Bridal Shower on a Budget-DIY Cupcake Stands

My dear friend Rachel is getting married!! Now, I know every couple is special and love is special and yada yada yada, but let me assure you that their story is more than just boy meets girl. 

Both she and her fiance' have loved our family through some tough times. They are definitely a huge part of our "village" which helps us to raise our children. In fact, I really got to know Rachel when I had surgery last February. 

 I am so honored to be the matron of honor, to have my boys be the ring bearers and to stand along side my friends as they make their vows in March.

The bridal party (minus one who lives out of town).

Instead of registering for wedding gifts, the couple is asking guests to donate to a local tutoring program where they volunteer. It's a GREAT idea, especially for couples who already have everything they need to set up house. The problem is, we wanted to shower the couple with gifts!  

My solution was to have guests bring a "Date Night" gift basket for the couple to enjoy during their first year of marriage. I LOVED seeing all the different date ideas, but was partial to my "Concert date night" idea. Did you know you can buy Ticketmaster gift cards? I love the idea of giving someone an experience, especially for newlyweds. It took our entire church small group to pull it off, but I think they'll have an awesome time at dinner and a concert.

The raspberry punch was adapted from this recipe. I used champagne instead of beer. Delish!!

Now for the budget friendly part:

To make things more classy, I picked up 8 vintage glass dishes and 4 white ones to add to my stash. It was a cheap way to dress up this party and I know I'll use them again! I also used linen napkins which I picked up from the seminary free store. Can you believe, they were new in the package!!

Cup cake stands and other treat stands were made from Dollar Tree glassware.

Between dishes, bowls, candle sticks and wine glasses, you can make any sized elevated platter or candy dish possible! I also picked up about 6 metal trays from the Dollar Tree. It was simple, uniformed, and super easy!

I had a blast decorating for this shower! My house hasn't seen this much pink since our first foster placement last summer! But, the true fun was celebrating two amazing, selfless and giving people who found each other.

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Photos taken by Betty Elaine Photography based here out of St. Louis!! She is an amazing photographer with a unique point of view. Not to mention, she's a sweet stylish gal! Check out her blog, too!!