Sheryl's Shower

Sheryl and I laughing together, like always!

So last year when my best friend Sheryl Huezo announced she was engaged, I decided I wanted to do something special for her (Because she’s lovely and amazing and the best).

Six years ago, when I got married, Sheryl surprised me with an incredibly gorgeous Tiffany & Co. necklace! I thought about doing something similar but after analyzing her wedding dress (which is beautiful and you’ll get to see later this year), I realized a piece of jewelry was probably not necessary for her.

So I decided I would do something fun instead that would involve her closest friends and relatives and yield many gifts and laughs and memories in return— a bridal shower!

I started planning months in advance. On some nights, I would sit at the table with Benny and cut out favor tags.

"Thanks for showering Sheryl with sexiness. Cheers!"

Other days, I would put the baby to sleep and plan shower games for the ladies. Together with Sheryl, her mom Ruth and Sandra Robles (one of Sheryl’s lovely bridesmaids), we decided we wanted to stay away from adult male dancers (if you know what I mean) and have a classy affair. So we planned an “all-white” theme and chose a hot pink and orange color palette. The idea was for all the guests to dress in white except for Sheryl, who would wear either a hot pink or bright orange dress!

Sheryl’s mom and Sandra helped me tremendously with putting together this party at my house—from assembling the invitations to paying for the alcohol and covering the catering expenses.

From Left: Sheryl's Mother-In-Law Floydell Carter, Sheryl & Ruth

Sheryl & Sandra sharing a sweet moment during the shower

We had a great turnout with about 30 lovely women, all of whom Sheryl loves and appreciates dearly. My mom joined in the festivities but mostly helped take care of Benny as I took on the role of leading the games and making sure people were as comfortable as they could be.

The shower turned out to be a memorable event for all. I transformed my living room and dining room into a sort of banquet facility with rental tables, white linen table cloths and white resin chairs. My amazing friend Connie Vega created colorful and tropical floral arrangements inside giant martini glasses to go with the theme.

Sandra and I created a mural to use as a backdrop on one of my living room walls using red, orange and pink streamers and a gold metallic curtain.

We set-up a food buffet, featuring some tropical fare such as chicken teriyaki skewers and mini tropical fruit tarts as well as Dominican favorites such as chicken empanadas (Sheryl will have a destination wedding in the Dominican Republic).

I also put together a candy buffet with hot pink and orange sweets for all to enjoy.

My good friend Margie Castellanos made dozens of cupcakes designed with pink and orange flowers similar to the ones on the invitations.

The bartender set-up in my kitchen and since we knew we would have plenty of booze throughout the night, I made sure there were water bottles at each place setting (let’s hydrate, ladies!!)

Overall, I was thrilled to see my bestie enjoy her special day. Sheryl is like a sister to me and seeing her smile while surrounded by such positive energy was priceless.

I thought the shower went well and the women seemed to have a great time (success)!