented!) shower this will be!
Nicole