Top Five Tips for Brides Throwing a Super Bowl Party

Go Team Wedding! Whether you’re rooting for the Patriots or the Seahawks or you don’t even care who’s playing, there’s no escaping the Super Bowl this Sunday. That’s right- say goodbye to your mimosa brunch and say hello to light beer and hot wings (it’s okay- this can count as a cheat day). If you’re throwing a Super Bowl party we’ve got five awesome tips to keep it fun and score you some serious cool-future-wife points.

Fresh Cut Flowers

You may associate a football field with fresh cut grass, but we like to accent everything we can with flowers. Pick up some hydrangeas or lilies dyed your team’s colors and put them out by your door, table (aka, where the hot wings go), and windows. Flowers always light up the room, make everything a little more feminine and classy and are a great way to show off your team pride!

Dress Code

Your friends are of course going to wear your team’s colors, so make a game of it! Have everyone dress as hardcore as possible and have a prize for whoever dresses the craziest. Once everyone has arrived, have a ‘fashion show’ during the halftime show. The best outfit that hits the runway can get a prize like a gift card or an extra pie to take home after the party. This is a great way to break ice with people who may not know everyone and get the crowd in an upbeat mood before kick off.

Keep it Light

The Super Bowl is such a great food occasion- you can seriously pig out all day and it’s just part of the festivities. If you do want some guilt-free options though, there are a ton of fun foods to lay out. You can start by slipping in some organic veggies with guilt-free hummus and spinach kale dip. If you want to take it another step further, skip the cookies and brownies and get some fruit for dessert. Be sure you always have an organic option for each stage of the meal to combat all the oils, salt, and calories.

Por Favors

Wanna be the hostess with the mostess? Get some party favors for all your friends! Do something small and cute like candy wrapped in your team’s colors bagged up. Something small and sweet is always a great takeaway from a party. Doing a cute DIY is great practice for your wedding too, so get crafty!

Make it a Party!

Want to make your party feel like a well produced event? Use one of our favorite go-to’s and set up a selfie station. Grab fun things like footballs, helmets, and ref whistles as props on top of your favorite standard props. Open up a closet or door and hang streamers over the side that people will take pictures in front of and BAM- you have a selfie station! It’s super fun and easy to play around with and it gives everyone something to do during the commercials that aren’t very funny. You can use the official hashtags for the superbowl, or you can make up your own to find your friends that much faster.

Top Five Bridal Shower Games

Party time! If you’ve got a bridal shower coming up, you know you’ve got an awesome day ahead of you with your girlfriends. Bridal showers are really fun, and can range from family friendly to crazy girl’s night out material. Either way your bridal shower ends up going, one awesome way to bond and laugh with your friends is to play some fun bridal shower games. We’ve got five games that will match any crowd and create some fantastic memories! Party on, pretty ladies!

Bridal Pictionary

Get a few white boards or sketchpads and throw some fun wedding-related phrases or words in a bowl. You can split the room up so that people can mingle and play with people they may not normally interact with. Throw words in like “toast”, “honeymoon”, and “groom” but also throw in some specific words to the bride. If she’s a teacher, throw in the word “classroom” or “teacher’s pet”. Keep it light and cute but also centered around the guest of honor.

The Newlywed Game

A total classic and perfect game for bridal showers. Have some questions ready to go and split the group up again. Grab those handy dandy white boards and have the teams guess on the answers to the questions you have- and make sure they always have to do with the bride. Have questions like where they met, where their first kiss was, how many days they’ve been together, etc. You can throw in a few silly ones too, like would they rather go skiing or spelunking, things like that. Keep it light, keep it fun, and keep it moving fast enough that it doesn’t drag out.

Count the Kisses

This one is a super easy game that everyone will be able to play, even if you’re shy. Have a vase or bowl of kisses out with a lid so no one eats any. Have everyone guess how many kisses are in the bowl, and whoever guesses closest wins the vase and the kisses! If you want to do hugs and kisses, you can label the vase ‘XOXO’ to make it super cute. It’s an easy game plus someone leaves with a whole lot of chocolate!

Make Memories

Have all the guests write down a cute story about themselves and the bride without using their name. Once everyone has been able to write down their stories, have the maid of honor or some of the bridal party read the stories out loud. The bride has to guess who wrote what story, and everyone gets an awesome walk down memory lane! You can’t have the bride read the questions off though- the handwriting could be a giveaway!

Mouth-watering Mystery

Whatever your bride’s favorite snack is- get a ton of different brands. If she’s a chocolate fiend, pick up some hersheys, godiva, sees, all sorts of fun stuff. If she loves gummy bears, grab some trolli, black forest, haribo, anything you can find. Unwrap everything and pour them into different bowls. After dinner or anything savory, everyone gets to go pick a piece from each bowl and guess what brand each piece of candy is. Whoever is closest gets a pack of their choice! This is a fun game that gives everyone an excuse to munch on something sweet.

 

Top Five Stocking Stuffers for Bridesmaids

Did you miss Black Friday? And Cyber Monday? Yikes! No worries, there are still a TON of sales, specials and promotions going on in time for the holidays. You’re going to want to try to get all of your holiday shopping done as soon as possible or you’ll end up at a mall at 11:30PM surrounded by angry, rushed shoppers. Yeah, that’s no fun. It’s a good idea to put your bridesmaids on your shopping list- they’re doing a lot to support you for your big day and you have the opportunity to thank them and give them something sweet. If you’re not sure what you can get to show you love them, we’ve got five awesome ideas that will be the perfect stocking stuffers.

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For the Business-minded Bridesmaid

For the girl who comes late to bridal party planning because she’s always caught up in meetings- pick up something fun from a Staples or Office Depot. We love fun things like 2015 planners, fun shaped post-its, and awesome tape dispensers. Scotch makes these awesome tape dispensers in shapes like martini glasses, puppies, high heels, and lizards. It’s easy to find fun stuff for under $15, and you know they won’t regift it.

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For the Sweet Toothed Bridesmaid

If you’re so over the mall and just want to fit your holiday shopping into your regular shopping, head over to do a specialty grocery store, like Trader Joe’s. Trader Joe’s has specialty packaged candy, chocolates, and even some home goods that are ready for holidays, like this holiday set of Joe-Joes. Just keep an eye out for the fun stuff while you pick up cereal and fruit. One of our picks is the chocolate sampler- it’s a small cube that has all sorts of different chocolates inside. It’s easy, a universal crowd pleaser, and will give your bridesmaids something to munch on while they’re watching you try on dresses.

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For the Team Photographer

You know that one girl that immediately instagrams everything you all do as a group? She’s secretly dying to get a selfie stick but feels silly buying one for herself. For most this will be a gag gift, but if you get it for the right bridesmaid it’ll actually be used. Most selfie sticks can be under $20, and it’s not hard to find them for under $15. You can get one for your photo-friendliest friend in a color that matches her bridesmaid dress, so when she inevitably whips it out on the big day it won’t clash with her outfit.

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For the Bag Lady

You know that one girl that comes out and needs a chair for her purse because she stuffs all sorts of fun stuff in her bag? You know how bummed she is everytime you go out and there’s no purse hooks at the bar? Fix that problem for her! Get a purse hook that she can stick in her purse and will create a place for her bag no matter where she goes. You can cruise etsy and find some awesome personalizable ones. You can put a picture of the both of you on there to remind her of how awesome you both are! She’ll thank you on your next girl’s night and she can have her purse next to her no matter where you go.

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For the Bombshell Bridesmaid

For the bridesmaid of yours that keeps hinting that she can do your makeup- give her some new toys to play with! All your favorite brands are doing fun holiday packs right now so it’s the perfect time to buy for your bridesmaids. Our favorite store for deals right now is Ulta- they are constantly offering bonus freebies, bonus rewards points, and have the best packages for both high end and drugstore level cosmetics. We love the Benefit Benebalm package- there’s three whole sets of the Benebalm and Benetint shades that are individually packaged and ready for gifting. We also love this EOS gift set for your girlfriends that need a little extra hydration this winter, and this kitty lip balm from Forever 21. Your bridesmaids will look so cute for all the photo ops coming up, and they’ll have you to thank for it!

 

Top Seven Best Holiday Bridesmaid Bonding Activities

It’s getting chilly outside but that can’t stop you from getting out with your girls! If you want your bridesmaids to bond this winter leading up to the big day, we’ve got seven awesome ways for you all to bond. You can turn any of these into one of your bachelorette party, or even a pre-bachelorette party. Get out, have fun, and stay warm!

Secret Santa

A cute, sweet way for you to bond with your bridesmaids is to get everyone together and have a secret santa party. Arrange secret santas a week or two before your party, and get everyone together. You can theme it to add to the mystery, like as a masquerade party where secret santas are super secret! You’ll all have to get to know each other while you’re shopping for each other, and it’s a great excuse to hang out and bond with a low level of bridal talk.

Volunteer Together

‘Tis the season for giving- both for loved ones and for those who need it. Get together as a group and do some serious good. If you’re all crafty or Pinterest fanatics, have a baking or cooking party and donate food to a local shelter or pass food out to those who need it. If you’re more hands on, volunteer at a soup kitchen. If you’re all mallrats, go out and pick up blankets, jackets, winter gear, anything at all and donate them to those who need it. It’s such a great way to give back and get close together. Plus, you can brag on how your bridal party gave back during your big day!

Santa Crawl

Every big city nowadays has a santa crawl around the holidays, and it’s so amazing! A ton of people dress up as Santas, elves, and all sorts of fun holiday characters and go place to place. It’s totally fun and a great way to experience fun new places with your girls. You can all dress up as a themed group and have a great time! Team bridesmaids is always the best team to be on- especially if they’re sporting some holiday cheer.

Gingerbread Bake-Off

Want to stay in for the night? Have a little competition with a fun holiday classic. There are gingerbread house kits that can be as low as around $5 for a whole box, or you can bake everything fresh yourself (but that’s more of an advanced move). Get your girls together, put out some icing and candy, and see who can build the best gingerbread house. Trader Joe’s has a great gingerbread house kit that’s under $10 and actually is super yummy. You can hashtag your whole night and see which of your bridesmaids is the most creative.

Ice Skating

Remember all those birthdays in the fourth grade you got invited to at ice rinks? Yeah, it’s still fun to go ice skating! Some places even have discount nights during the week when it’s a little slower, and if you go on a school night it can be less crowded. If you have a more athletic group of bridesmaids, this could be a really fun way to bond and get into the holiday spirit. There’s a whole bunch of outdoor ice rinks popping up this season in major malls and shopping areas and they’re way more fun than they look.

Tree Decorating Party

Get together at someone’s house and everyone needs to bring different ornaments to decorate a bridesmaids-only tree. You can sit around in footy pajamas, sew popcorn together, throw tinsel up in the air, and hang your ornaments with care. If you’re able to keep it to just bridesmaids so it can be your ‘family’ tree. Fake trees are actually fairly inexpensive (under $50 for some serious tree height!) and are a great addition to any house to make everything look more festive.

Hot Cocoa Night

Stay home and make a whole ton of hot cocoa and have fun stuff to go along with it. You can add things like raspberry, pirouettes, gingerbread cookies, all sorts of fun stuff to your hot cocoa. Have everyone make a different flavor and have fun with it! Take pictures, compare recipes, and see who can make the best original hot cocoa. If you find a recipe you all really love, write it down and maybe save it for your next winter party! Or if it’s really good- your wedding!

 

Top Five Tokens of Thanks from Brides

Tis the season of thanks! We’re all in the process of getting ready for Turkey day, but remember- the day isn’t just about eating until you’re bloated and getting pumped for cheap flat screens. If you’ve also got your wedding on your mind, this is the perfect time to say ‘Thank You’ to the people that are helping make it happen (or made it happen, if you’ve already gotten to have the best day of your life!). We’ve got five small cute things that are perfect gestures of gratitude.

Drinks on You!

A staple for a reason- the coffee shop gift card. Why is this on our list? Because with this little thank you token, a little bit goes a long way. A ten dollar gift card is realistically at least two trips- maybe more if they’re tea drinkers. To make this little thank you go a little farther, add in a note on their favorite drink (“A hot cup of coffee for the hottest bridesmaids I know!”). Be sure to really work in why you’re thanking them- they’ll feel much better and more willing to help with any upcoming wedding tasks.

2015 Planners

Beat them to the punch on the organization game! Pick up a 2015 planner/organizer early, and post it the big date ahead of time for them. It’s a sweet, thoughtful gift that they’ll actually use, plus it’ll keep them on point for the coming months. Be sure to post it birthdays and special dates as well!

Personal Cards

If you want to just do something small for a lot of people, say, your soon-to-be in laws or all members of the bridal party, do personalized thank you cards. Get a great group picture and have them printed up on cardstock and write something sweet and meaningful on each one. It’s a cute little memento for a desk, fridge, or vanity station that shows you really care.

Mini Monday-Buster

A ‘Monday-Buster’ or stress-relief pack is a perfect small DIY pack you can do for your friends to say thank you. Get little paper lunch bags or small boxes and stuff them with small versions of things that would make your friend smile. Get tiny bottles of champagne, their favorite candy, a stress ball, a tiny journal, fun things like that. Keep the theme to mini versions of fun stuff and leave a note along the lines of “thank you for all the little things”. It’s cute, thoughtful, and totally practical! This will work for any vendors who have been going the extra mile, your bridal party, and even your fiance!

Good “Bad” Movies

Time to dig into the guilty pleasures! Go out to the older movie section (i.e., non-new releases) and pick out some silly, funny movies. Lots of stores like Target and Walmart have really affordable movies that you can pick up for $5 (or less!). Search through that section for the silliest movie you can find (Talladega Nights, anyone?) and pass it off to a friend. You can leave a note with something along the lines of “thank you for all you do- you deserve a laugh/night in!”. It may be a little silly, but it’s a great gesture.

 

Top Five Single Girl Survival Tips for Weddings

So your best friend is getting married- that’s awesome! But if you’re not coupled up, it can be scary to go to go to a friend’s wedding. There’s a certain stigma associated with weddings and couples that can totally be intimidating. Bridal Hot List can be your wingman at your next wedding (we love brides and someday-brides alike!), and we’ll get you through it!

Focus on Other People’s Love Lives

Why are you going to a wedding in the first place? Oh right, two people loved each other so much they decided to throw a party and make it official! That’s plenty of reason alone to not focus on what’s going on in your love life and instead focus on someone else’s. If you’re a romantic, go ahead and appreciate the romance!

Bring a Buddy

It’s dangerous to go alone- take a friend with you! Check out who’s invited and see if you can buddy up with another friend who’s going stag. If you can’t find anyone else who’s heading out to the wedding, ask around to see who’s not coupled up. It’s okay- you’re not the only one looking for a wedding buddy! You also run the chance of being paired up with a wedding buddy who’s really cute, and that’s always worth the risk.

Get Involved

If you can’t find someone to buddy up with and you’re not a romantic, go ahead and make yourself useful! Be an awesome friend and offer to help out as much as you can and just stay busy. Weddings are a huge event, there will always be a way that you can help out! Offer to help out with the guest book, watch any kids, keep an eye on any randomly invited ex’s to keep them separated, or anything else that may come up! Do something good and help out. Who knows- that karma may come back around and you could find yourself getting extra help at your next event!

Ask Questions

Talking to strangers can be scary, but it doesn’t have to be! If you’re hitting the wall looking for someone to talk to, just start asking questions. People love to feel like their opinion is valued, why don’t you indulge someone and find out more about whoever’s sitting next to you? Ask them who they know, where they’re from, go ahead and swap stories! You could be sitting next to your new best friend.

Take Pictures

Looking for an icebreaker? Offer to snap some shots! Now more than ever, people have access to great cameras and knowledge on photography. Bring a point and shoot at the very least and go around taking some candids! It can be a great way to start talking to new friends and an even better way to remember the party later.

 

Top Five Tips for Last Minute Bachelorette Parties

It’s already August- can you believe how quickly this summer passed by? If this summer’s been moving too quickly for you, you may have missed out on a few fun things. For example, did you remember to do a bachelorette party? Or were you more focused on the actual wedding? It’s okay to be focused on the big day, but you need to remember to take some time to have fun with your girls, too! If you need to take a weekend aside to have some fun with your bridesmaids, keep scrolling to check out our top tips on planning a last minute bachelorette party.

Keep It Short

Keep the bachelorette party to just a night if you’re in town, or two tops if you’re hitting the road. As you get closer to the wedding, you’ll all become more and more busy. Booking a long spa weekend with a Monday or Friday away from work can be too hard to plan for most people- especially if they’re already taking time off to go to the wedding. If you’re hitting the road aim for leaving on a Friday night and coming back Sunday afternoon. Do what you can to make it as unintrusive to everyone as possible.

Make a Plan

Of course you have one thing on your plan- have fun! But other than that, you need some sort of an agenda to keep it from being you and your bridesmaids all dolled up with nowhere to go. Look into any clubs, shows, or events that are going on that you could get reservations for (you don’t want to show up somewhere and have to wait in a long line or get turned away). Locking in a plan is so important and often gets overlooked. Be sure whatever you do and wherever you’re going is actually going to happen!

Sound the Horn

Have your maid of honor (or two of your bridesmaids) help you arrange your bachelorette party. You can’t do it all alone, afterall! Have one of your girls be the more main point of contact for wrangling all your bridesmaid so you don’t have to. Have them be sure that everyone is in attendance and knows what to wear. The last thing you need right now is your bridesmaids texting you suggesting different clubs to go to. Planning a wedding requires enough juggling as is, you don’t need to juggle arranging another party on top of it!

Plan your Rides

If you’re trying to get into some (safe!) trouble, be sure that everyone will be able to get home safe. Set up uber drivers, taxis, or a designated driver if there’s going to be any drinking at all. There’s often promo codes for free credits for uber drivers and other similar services (so you can do it on a budget!). Know in advance if you’re going to sleep at a friends house or if anyone is going to sleep on your couch for the night. Do what you can to get to your location and get home as safely as possible. It can be easy to overlook getting a ride, but you’ll be happy you planned ahead when the line for a cab goes around the block and you’re in uncomfortable heels.

Designate the Team Photographer

Be sure everyone’s phones and cameras are all charged up and ready to go! It can be handy to have one person be in charge of taking pictures so you’re not all fighting for selfie time. Have your maid of honor or one of your bridesmaids handle taking pictures for everyone and uploading in a timely manner. You may also want to prep her on what to upload and what not to upload, but that’s more up to you.

 

Fourth of July Table Inspiration

At BHL we are all about style, design, trends, and the parties and weddings that go with them.  We are getting into the 4th of July spirit, and  wanted to share with you a fabulous table design ready for any Fourth of July party.  Bring style to your Fourth of July Table with these amazing red, white , and blue tabletop elements. A simple yet very stylish tablescape put together by a  brilliantly talented team that has us “oohing”, and “awing” at every lovely detail. The pretty florals, the gorgeous linens, and the beachy touches are what make this table so festive and fun.  It kind of has us wanting to start the celebration a bit early. Lets celebrate America’s Birthday in style with this fantastic table! Get ready to be inspired and get into the Fourth of July spirit.

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ChristineBentleyPhotography_1555Vendors:

Venue: Hotel Seven 4 One

Florist: Studio La Fleur

Rentals: Baker Party Rentals

Linens: GBS Linens

Photography: Christine Bentley Photography

 

Five Ways to Bond With Other Bridesmaids

Yay for wedding parties! Now that you’re officially a bridesmaid, it’s time to get excited for the big day. Just remember, there’s more people involved than just the bride- you’re part of a whole party of bridesmaids (they don’t call it a bridal party for nothing!). You all need to be able to work together to help throw the best party ever. If you aren’t close with the other bridesmaids, or if you don’t know they just yet, you’re in luck! We’ve got some awesome ideas on how to bond with the bridal party and make this wedding one of the best times of your life. Who knows, you might bond well enough to have them be bridesmaids at your wedding too!

Start Talking

Find the other bridesmaids on facebook and shoot them a message. Say something quick and friendly mentioning that you’ll both be bridesmaids. You can even do a group message with all the bridesmaids so the whole group can get to know each other. Start by talking about how excited you are for the wedding, or how happy you are for the bride. It’s common ground for everyone!

Start Slow

Starting new friendships is similar to starting a new relationship. Sometimes it’s good to just start with coffee before you dive in for dinner! Do a quick after-work happy hour or some Saturday morning coffee to chat and discuss the wedding. Have some sort of agenda so you don’t all get there and not say anything. You can use this day to start initial brainstorming for the bachelorette party.

Get Moving

Another great activity for bridesmaids to do to bond is working out. It can be something like bikram yoga or even a crossfit bootcamp. Getting your blood flowing is a surefire way to get bonding. If you can find a groupon, or even a free class to crash invite the bridesmaids! Weddings tend to make people more aware of being fit, so it’s the perfect chance. Towards the beginning of the month, gyms and studios tend to do more free classes so do some research and start stretching.

Do Test Runs

As it gets closer to the wedding, arrange for a makeup test run. Call up a makeup counter and let them know you’re coming in ahead of time. The  bride will most likely have her own makeup artist reserved for the day, but you should all be covered too! Go out and ask for a makeup artist to give you tips and tricks and teach you how to do your wedding look. You’ll all be able to help each other and learn a few awesome makeup tips while you’re at it!

Plan Surprises

A long-standing tradition is for the bridal party to decorate the honeymoon suite, or whatever room the bride and groom will be sleeping in right after the wedding. Go all out and plan this in advance. Do balloons, rosepetals, silly pictures, maybe even some snacks or champagne. You’ll all get to be creative and work on a fun project together to surprise the bride.

 

Top Five Tips for a Drama-Free Bridal Party

If it’s your big day, you shouldn’t have to stress over anything at all. Unfortunately, one big stress some brides have is drama within the bridal party. We don’t want you to have to go through any unnecessary drama though! We’ve got tips on keeping the peace between your girls so you can have a peaceful wedding.

Bond When You Can

If there’s any awkward tension in the group, do what you can to diffuse it with some good old fashioned quality time. Do a Sunday bridal party brunch with manis and pedis, or wake up early to take a hike together. Group activities can create new, fun memories that diffuse awkward vibes. The more time your bridal party spends together, the more time they have to forge new friendships!

Create Conversations

As much as we’d all love to be social butterflies and float effortlessly through conversation, it’s a difficult skill to master! Give your girls a hand by creating conversations for everyone to participate in. If you have everyone over and spend the whole night talking office gossip, your college friends and hometown BFF’s may not feel included. An easy way to create conversation is to go see a movie, then go out for drinks and dessert afterward. Everyone will be able to participate and stay on the same page.

One on One

If you’re noticing any tension between any of your bridesmaids, pull them aside. If you see something, say something. Talk to each person one on one to try and see where any issues may lie. It may be a little much to go straight into a sit down confrontation, so create a safe environment where no one feels judged. Explain your needs and that you don’t want any tension on your special day, and emphasize that you want everyone to have a great time.

Call Rank

If you’re still seeing anyone butting heads after having a sit down, step up and remind them who’s getting married. It is your day, and you deserve everything you want. Tell everyone straight up that you don’t want any drama and to put their egos aside for the sake of the party. There’s nothing wrong with asking this of your friends- if they really are your friends, they’ll listen.

Ask your Maid of Honor

Still getting nowhere? Don’t have time to actually take care of any egos that may not be meshing well? Get your maid of honor on it. She’s your right-hand lady for a reason, afterall! Be gentle when you’re handling other people’s feelings, but be firm. This will affect your special day, so you should have final say. Trust her to de-tense any weird feelings and keep the peace between the bridesmaids.

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Follow our five tips, and pretty soon your whole bridal party will be fast friends!