Samantha's Bridal Shower

I absolutely love party planning!

It is so fun for me to sit down and plan everything out, but it is even more fun for me to spend hours to myself setting up all the decor.

Hunter just lets me be and watches Oaks because he says I'm in my element ;)

This particular party I'm sharing today was very near and dear to me!

One of my good friends is getting married in June!

I called dibs on planning a shower for her in Utah the second she texted me and told me she was engaged. 

I knew it would be smaller, but I still wanted it to be extra special for her and some fun time with girlfriends before the big day!

I've thrown a baby shower, a birthday party, holiday parties, and a few other miscellaneous ones but this was surprisingly my first bridal shower!

I got a lot of snapchat questions asking where I purchased some of the decor and if I made it... so I figured I'd just answer all that here!

I'll also be sharing a few tips I've learned to keep things budget friendly :) 

When planning out a party, the first thing I do is pick a color scheme.

It makes it so much easier to plan everything out when you have a color scheme in your head to go off of.

Then I plan by tables to keep myself organized.
I'll figure out which "stations" I want and go from there as far as tablescape and backdrop goes.

For this particular shower I wanted a gift table, a photobooth, food table, drink table, and a little something near the seating.

When planning backdrops I pull out what I already have and try to reuse some decorations in different ways to save money.

I used quite a few of Oaklyn's party decorations because I just love the pink and gold but I also threw in some mint and teal!

I wanted the gift table to be the first thing people saw when they walked in.

There wasn't really a good wall for the table so I just did some floating garlands.

I made the gift banner using lots of scrapbook paper and twine, the pink and white one is just two streamers sewed together, and the other one is just squares cutout of mint and teal poster board from Hobby Lobby and hot glued on to twine!

I actually totally loved how it turned out!

I added a lingerie raffle because let's be honest here, that's what every bride is hoping they'll get!

I also added a pennant banner to the front of the table for a little extra decoration.

To the right of the gift table was a photobooth!

I absolutely love when parties have a DIY photobooth because it gives an excuse to take photos ;)

I just set up a sheet and tacked these cute pinwheels to the wall! ( Go here if you want to learn how to make them)

All of the photo props have lasted through a few different parties now and they were purchased from hobby lobby in the party section.

It's an "unsaid" fact that everyone goes to parties for the food... So make sure your spread is tasty!

My tips here are, make sure there is something for every tastebud.

I went with muffins, coffee cake, donuts, Chicago Mix (if you haven't tried this, run to Costco and get it!), Quiche, fruit, and my favorite sweet kale salad from Costco.

A way to make the food table budget friendly is by asking some friends to help out.

I for one like to plan and decorate (depending on the size of the party) by myself because it's just fun for me, but the food is what can get out of hand!

You can ask a few friends that want to be involved to bring something specific and use your own dishes you like. 

A fun way to jazz up any table is by adding a colored plastic tablecloth as a runner!

It adds a pop of color and is still very much budget friendly.

I also added some fabric squares I got at Wal Mart for $1.

You can also add a garland or banner hanging from the front. 

To set up the food, work on having varying heights.

It appeals to the eye much more than just a few different plates set up.

Add some cake stands, apothecary jars, or stick a few shoe boxes under the table cloth to raise the plates.

I made my cake stands with candle sticks and plates from a thrift store. 

They only costed about $2 a piece! Score!

On the wall behind the food table I just added a few of the leftover mini pinwheels.

The other thing I recommend is snatching little bins whenever you find them for cheap!

I love looking in the Target Dollar Section and finding cheap and cute little bins to display utensils.

The drink table was much bigger than I originally wanted but our clubhouse only had long rectangular tables so you just work with what you got!

The backdrop for this was made with a gold pennant banner from My Paper Crush and the felt ball garland was made out of felt balls and twine from Pebbles in My Pocket.

The drinks sign was just cut out of poster board and would have been done much better if I didn't think of it so last minute... ha! Oh well...

We had lemonade and water in pitchers.

A little tip to dress up any drink, add some fresh fruit slices to the dispenser!

The clear cups are from the dollar store and the chalkboard labels are from Michael's.

Yes I did put on every single label... it saved me money!

Another little tip, save up paper straws!

I have so many in all different colors stored away that I don't think I'll ever have to buy them again, ha!

The Dollar section frequently has them!

Another thing I love doing is taking things from my house that I already have and using them as decor.

The chalkboard is usually in our bedroom but I wanted that saying at the shower and the chalkboard displayed it perfectly!

The chickenwire photo hanger is in our kitchen and I use it to hang invites, announcements, and Christmas cards. 

I also added some mini mint tissue poms around the table.

The little extra pop of decor I added near the seating area was just a burlap banner I found in the dollar section and I painted the "Ms. to Mrs" on it.

Behind that was the super simple square garland also at the gift table.

I'm a fan of having one or two simple games at showers because it helps break the awkward silence and helps the guests get to know each other a little better.

When everyone was close to finished eating, I passed around the "Pass the Love Story Game" paper and it ended up being pretty cute!

It started at the person to the left of the bride and they wrote down whatever sentence they wanted to make up their love story.

That person then folded over what she wrote so the person next to her didn't see what she wrote and we kept passing and writing sentences until it got to the bride.

She then read the love story we created for her and it was super cute!

We also did the "What's in your purse game" because it is so fun to see people get into it!

After that we did the newlywed game and the bride literally got every single answer correct!

I just love that game!

We finished with opening gifts, chatting about marriage, and taking photos.

If you want the printout of the two games click here for the purse game, and here for the love story game :)

I hope this answered some questions and sparked some creativity!

Let me know if you have any more questions :)

Thank you all so much for reading!

All my love,

Aleigh Joy

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Easter Sunday 2016

For the past 21 years of my life, Easter had been spent with family.

My own family obviously for the first 19 years. 

Our first year married we went to Hunter's grandma's house.

While it was lovely getting to know his side better and the food was great, I just couldn't help but feel a little homesick.

Our second Easter married happened to fall on conference weekend while most of his family would be in town so we decided to make it the weekend of our little Oaklyn girl's blessing as well.

It has been so fun being with family and having the meal made for us ;)

This year, was the very first year we planned for, shopped for, and prepared all of Easter dinner!

I made sure to document most of it because I felt like it was a big deal haha!

For years and years I watched my parents make Easter dinner and it was finally my turn!

I'll admit that it was a bit stressful... and ya know, expensive haha... but it was SO fun!

I made Hunter promise that he'd get me a triple oven when we one day have our own home (okay maybe just a double haha) because it was so hard to keep everything warm when they all needed to cook at different temperatures.

That being said, it still tasted pretty good if I do say so myself ;)

We woke up bright and early (8 is bright and early in this house) and headed to church at nine.

I wish I could say the messages were great, but Oaks was not very happy about us waking her up before she was ready so I didn't get to listen to much.

However, I did feel the wonderful Easter spirit in the building :)

We got home and prepped for dinner.

We then finally let Oaklyn see what was in her Easter basket! 

She was still pretty grumpy at first, but once she found the Easter eggs filled with jelly beans... she was so happy!

Seriously, the kid loves jelly beans!

After getting her fill of sugar, we headed outside to spend time in the sunshine and play on the grass/take lots of pictures ;)

Before we knew it, it was time for Oaklyn to go take a nap and buckle down to get dinner ready!

While Hunter set up the table and chairs, I got the centerpiece ready and it seriously only took like 7 minutes!

I got the little foam Easter eggs from the dollar store and did layers of them according to color. 

I then put the yellow bunny peeps on top so you could see them on the outside of the glass. 

I then added the flowers and arranged them how I liked. 

The flowers were from the dollar store too!

After that, was more layers of eggs and ta-da! Complete! So Easy!

I just used leftover plastic tablecloths from Oaklyn's party, our yellow dishes, and dollar store paper napkins to complete it!

As for the menu, we had honey glazed ham, kale poppy seed salad, funeral potatoes, oven roasted veggies, and rolls! 

We actually hardly had any leftovers and I was shocked! But so happy everyone liked dinner!

For dessert we had homemade strawberry shortcake.

We had 7 adults eating and little Oaksie as well.

It was definitely a whole lot of work but it was so much fun to put together!

It felt like a step in adulthood to plan and make my first holiday meal completely on my own ;)

Once everyone had left and Oaklyn was in bed, Hunter and I had a mountain of dishes to do, leftovers to put away, and floors to sweep.

As we were cleaning up we got time to chat with each other and decided that we loved hosting, clean up and all!

It was so fulfilling and exciting.

Throughout the day I was reflecting upon my Savior, Jesus Christ, and the atoning sacrifice he made for the world.

I felt so much happiness and such a wonderful spirit throughout the day as I thought of Him.

I cannot wait to teach our little Oaklyn all about Jesus Christ and the amazing example he set for all of us.

I can't wait to tell her about the great plan of salvation and that we can one day live with Him again.

And I am so very excited to teach her that He lives! That He is risen and made eternity possible!

This song was on repeat in my head all day long and the amazing message behind the words.

"Through the years and ‘cross the deep blue sea comes this mystery.

Why would the King of heaven and earth bow down to free me.Footsteps in the sand are drawing nigh.And raging voices echo in the sky.Angry eyes can't see that the man they sent to die offers life."

I hope you all had a wonderful Easter filled with friends and family!

All my love,

Aleigh Joy

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Easter Thoughts + Egg Hunt

I love spring!
I love the warmer weather (well, usually... come on Utah!), the flowers, the sunshine, the overall happiness, the excitement for Summer, and I love Easter most of all.
I feel like Easter, can actually be somewhat of an overlooked holiday.
Especially if you aren't religious.
I have always loved Easter traditions.
The baskets, Cadbury eggs, Easter dresses, the food, and the egg hunts...
However, over the past few years I have really thought deeper about why we celebrate Easter and I have come to understand better why I feel so much happiness on this holiday.

 Easter is a celebration of the wonderful promise we have of eternal life through Our Savior, Jesus Christ. 
Because of him, and his great sacrifice, we are promised that there is no end.
What a powerful promise!
He died, so that we may be free from our sins and live forever.
I get teary eyed just thinking about it, and how much He loves each of us.

Today is something people call "Good Friday"
We don't necessarily "celebrate" this holiday in my church, but I always recognize it and reflect on it and all it means.
It is, more or less, a day to think of all the Good that Jesus had done, and all the happiness he brings us still today.
 A day to think about the atoning sacrifice he made, and to remember that he truly does love each of us more than we can comprehend. 

About 2000 years ago, on a Thursday, Jesus sat down for his last meal with who he thought to be his closest friends. One turned his back on him that night. Another claimed he would die alongside Jesus, only to deny that he even knew him in the next few hours. That Thursday night and into Friday morning, Jesus was betrayed, arrested, denied, endured trials, and sentenced to death. Friday he was mocked, tortured, and crucified. Matthew 27:50 tells us that he “gave up His Spirit” for every flawed person who would ever walk the earth. Yes, you. His atoning sacrifice was for me, and you... all of you.

I am incredibly grateful for the sacrifice our Savior made for us, and for the suffering he endured.
More importantly however, I am thankful that He has risen. 
I am so happy that He lives today!
Our Savior is the one who unlocks our passageway through death, to eternal life.
I know that the atonement and resurrection we essential to fulfilling the glorious plan that Heavenly Father has laid out for us.
I know that They knew this had to be, and that they made a sacrifice I can't ever imagine going through, because They love us that much.
I am so thankful that because of Him, I get to be with my sweet little family forever and ever. 

A few friends and I had a fun little Easter egg hunt today!
It was so fun being all together and watching our littles interract together.
I love this bunch of friends and I am so grateful I met each of them.
Obviously most of them were little babies, so we basically threw all the eggs and watched as they sucked on them and shook them unsure of what else to do haha.
One friend stuffed her eggs with cheerios and every baby loved those eggs!
We also brought picnic lunches and laid some blankets out to talk and eat.
Other than the wind, it was such a fun day!

So, Happy Easter my friends!

I hope you have a great day with friends and family and are reminded of Jesus Christ's love for you :)

All my love,
Aleigh Joy

ps. take a few minutes to watch this video. It's my favorite of all time along with this hymn. Ahh chills!

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