To celebrate her sister's journey into marriage, (201) Bride's fashion editor and maid of honor, Heather Zwain, along with the rest of the bridal party and the bride's parents, worked together to create a beautiful ambience with many detailed and personal touches for a fabulous daytime affair.

Compiled by Heather Zwain:
Photography: Chris Marksbury, cmphotos.zenfolio.com/chrismarksbury
Tent, portable flooring, tables, chairs and linens: Valley Tent Rental, Park Ridge, valleytent.com
Catering menu, place settings, glassware and event staffing (servers): Fabulous Foods, Moonachie, fab-foods.com
Custom invitations, edible butterflies and striped straws: Etsy.com
Drink dispensers: Pottery Barn, Tice's Corner
Mason jars: L.N. Grand, Westwood
Fabric, twine and tags for the favors: Jo-anne Fabric, Paramus
Lanterns, birch stands, pastel butterflies and assorted decorative pieces: G & G Distributors, Saddle Brook
Flowers: Shoprite, Ramsey
Handmade sign: wood from Michael's, Ramsey; cut and hand painted by bride's father and Heather

Entertaining Tips
by Fred Luberto of Fabulous Foods

Location
Select a location that best fits your vision and likes. A professional event planner can advise you on this so you can make sure it is a nice shower enjoyed by all. A tented yard shower is an option during the nicer months. An offsite venue is also very nice. A castle, museum or special location all can add a nice touch.

Style
Showers should be girly, pretty, elegant and sweet! You should plan a great shower and work around the personality of the bride-to-be, her style and what you know she loves.

Décor
Whether you are having a poolside tented brunch, a Sunday afternoon feast or a ladies weekend luncheon to celebrate the shower, the décor should match all the elements above and provide a nice ambience and atmosphere for all the guests. A theme carried throughout is a nice way to show the bride your thoughtfulness and concern.

Menu
As long as the menu is developed with the bride and the shower guests in mind, it will be enjoyed. Start with a few hors d'oeuvres, followed by the main course, and then something sweet and nice while the gifts are opened. Food should be presented on beautiful platters and matching linens and accented with flowers.

Beverages
Prepare a special cocktail or offer infused champagne, select wines, flavored iced tea or fabulous lemonade.

Staff
Always have staff to assist at the shower. Do not try to do it by yourself. This is a very special day, and the bride would prefer to have you enjoy the shower and not work the shower.

Entertainment
Play background music with the bride's favorite playlist.

More wedding tips (See gallery above)
Homemade desserts
The bridal party added their own special touch with wonderful confections. "Our mother made rugelach, which is a family favorite and our grandma's recipe," Zwain says.

Personalized Favors
Keeping with the daytime ladies lunch theme, the favors were small mason jars filled with jam.

Stay Organized
The wooden box from HomeGoods on the gift table was a good way to store cards that day.

Mini wedding cakes
These adorable cakes were created by Fabulous Foods. "We added edible butterflies for another whimsical and personal touch."

Keep your menu consistent with your theme
The menu was selected very carefully over a few meetings with the owners of Fabulous Foods to ensure that every detail would be perfect, including the serving pieces. "I am already a huge Fabulous Foods fan, but they really blew me away with the presentation and spread that day," Zwain says. "There was not a single detail that was forgotten, or that went unnoticed by the guests. Their staff was extremely attentive and lovely to work with."

Signage
Hand-crafted signs used in front of each food, drink and dessert item added a detailed element, while allowing everyone to view a complete menu. We chose this over the traditional menu place cards. This handmade sign greeted guests with another personalized touch.

Make the bridal party table stand out
The silver glittery chargers were only used on the table for the bridal party and bride. Chrome chargers were used on the other tables.

Tip for flowers
Take a trip to the floral department in your local supermarket. "Shoprite in Ramsey has a great floral department and was an excellent way to save money, along with using vases that were already owned by our parents," Zwain says. "I really enjoyed making the floral arrangements and adding the butterflies in for a sentimental touch that is special to our family."