Okay, Okay. To appreciate this post, is to know the story behind it, and I'll admit, I have completely fallen off of the face of the earth this past week, but all for great reason...

This past trip trip back home to Tampa will forever hold a special place in my heart. It's not everyday that you get to plan and throw your best friend of 16 years her very first baby shower!

At first, there's no denying, the task seemed a bit overwhelming. Of course I wanted one of my best friends most memorable days to be extra special and unforgettable, however, now living on the other side of the state, I was extremely worried that I would fall short on my best friend duties in delivering a beautiful and successful shower that she would remember for all her days to come. 

There is also no denying that I am a decor and decorating ADDICT, it's literally what I live for! With that being said, it was time for me to pull up my big girl pants and get things done. I'll be the first to admit that living across the state did make things a bit challenging, and definitely presented some obstacles, but there was no time for excuses. I'm all about getting things done. my favorite motto: If there is a will, there is a way.This was my best friend we were talking about, and there was no way I was going to allow myself to fall short of the task at hand. 

so, with the help of Alyssa's mom we made things happen from opposite coasts of the state. I simply started by choosing the decor online and sent the links over to Alyssa's mom who would then purchase the items and have them delivered to her home. Team work makes the dream work! From there I started making calls around to local table rental companies and bakeries, searching for the perfect invites, and piecing together the perfect inspo boards. needless to say. one thing led to another and all seemed to be going smooth, until....

The Florida summer kicked in, and fast! After living in Norway for almost four years, I had completely forgot how brutal the Florida summers could be and how they most definitely show no remorse. 

After arriving to Tampa, it was immediately straight to prepping and decorating. Nic came along to help with me with any of the heavy lifting or loading I had to get done (Can we say, BEST BOYFRIEND OF THE YEAR!) The first full day of prepping, and I truly couldn't believe how smoothly things were going. Nic and I left late that night, reassured that most had been finished and I had plenty of time to complete the minor little touches the day of the shower before everyone was to arrive.. well, was I wrong! Haha!

So here we are, THE MORNING OF THE SHOWER! 
I pick up the beautifully made custom cake and cupcakes. They were perfect.Everything we had asked for. Well, Apparently summer gets so hot and humid in Florida that my AC on full blast was still not enough to make sure the cake didn't melt. Yep, I fondue flower rolled right off the cake due to melting and dented the cake front and center, which we didn't find out until opening the box when we made it back to the house. I couldn't believe my eyes! Nic calmly sat me down and told me to take a deep breath. haha..TRUE STORY! I was luckily able to get crafty and disguise the dent nicely by adding some more flowers and greenery to the cake, thank goodness! 

If that were the biggest hiccup of the day, I would have taken it, but NOPE! the weather apparently had other plans. As i just finished fixing the cake, an unexpected and huge storm rolled in accompanied by a huge gust of wind that blew one of my giant balloons right into the cake! Yep, ROUND 2!  I literally almost cried at this point. All my hard work with the cake, and we were instantly back at square one. So, off I was to try and fix the cake one last time. While i'm fixing the cake, I start to notice that my giant floating white balloons on both sides of the dessert table and within the shower with gorgeous hanging green vines complete with white flowers were starting to deflate. Apparently, it was so humid outside that the poor balloons didn't stand a chance. they deflated in ten minutes flat. Thanks Florida Summer!! I was left to just eliminate them all together, and I was heart broken, considering they were exactly what I wanted for her shower and would be the main focal point besides the dessert table. 

As you can tell, many things didn't go exactly as planned (don't worry, we can laugh about it now) but after everything was said and done, I got the job done with much help from my handsome unplanned assistant, Nic. Any bit of initial stress was more than worth it for my best friend of 16 years. No amount of distance or bumps in the road was going to keep me from attempting to make her day extra special and memorable. It was definitely a day full of a lot of love for the beautiful mommy to be. And as for the cake, don't worry.....let's just say, thank god for my extra peonies. haha....

Side Note: Pics were taken before the greenery was added to the cake stand and PLEASE excuse my hair, humidity got the best of me. Ahh!