A friend of mine loves reading. And for her bridal shower, my roommate and I spent a couple months preparing our backyard into an intimate garden tea party. Except, she wanted a garden tea party with a theme of books. So that’s what we did.
We went to a thrift store and found a bunch of loves stories. Not the Harlequin Romance novels, but the love stories. We bought random tea cups and saucers for everyone. And, I planned and executed a menu inspired by books in general and food scenes from some classic love novels . Here is what I came up with.
Love Story Sandwiches
The key to these sandwiches: an edible food-grade pen. I know sandwiches are normally made with bread, but the pen doesn’t really work on bread, so we made them with flour tortillas instead. It really gave it more of a book look. Fill them with your favorite deli meats and cheeses. I served the Dijon mustard and mayonnaise in mini tea cups, or espresso cups so that everyone could customize their sandwiches however they wanted.
Gone with the Wind Pulled Pork Sandwiches
These pulled pork sandwiches were inspired by the Twelve Oaks BBQ in Gone with the Wind. Now, I know they didn’t have pulled pork slider sandwiches at the BBQ in the book. That’s why we used the phrase “inspired by”. Because the book took place in Georgia, I went with pulled pork barbecue from the nearby Carolinas. So, these sliders have a more vinegar-based sauce with a slaw on top, sandwiched between pillowy slider buns. And of course I had to hold them together with cocktail toothpicks with hearts on top.
Great Gatsby Lemon Cakes
If you remember, in the Great Gatsby, Nick bought twelve lemon cakes to serve at the afternoon tea he hosted for Daisy and Gatsby. I thought they would make a great addition to our afternoon tea bridal shower. Just hopefully, our lovely couple has a happier ending than Daisy and Gatsby. I made these mini lemon cakes in a mini muffin tin, turning them upside down to serve, and drizzling them with a simple vanilla glaze.
Fruit Bouquet
This was one of the simplest things to make for the bridal shower. All you need is some fruit and flower cookie cutters. I carved strawberries into roses with a paring knife. And then choose watermelon, cantaloupe, and pineapple to dust different flower shapes. Then use wooden skewers to thread on grapes for the stems, then top with your fruit flowers! Arrange any extra fruit on a platter surrounding the vase of fruit flowers.
We also served peach sweet tea and pink lemonade to drink at the bridal shower.
I hope this gives you some inspiration for any bridal shower or spring afternoon tea you are thinking of hosting! Feel free to leave a comment with any questions or ideas you have used for your own creative bridal showers in the past!
