My cousin Leah’s shower was at my house yesterday. The other bridesmaids and I had been planning it for weeks, but one thing we did not plan on was a record-breaking heat wave hitting Los Angeles.

September is usually one of the best months in Southern California, so I wasn’t worried about rain or cool temperatures ruining our backyard brunch. Five days before the shower, my dad sent me a text:

The high for Sunday is currently projected to be 102° (that’s almost 39° for you celsius lovers)

That…was not going to work. So it was on to Plan B. The only problem was, we didn’t have a Plan B. Everyone I interacted with in the days leading up to the shower had an opinion: Get pop-up shades! Borrow big fans! Rent misters! Then my mom had the winning idea: move all the furniture out of the front room and have the shower there.

As I set up the tables the night before the shower I thought, “Well…it will be cozy.”

32 people will be here tomorrow

Before I spent an hour googling napkin folds.

And while it was cozy, and my air conditioner wasn’t quite up to the job of keeping a house of thirty-two people cool, it was still really nice. We bridesmaids (along with some massive help from my mom and aunts) divvied up responsibilities and gave Leah a great party.

Leah's Shower
Leah Loves Ted sign from Minted…I should have also bought one that says “Ted Loves Leah!” 

Leah's Shower

Leah's Shower
The letters were more than two feet tall, I like to go big.

Leah loves Bloody Marys, so we put together a killer Bloody Mary bar, plus a mimosa bar for those who prefered to start their day with bubbles.

Leah's Shower

We had a huge spread of delicious food…

Leah's Shower

…including a donut “cake!”

Leah's Shower

We all had a blast celebrating Leah:

Leah's Shower
Annabel was so happy.

But don’t worry, we didn’t forget about Ted!

Leah's Shower
#TedNaps

I think between my wedding and baby showers, Leah has helped throw me three or four of these things. I was excited to return the favor and really wanted to go all-out for her. She is so special to me (and many other people, too).

Leah's Shower

Leah and Ted got engaged almost twenty-two months ago and at the time it felt like their wedding would never arrive. It’s hard to believe the wedding is now only five weeks away! It’s going to be amazing, I can’t wait for them to finally be married and then give me a little baby cousin I can play with but not be responsible for (no pressure, Leah).