Entertaining Made Easy Part 11

"_One I love, two I love, Three I love I say, Come and see if this is true On St. Valentine's Day."

(or "Friday next, I pray_")

On all the invitations but the guest of honor's was added: "In honor of Marion's engagement. Please send your remembrance to me the day before."

This direction was put on so that the gifts could all be wrapped in advance by the hostess in white tissue paper, tied with yellow baby ribbon and a big artificial daisy tucked into the knot. Piled on a tray they were brought to the surprised little bride-to-be on the afternoon of the party. The entertainment fulfilled the promise of the invitation in this way: A large paper daisy with many petals was hung against the wall and each guest was given a pointer and asked to select a petal at random. On the back of each petal was written a little fortune rhyme somewhat on the order of this one:

"_Five! he loves--good pumpkin pie, So learn to cook it--thus say I_."

The refreshments were served in buffet style in the dining room. In the center of the table was a blossoming pot of marguerites. There were individual daisy salads, formed by little mounds of chicken salad covered with yellow mayonnaise and surrounded by a fringe of petals cut from the whites of hard-boiled eggs. With the salad simple bread and b.u.t.ter sandwiches were eaten.

As a second course, frozen custard in paper cups with borders of white paper petals was served with squares of angel cake, frosted in yellow, and squares of sunshine cake, frosted in white.

The princ.i.p.al feature, however, and the final one, was the favor pie.

A big imitation daisy was made from a round basket, by covering the top with yellow paper and surrounding the edge with as many petals as there were guests. Each guest was asked to pull a petal from the daisy, and in so doing drew from the basket a tiny doll dressed like a "rich man, poor man, beggar man, thief, doctor, lawyer, merchant or chief." The girl whose fate was already a.s.sured had been guided to choose a particular petal and her favor doll proved to be dressed in the garb of her fiance's profession.

FORTUNE RHYMES FOR A "ONE I LOVE" SHOWER

1. If you'll only wait a while Some one nice will make you smile.

2. You will have to choose between Walking or a limousine.

3. If you only ONLY knew Who was thinking much of you.

4. At a motion picture show From the screen your fate you'll know.

5. Something nice you'll sure know In about a week or so.

6. Don't despise Hazel eyes.

7. Far across the briny sea Comes thy lover now to thee.

8. Your career you'll surely ship And subst.i.tute a wedding trip.

9. A dance, a ride, a moonlit lawn, Your heart will be completely gone.

10. One--two--three-- The third it will be.

11. Beware, beware the eyes of blue Or they'll surely capture you.

12. Your intellect will meet its equal, Happy though will be the sequel.

13. A word, a smile, a bow, Married in a year from now.

14. Try a smile For a while To beguile.

15. You will travel far away Sixteen years from yesterday.

AN INDIAN SUMMER SHOWER

For the girl who is to be married in the winter, an Indian Summer Shower might be given some November evening. The cards of invitation can have a little brown Indian wigwam painted in one corner, or cut out of brown paper and pasted on; or the invitations can be written on pieces of white birch bark, if you happened to have gathered and saved any from the summer vacation. Paper imitation of birch bark might also be used.

Put all the gifts, wrapped in brown tissue paper and tied with gay ribbons, in a toy wigwam which you can make with three sticks and a piece of brown burlap. When the right time comes, the engaged girl is led up to the wigwam and asked to receive the gifts. If there is a small brother or cousin who can be dressed up in an Indian suit to hand out the presents, so much the better.

The hostess may make this any kind of shower she wishes.

After the wigwam has been sacked, it would be fun if you could sit around the open fire to pop corn or toast marshmallows and play the Indian Summer game of "Pipe Dreams." Each girl writes out an imaginary dream of the bride's future. The dreams are read by the hostess, and then each dream paper is consigned to the fire.

The refreshments ought to be very simple, and may consist of hot chocolate and little chocolate cakes, cone-shaped to simulate wigwams, or they may be merely apples, nuts, popcorn, and sweet cider. Serve the nuts and apples in Indian baskets.

A CHRISTMAS TREE SHOWER

For the bride who announces her engagement in December, a Christmas tree shower might be given Christmas week. Send out cards of invitation in the shape of small Christmas trees, or else paste or paint little evergreen trees on white cards. Ask the guests to bring something small enough to be hung on a little Christmas tree. The bride should be asked to come a little later than the others, so that they may have time to hang their gifts on the tree.

The tree may be as elaborate as you wish to make it. Where trees are hard to procure, a cunning little one on a table is quite large enough. It can be decked with gold and silver hearts and candy kisses, and on its branches should hang the shower gifts, prettily wrapped and tied.

When the bride arrives, she must strip the tree. Among its treasures may be English walnut sh.e.l.ls, gilded and tied together, with fortune verses inside.--The hostess provides one of these for each guest.

The refreshments may consist of sandwiches cut in the shape of Christmas trees and filled with green pepper and cream cheese; caraway cookies cut in the shape of Christmas trees; and hot chocolate, with a sprig of evergreen tied by a tiny bow of red to each cup-handle.

This affair could be planned specifically as a handkerchief, hosiery or kitchen shower.

WEDDINGS

Following naturally on the engagement announcement and bridal showers come the wedding plans.

If the bride's house is small, a church wedding may be the solution for her, or else she may plan a house wedding with just a few chosen friends and relatives present.

Very often, if a church wedding is planned, there is a reception afterward at the bride's home. If only a few guests are invited to it, a wedding breakfast or dinner may be served, but if a large number of people are asked, buffet refreshments are sufficient.

According to the different seasons of the year, the weddings may take on varying characters. Spring, summer, fall and winter weddings, indoor and outdoor weddings, all have their own special charms.

SUMMER WEDDING DECORATIONS