We are so over matching swimsuits. This is a bachelorette party theme we can truly get behind!
On Saturday, a group of partygoers celebrated bride-to-be Nicole Garvey with a special celebration in the Hamptons. The theme of the event centered around one person that the New York City-based Garvey loves dearly: Ina Garten.
“Nicole is a huge Ina fan and has been cooking her recipes for years,” Meredith Sciacca, a friend of the bride from Madison, New Jersey, told TODAY Food. “Her sister Jessica Ritter planned this event, and she also happens to be an event planner who resides in Los Angeles.”
Sciacca said Ritter and another friend came up with the idea which included all of the guests dressing up as either Garten, her husband Jeffrey or Michael, Garten's friend and local florist who often makes appearances on "Barefoot Contessa" and its Food Network spinoffs.
“We all bought wigs and button-down blouses that looked like something Ina would wear,” Sciacca explained. “We had the bride close her eyes and we played the 'Barefoot Contessa' theme song, and she walked out to see us all.”
Over the weekend, Sciacca posted a photo of the well-dressed group on Instagram and it got a reaction from Garten super-fan, actress Jennifer Garner. “The best thing I’ve ever seen. How was I not invited?!!” she wrote.
Then, the post drew the attention of the one-and-only Food Network star herself: “LOL!!!” commented Garten. “How is it that I wasn’t invited too @jennifer.garner??!!!”
Actually, Garten was invited, but she must have missed her invitation. Sciacca said her friends direct-messaged her a few weeks ago to see if she wanted to join in on the festivities. Sadly, they never got a response.
But the fact that Garten even saw the photo (which has since garnered almost 500 likes) and even commented on it was enough. “We are having so much fun with this!” Sciacca said.
On Monday, Garten even regrammed the "hilarious" group photo adding that she "would have fit right in!"
If Garten had stopped by the party, she would have been able to enjoy a delicious feast featuring her own recipes.
“A private Hamptons chef came to the house to make all Ina dishes,” Sciacca said. “We had her famous Skillet-Roasted Lemon Chicken, Portobello Mushroom Lasagna, Roasted Asparagus and Prosciutto bundles and the Barefoot Contessa Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp.”
In addition to dressing like the celebrity chef, Garvey's friends created another fun memory for the bride-to-be by making a custom cookbook using the soon-to-be bride’s face superimposed on the cover of Garten's latest cookbook, "Cook Like a Pro: Recipes and Tips for Home Cooks."
Could this be the next big trend in bachelorette party themes? We certainly hope so!
