I think I have mentioned twice now that we threw our local friend a bridal shower, or hefla (party) in Arabic, but have neglected to give you any pictures or details- so sorry. I will make up for it now…

At the beginning of the month my friend and I threw an “American-style” bridal shower for a local who is getting married in July. We had American-y shower food (in addition to a ton of local food that other girls brought), games, and music (which lasted for like one song & then got switched to Arab dance music). Here are a few details of the party. (with some pictures– I can’t share many as I don’t want to post pictures of the local women on here)

Location

We decided to host the shower at the work place of the bride that way more girls could come. (this is the same place of the girls that I try and visit weekly) It was a good thing we had it there because over 30 local girls came! The room was covered with girls talking, eating, singing, and dancing. It was so much fun.

Entertainment

We played to games and danced. (my friend got a video of this and of course I joined them! if you are lucky you might get to see it when we are home! ha)

The first game involved putting cotton balls into a bowl blind folded with a small spoon (pictured above)… pretty funny to watch! They got really into it.

The second game was a competition to see who could create the best wedding dress out of toilet paper & then the bride-to-be got to pick the winners. This was also so much fun to watch. I was surprised at how much fun they had with these games. We weren’t sure what they would think since this is not a typical activity during parties here.

Food

– Strawberry Punch (a hit & new drink for these ladies)

– Cheesecake (my first one to make! They love this stuff out here)

– Fruit Pizza

– Cream cheese herb dip with crackers

– Chocolate bits

– Ranch dip with chips

– Random Arab food

Decor

This was an interesting task out here because they don’t have a Hobby Lobby, or Target or Party City or anything really… But we made it work & I think it actually turned out pretty cute!

We bought the plates, cups, & forks in the “big city” at an expat store and the tablecloth was purchased at a material souk with some of our friends. I have already re-used the tablecloth! I hope to bring back some more crafty things this summer so we can use it for future parties.

All in all I would say it was a successful party! I had a great time & can’t wait to throw another one!