A Sneak Preview

Next month I will be hosting a bridal tea for my friend Glenda’s daughter Anna, who is getting married in October.  Where I grew up, a bridal tea is simply a tea, and the only gift the bride receives is something from the hostesses.

In Birmingham, the Bridal Tea is really a shower.  I learned that the first time I was invited to a Bridal Tea when the invitation read, “Registered at….”  I decided that was a clue that I was supposed to take a gift.

When a guest arrives at a Birmingham Bridal Tea, someone greets her at the door, takes her gift and whisks it to another room.  There someone else, not the bride, unwraps the gift and records it in the bride’s book.  Then another hostess takes the gift and displays it on a table for all the guests to see.

A few weeks ago, Connie, Wanda and I made a road trip to Oneonta, Alabama, looking for fabric so that Connie could make a special tablecloth for my dining room table.  We had in mind something that would work with the color of my walls.

As soon as we walked into B & B Fabric Outlet we spotted this beautiful silk, and the color was perfect.

Here’s a close up of the detail.

The good news is that it was 109” wide, so all Connie had to do was hem it.  After the tea, I’ll post pictures of our table.

Now for some real tablescapes, visit Susan at Between Naps on the Porch.  Hundreds of blogger have been playing with their dishes this week while I’ve been recovering from playing with grandchildren.