I miss wedding planning. That feels weird to admit.

I miss having a project to work on with Sean and my family. I’m sure there will be other opportunities, but for now everyone is just enjoying the down time until the next big party (perhaps the grandparents’ 70th anniversary?).

I understand now why there are bloggers on sites like WeddingBee who write several dozen posts about a single day, especially if they put in a lot of work in to making it happen.

There were a couple of pre-wedding events I didn’t put much work in to, namely the bridal shower and bachelorette outing.

First up: the bridal shower.

Lori and mom hosted my bridal shower at my family’s house four weeks before the wedding.

As the maid of honor, Lori took care of the invitations and planning out the decorations. Mom planned the menu (pasta, chicken, salad and veggies) and made aguas frescas. The other LA-based members of the bridesmaid team — Nancy, Vanny, Valerie and Isabel — helped out by making the decorations and planning some of the games.

The guests started arriving a little after six. I know they planned it for later in the day to avoid the heat, but it was still warm out.

Fortunately, it didn’t keep us from enjoying ourselves with some games. I joined in on a couple of games, but sat out making wedding dresses out of toilet paper. I judged the best dress during the fashion show. I chose the group representing three generations (Madrina Chilo, cousin Paty, and niece Desiree) for design and functionality. Some of the other dresses didn’t hold up as well. And there were some that could hardly be called a dress but got a lot of laughs.

After the games, I opened gifts. I untied the notes from the mirror Vanny made and checked out the notes. There were some cute drawings, funny and touching advice from women I greatly admire.

Before everyone left, I took a bunch of photos. Of course.

A few of my aunts and some cousins

The cousins/bridesmaids and friends mainly from UCLA days

I noticed during the party that there were several cute outfits in coral. I missed that trend this summer, but my friends/cousins looked great.

Many thanks to mom, Lori, dad (for work behind the scenes), Nancy, Vanny, Valerie, and tía Josie for planning a beautiful bridal shower.