A Fun, Floral Bridal Shower in Washington, D.C.

Adrienne Ferriero met her fiancé, John Gallagher, at a mutual friend's party in Virginia. The two hit it off and dated for nearly a year before John surprised her and proposed. "We were supposed to go to the beach for Memorial Day weekend, but John got the flu," Adrienne says, "Instead, I cooked dinner, and then he asked if I wanted to go on a walk. That wasn't out of the ordinary for us, so we walked to the lake behind my condo and sat on the bench. We talked about what it would be like to be married. He turned to me, got down on one knee, and asked, 'Will you be my best friend forever?' I cried and said yes!"

Adrienne and John set a date of May 26, 2016, for their wedding at St. Peter's Church, followed by a reception at the Mayflower Hotel, in Washington, D.C.

One month before the big day, the bride's mother hosted a classic, colorful shower. The April 10, 2016, celebration at the Trump National Golf Club had a guest list of 50 loved ones. With the help of Laura Ritchie of Grit & Grace, the day was elegant with fun details playing up Adrienne's love for makeup and all things glam.

Paperless Post created Adrienne's mix of floral and ikat invitations.

Adrienne's yellow diamond engagement ring was from Liljenquist & Beckstead and was designed by John.

The venue's ballroom was the ideal space for Adrienne's vision to come to life. Originally from Florida, she was inspired by Palm Beach, in addition to the Greenbrier Resort in West Virginia, where she and John would go for their honeymoon. Stripes, palms, and bold florals decorated the space.

Adrienne wore a floral dress from ASOS, matching the invitations and the theme of her shower. Her friends also dressed colorfully for the party.    

Adrienne's mother gifted her hot pink Manolo Blahnik shoes, completing her bright ensemble.

Guests sipped on Champagne, topped with customized acrylic stir sticks by LH Calligraphy that said "April Showers", while other stir sticks said "May Flowers".  The latter also played up the May engagement and wedding date—not to mention their wedding venue, The Mayflower Hotel.

Two long tables covered with navy-and-white striped cloths were balanced by the ballroom's neutral white walls. Grit and Grace and DC Rentals mixed things up at the place settings, using bold china patterns and gold cutlery to complete the lunch set up.

Holly Heider Chapple created pink, vibrant centerpieces using peonies and anemones. Completing the look were lush palm leaves that gave the room a luxurious feel. Laura Hooper penned names in ink that mimicked the palm leaves printed on the place cards.

The menus outlined the meal, which started with a spring salad followed by pan-seared breast of free-range chicken.

The ladies dined on Nutella crepes for dessert.

Rather than having a traditional guest book, Adrienne's friends gave her colorful kisses. "Since I love makeup this was totally up my alley," says Adrienne, "I am a freelance makeup artist, and so the girls thought it would be cute to have some of our guests use their favorite lip colors to create a little card for me."

Friends wrote notes of encouragement and love on small gold-edged cards and pineapple-shaped paper. 

Adrienne opened a box that said "stop and smell the roses" gifted to her by her best friend. "She included many memorable things in there and wrote a long letter which was super emotional and amazing. She also had Bible verses framed that John and I were planning to say during our vows," explains Adrienne, "There were some other special BFF items in there, but it was by far the most meaningful gift of the day."

The bride-to-be continued to open more presents, including one from John's mother. The picture of her and John read "the real gift" on the back of the frame and was accompanied by a special message.

Adrienne shared moments with everyone throughout the day, including her Nana.

"I love and do makeup for clients and friends all the time, so this was the perfect little send off," says Adrienne of the nail polish favors given out.

Photography, Abby Jiu Photography

Location & Catering, Trump National Golf Club

Event planning, Laura Ritchie of Grit & Grace

Flowers, Holly Heider Chapple of Hope Flower Farm

Stationery, Paperless Post

Calligraphy, Laura Hooper Calligraphy

Rentals, DC Rentals

Hair, Nicole Cantu

Makeup, Shirin Ratner