Imagine it… Bridal shower catering that combines Aperol spritzes, French garden vibes, impeccable design, and a menu that your tastebuds will never forget. If it sounds too good to be true, it isn’t!
Just ask this newlywed couple client of ours— and join us for a behind-the-scenes look into their custom-designed and fully-catered shower!
Hosted in the bride’s University Park backyard and brought to life by our incredible team of local vendor partners, this spring celebration was an absolute dream. Designed to feel part Parisian, part Palm Beach, every element came together for a beautiful experience. From the chef-action crepe stations to the branded bar carts, we had a special love for the bridal shower catering.
And for the garden party feel that came with it.
With flavors like Nutella crepes and brie & prosciutto sandwiches and sweet touches like the Aperol spritz cart and melt-in-your-mouth petit fours, this stunning shower was one for the books. We caught up with our team’s Jourdan Bray to take you behind the scenes of this fully custom event design. It was pulled off on a quick timeline alongside our incredible network of vendors.
The vision: French garden meets Palm Beach
Every custom event starts with a creative direction! The couple worked with their D.C.-based planner, Devon Hinojosa, for a beautiful theme: French garden meets Palm Beach.
They wanted to lean into a chic French feel for the menu, while tying in some Palm Beach elements to bring color to every plate and table. It was important for us to stay on-theme while creating an experience for every guest, and that’s where our team thrives.
Seamless, all-in-one event design and planning
At Vestals, we go beyond just food. We work with our clients to help create full-blown experiences. During the bridal shower, we worked hand in hand with Hinojosa to craft a fully custom design.
“Time was our biggest challenge, as we were working against the clock to pull off a fully custom design in less than a month,” Jourdan said. “We truly believe this shows the power of amazing vendor partners – we couldn’t have done it without them!”
While planning from Washington, D.C., the planner was able to pick out what he wanted from each vendor we recommended. Then, we worked directly with each vendor to bring the vision to life. While the timeline was a bit of a challenge, our incredible vendor partners helped make every detail possible. Our network opened up almost endless opportunities for personalization and luxury during this shower, and our clients didn’t have to worry about a single thing.
By working with us to source vendors and cater the event, our clients were able to enjoy the process. Instead of navigating a million emails, bills, and contacts, they had one dedicated person to talk to, one bill to pay, and one document to review.
There’s quite literally nothing better than that.
“We recognize that when it comes to planning an event, sometimes it can be difficult to know where to start and who to reach out to,” explains Jourdan.
“We love being able to offer a ‘one-stop-shop’ type service for our clients if that is what they need.”
For this event, we pulled in our friends at John Cain Photography to capture the moment, Posh Couture Rentals and Top Tier for the tablescape items, Render Co for umbrellas, Social Llama for customized details and BBJ Linen for fine linens.
The menu: A love letter to spring flavor
As our bridal shower catering team worked on this menu, we wanted to stay with the theme with crowd-pleasing (and tastebud-pleasing) flavors.
Inspired by this mission, we made sure that from the second guests arrived, it was obvious that this wasn’t your average bridal brunch.
”We wanted to have a fun interactive moment as guests arrived that was more than just a bar,” Jourdan said.
Everyone was greeted by an Aperol Spritz cart, tucked beneath a branded umbrella and styled in peachy tones. Guests could grab a chilled spritz before taking a photo of the cart — the perfect welcome station AND photo opportunity.
Made-to-order moments
As the shower unfolded, chef-attended stations (styled to be on-theme, of course) presented crepes to the guests. Each crepe was made to order, and everyone could choose from the following options:
- Nutella Dreams: Filled with Nutella, strawberries, bananas, crushed walnuts, and powdered sugar
- South of France: Filled with layers of warm cinnamon apples, fresh cream, caramel, chopped pecans, and powdered sugar
Then came another crowd favorite: mini baguette sandwiches! This was the ultimate Parisian lunch, and options included Caprese (with mozzarella, tomato, basil, and balsamic glaze), Brie & Prosciutto (with fig jam and arugula), and Truffle Turkey (with gruyère and truffle aioli).
Light, fresh, and flavorful
In keeping with the garden party feel, guests also enjoyed individual salads plated in footless goblets. The Caprese featured heirloom tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, olive oil, and basil, while the Classic Caesar offered chopped romaine, shaved parmesan, and crisp croutons. The flavors were light, bright, and perfect for the season — and also very, very delicious.
Sweet endings
And, since no event is ever complete without a show-stopping dessert moment, we made sure to deliver. At the Build-Your-Own Sugar Cookie Station, homemade cookies met pastel vanilla icing, chocolate ganache, and lemon glaze. Bowls of edible glitter, pink sprinkles, and mini chocolate chips. It was playful and personal, while also chic and delicious.
The dessert menu was rounded off with Pastel Iced Petit Fours — melt in your mouth and deliciously sweet — and Vanilla Wedding Cake Pops, each tied off with a dainty white bow.
The experience: Intentional and memorable
Event planning comes with a million moving pieces — and our job is to take as many of those off your plate as possible. For this bridal shower, we were honored to do just that — from the bridal shower catering to the vendor coordination.
You may think that caterers just deal with the food, but at Vestals Catering, we like to think of it as inviting people into an experience. While we love curating incredible menus, we’re also committed to creating events that are just as memorable as they are delicious. As hospitality partners, we believe that food gives us all a unique ability to connect on a deeper level — and by working with a collection of incredible vendor partners across the state, we’re able to cater to our clients efficiently, effectively, and with empathy.
If you’re ready to host your next event, we’d love to help you bring it to life! Get in touch with our bridal shower catering team today, and let’s get started!
