Purple Bridal Shower Ideas for a Feminine Affair

April 05, 2013

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DIY Lilac Arrangment

Get the DIY Lilac Arrangment How-To

Since these purple blooms are easy to grow in your own garden, they'd make for wonderfully affordable bridal shower decor. Their subtle color variations are perfect for creating painterly, layered arrangements.

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Lavender and Red Stationery

Engraving is the most traditional printing method for wedding invitations. Steal it for your shower invites with a fun twist. We had an engraver make this set with calligraphed letters on an eye-catching diagonal slant. A marbleized paper liner mimics the swooping script; a mini card and envelope offer a diminutive take on a reception card; and vintage stamps complete the suite.

Stationers Engraving New York, 212-242-4600; Calligraphy, John DeCollibus for Beyond Words

; Vintage postage stamps,

Champion Stamp

.

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Purple Potato Chips with Caviar

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It's amazing how a small dollop of caviar can lend a huge air of elegance to even the most intimate shower. Friends will be hovering around your spread table for these colorful creations.

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Aromatic Place Cards

For these sweet smelling seating cards, tie two strips of paper -- with the guest's name printed on one end and the table number on the other -- with satin ribbon to lavender wrapped with floral tape. Set them out at a small table near the entrance of dining room or at each place setting to give your table a pop of color.

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Purple Beet Borscht

Get the Summer Borscht with Tzatziki Recipe

The cold temperature of this beautifully purple beet soup makes it a perfect appetizer on a hot summer day.

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Lavender Champagne

Greet your bridal shower guests with a sip of something sweet and bubbly. A teaspoon of dried lavender, plus a fresh sprig as a garnish, infuses these flutes of Champagne with both color and flavor.

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Sweet Centerpiece

Credit: Raymond Hom

Already have the blooms chosen for your wedding centerpieces? Give guests a hint of what's to come by decorating tables at your bridal shower with the same selection on a smaller scale. A scattering of single-flower arrangements like sweet peas, poppies, and anemones in colorful bottles set on a purple linen makes for an informal yet impactful tablescape.

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Grape Gelatins

Get the Grape Gelatins Recipe

These purple gelatin desserts are the classy sister to their shot-glass counterpart that may show up later at the bachelorette party. Served in tall shooters and garnished with fresh fruit, making them from scratch takes only minutes, but allow at least two hours for them to set in the refrigerator.

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Lacy Favor Packaging

Credit: Thomas Straub

Dress homemade or store-bought cookie favors in purple packaging topped with a touch of lace. Wrap your sweets in contrasting squares of tissue paper, twist ends, place a strip of cotton lace trim on top, and then tie the ends off with colored twine.

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Honey-Vanilla Chocolate Truffles

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Set a blooming dessert table with these colorful truffles. Tweaking the color of the petals to match your palette is as easy as adding a few drops of food coloring.

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Personalized Parting Gifts

Present your best ladies with with super-soft parting gift: a monogramed pashmina scarve by LaPurse.

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Chocolate Bar Favors

You can play out your palette in even the tiniest of details -- try store-bought chocolate bars wrapped in pretty purple paper.

Chocolate bars, Miette Confiserie

.

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Color-Coordinated Cupcakes

Lavender-frosted cupcakes by Baked NYC dusted with red sprinkles and candy hearts are adorable.

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Blackberry Sorbet

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This fruit-infused sorbet is light and refreshing -- perfect for a summer bridal shower. Cool off your guests as they mingle outdoors with mini scoops presented in tiny cones or dish it out for dessert alongside shortbread cookies flavored with green tea, for a subtle sweetness that balances the tangy berries.

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Affordable Favors

Say thanks with parcels of purple-and-green Persian pistachios. Buy them in bulk (we chose Aladdin Nuthouse), pour them into plastic bags, wrap with textured cloth and a wide band of ribbon, and add our clip-art tag.

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Grape Cocktail

The simplest bridal shower desserts can be the most delicious; the very freshest purple grapes become special when set on shaved ice and served with a bit of dessert wine.

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Buttoned-Up Favors

Buttons make charming closures atop purple boxes: Punch holes in the box's lid for the button, slip wire through, and fasten on the underside. Then, tie a ribbon to the button's base, loop it around the box, and wrap to secure.

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Lavender Whiskey Sour

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This lady-like version of the classic cocktail becomes suitable for a bridal shower thanks to a hint of lavender sour syrup and a fresh garnish.

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Blackberry-Mint Juleps

Get the Blackberry-Mint Julep Recipe

Like the original, this jolly julep features bourbon infused with mint. But this drink's signature sweetness is tempered by the tartness of blackberries (in season for a late-summer shower), which also tint it a gorgeous shade of purple. Another twist: Our cocktail is blended with -- rather than served over -- ice, creating a slushy texture.

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