written by Dolly Marshall
There’s nothing like a bridal shower. No wait…there’s nothing like a themed DIY bridal shower with rosé! Inspired by her favorite summer libation, bride Tessica along with her mom and sisters planned a pink and girly soirée to celebrate her August 2019 wedding to her fiancé Rob.
How They Met
“Rob and I met as students at Bates College in the winter of 2012. We met in a political science seminar, and I instantly knew he was someone I wanted to get to know better. I started finding ways to see him more—attending his tennis matches and suggesting we study in the library together while working on a group project. We spent all of our time together that final spring semester before I graduated, and continued dating after I left Bates for Boston. After seven years together, the rest is history!”





The Proposal
“Rob proposed in March of 2018 in Lower Senate Park steps away from the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C. I had worked on Capitol Hill for the previous five years and D.C. became a very special place to me. Rob orchestrated a classic D.C. proposal and had our family and close friends come into town to celebrate and toast to us. He also had one of my best friends travel to Washington and take professional photos of these special moments. The photos are priceless to me and made even more special that my friend and bridesmaid Hannah Epstein traveled to capture the moment.”



“Rob and I were I were engaged for a year and a half before we married on August 30, 2019. I loved having time during our engagement to fully be present in planning my wedding. While the process can sometimes be stressful, it was a magical time and I’m so grateful for it. I loved having my mom and sisters fully engaged in the process, and the time we spent together taking trips to Philadelphia to meet with vendors, scope out locations, and of course taste test everything, is something I’ll always treasure.”

Bridal Shower Inspiration
“One of my favorite things is a glass of rosé on a summer evening, and that was the inspiration for my bridal shower this past June— “Rosé Before The Big Day.” I thought that the different hues of pink and incorporating my classic summer drink of choice would be a fun and unique way to kick off my bridal celebrations. I didn’t want any classic bridal games played at my shower, so instead we had a sommelier come and speak about different types of rosé, how to choose a good bottle, and what to look for in the flavor. Then we planned a rosé tasting for our guests and glasses of rosé were butlered around when guests arrived and mingled. It was such a fun and interactive way to bring my theme to life and our guests had a blast tasting all the different types of rosé featured. We all more educated on the different types of rosé!”



“I didn’t want any classic bridal games played at my shower, so instead we had a sommelier come and speak about different types of rosé, how to choose a good bottle, and what to look for in the flavor. Then we planned a rosé tasting for our guests and glasses of rosé were butlered around when guests arrived and mingled. It was such a fun and interactive way to bring my theme to life and our guests had a blast tasting all the different types of rosé featured. We all more educated on the different types of rosé!”



Bridal Shower Planning
“My mom and my two sisters Tara and Erica helped tremendously! Tara is a natural event planner, so she helped take the lead, while Erica executed everything flawlessly. My mom shared my vision for the shower from beginning to end. They also had a custom rosé cart built to display different beautiful rosé bottles, which was a unique and Instagram-able feature of the shower. Everyone loved how adorable it looked displayed with bottles of all shapes and sizes. We received so many compliments on all the custom features at my bridal shower that my mother and sister Tara recently started a small business renting out unique items for special events, including showers and weddings—like our rosé cart and the rattan peacock chair I sat in to open my gifts I would advise brides to keep your theme consistent throughout. I loved my custom rosé invitations created by my friend and bridesmaid Kelsey Lucas.”




Shower Planning Tips
“I would advise brides to keep your theme consistent throughout. I loved my custom rosé invitations created by my friend and bridesmaid Kelsey Lucas. When guests arrived at the shower weeks later after receiving the invitation, they loved how we incorporated the rosé theme as soon as they walked in the door. We had beautiful lush roses displayed all over the ballroom. I loved working with Bucks Country Roses’ owner Pat to create this specific floral vision. I loved having my mom and sisters fully engaged in the process, and the time we spent together taking trips to Philadelphia to meet with vendors, scope out locations, and of course taste test everything, is something I’ll always treasure. I would advise brides to keep your theme consistent throughout. I loved my custom rosé invitations created by my friend and bridesmaid Kelsey Lucas. When guests arrived at the shower weeks later after receiving the invitation, they loved how we incorporated the rosé theme as soon as they walked in the door. We had beautiful lush roses displayed all over the ballroom. I loved working with Bucks Country Roses’ owner Pat to create this specific floral vision.”








Best Part of The Day
“I don’t know how my mom is going to top this shower when my sisters get married. Our guests are still talking about how much fun they had and how special the event was. I couldn’t have imagined a more amazing day with my family and close friends.”




Vendors
Flowers: Bucks County Roses, Weddings by Pat | Venue: The Union League of Philadelphia’s Golf Club at Torresdale | Cake and Food: The Union League of Philadelphia’s Golf Club at Torresdale | Rosé Cart and Peacock Chair Rental: Celebrations by TMG Events | Flower Wall Rental: Nicol Floral Design | Invitations: Kelsey Lucas Graphic Design Photographer: Hannah Epstein