Our “Under The Stars” Outdoor Movie Night Jack-And-Jill Shower

Our “Under the Stars” Jack-and-Jill styled bridal shower was last Saturday! It was postponed for a week due to the rain and recovery from the tornadoes that ran across Connecticut almost two weeks ago, however, we could not have asked for a better day on the morning of the shower. It was a hot and sunny day and a perfect Memorial Day weekend. My generous cousin Shawn and his wife Keristen hosted the event in their gorgeous yard here in Connecticut. Tables were placed under the large tree to the left of their home, lawn games were in the back yard by the stream, and to the right we had our Victorian Paper Moon photo backdrop near the barn where we later watched “Roman Holiday” under the stars. 

How gorgeous is this setting?! It felt like one of those large family picnics you see in movies that take place in Tuscany. We placed napkins and gold silverware in each popcorn cup at every setting. The popcorn cups were party favor’s and used later in the evening for our outdoor movie. This dreamy view…We did the food family picnic style: everyone brought a dish. My cousin made the most delicious flatbreads and mozzarella skewers. For dinner there were numerous salads, side dishes, hot dogs, and hamburgers. My brother-in-law Jacob brought some celebratory cigars for the guys to enjoy. My step-father, Rick, was in charge of the grill. And we made a moon bench! Secretly, I have been wanting to make one of these for many years, but I never had the opportunity. When we came up with our “Under the Stars” theme I knew right away I had to try! My sister Jennifer and I were going to make one out of card board because we didn’t have the vehicle space for lumber, but Matthew was determined to help make it right. My father brought the lumber to us with his work van and we used my cousin’s barn to build it. I will be sharing our creative process later on the blog (most likely after the wedding) if you are looking to make one of your own. (P.S. This one is also for sale because we don’t have space in our studio apartment to store it! Please use the contact page on my blog if you are interested.)

We added a starry night back drop and viola! I was a little lazy with my photo editing (short on time with all the wedding planning!) so I only edited one of the photos so far. The backdrop was a little small behind our large moon, but it came out so perfect. I am excited to edit these better later on, but for now the show must go on. Sparklers for the kiddos! These went fast. And my cousins surprised us with some really amazing large fire works once the sun went down! The most delicious pie station! My favorite was the peach pie. And after some technical difficulties: the moment we have all been waiting for! We found these cute and affordable blankets at Ikea for guests who did not bring a picnic blanket. Everyone laid out blankets on the lawn by the barn and we used wooden crates as side tables to hold candles, popcorn, and drinks. We chose a classic film because we appreciate the oldies. “Roman Holiday” was the perfect choice because it is a fun movie that all ages can enjoy and we are going to Rome on our honeymoon. We used these half-bushel apple baskets to hold various types of popcorn flavors: butter, cheese, caramel, and cinnamon maple. The movie night was such a success, that my family has decided to host several movie nights every summer from here on out! We gifted our projector to my cousin Shawn so that he can display movies on his barn whenever he wishes. It will be perfect because I am working on comping footage from family films to show my family by the end of this summer. It was a wonderful evening for a Jack-and-Jill bridal shower and I know that we will cherish the memories for years to come. 

The End.