Jos Little Life

June 16, 2026

    Recently, I threw a bridal shower for my sister in law who is getting married this summer! Since I started dating my husband, my sister in law has become one of my very best friends so I wanted to do something to make her party extra special. I started thinking when I remembered that one of her favorite things right now are 7-Brew’s fizzes, which, to my understanding, is a variation of an Italian soda. My sister in law also loves to try new fruity flavor combos and never forgets the cream on top, so I thought an Italian soda bar would be the perfect way to make this party a little extra special. It also allowed me to incorporate a few things I love into this party. So here’s how I did it:

    First, I started looking for cups. The shower’s theme was “tying the knot” so bows were EVERYWHERE! However, when I looked on Amazon for cups I wasn’t quite finding what I was looking for. My sister in law is known for being very clean so I knew the cups had to be much more elegant than all the plasticware I was finding. That was when I remembered a post I had recently seen online where a couple thrifted all of the cups they used for their wedding and allowed their guests to take the cups they chose home as a thank you gift. If I remembered who posted this I would totally tag them because I think this is the best idea ever. I decided that it would be so cute if I could thrift a bunch of stemware and tie a little black bow around the stem of each glass so that everyone had a nice cup to take home but also they tied in with the overarching theme of the party. I made sure to get some variety in the glass I chose but mostly stuck to clear and more dainty pieces. Also, whenever I could, I would get a full set. This made the final price a little cheaper and allowed for people to get matching cups if they wanted.

    An Italian soda consists of some kind of sparkling water or club soda, a flavored syrup, and often half and half poured on top. The first thing I did when deciding what flavors to choose, was ask the bride what flavors she wanted. I planned to make all the syrups from scratch (they’re better and cheaper that way) so I started off by giving her some ideas and seeing what the general realm of flavors she wanted. I only wanted to make 3-4 flavors so people wouldn’t get too overwhelmed with the options so we ended up deciding on strawberry, blueberry, cherry, and coconut. However, the options are pretty much endless. To make a fruit syrup, all you have to do is put one cup of fresh or frozen fruit (diced if needed) into a small saucepan along with water and sugar and let it simmer until the sugar has dissolved, the water has changed color, and (this one is more optional) the syrup has started to thicken up. You can adjust the sugar content as you would like but I like to do equal parts of everything.

    Usually, when you go to a coffee shop and order an Italian soda, they will offer a splash of half and half. So, of course, that was an option in my Italian soda bar. But I also know that some people need an extra kick of sweet so I also made some of my vanilla creamer as an optional alternative to half and half. In hindsight I probably also should’ve also set out some coconut cream as a dairy alternative but I didn’t think of it at the time. If you don’t think you will have anyone who is lactose intolerant or sensitive at your party I still think coconut cream would be very good in an Italian soda. At the same time though a lot of people just like the club soda and syrup with no cream so this part is totally up to you.

    For one last finishing touch to my Italian sodas, I set out a couple of garnish options. The ones I chose were limes cut into both rounds and wedges (the bride LOVES lime) and maraschino cherries. Some other options are fresh or frozen berries, mint, and whipped cream. To direct people I also printed out “directions” that I designed on Canva and I was good to go. Everything I used to serve/display I either thrifted or already had on hand for kombucha brewing or other events. I am a firm believer that buying things full price that you will only use once is kind wasteful so I try to get a lot of white and if I want something very specific that doesn’t quite match everything I make sure to start looking for it at the thrift months in advance.

    Some other amazing resources I like to use for events like these are Canva and Avery printing. I use the free version of Canva to make all of my signs and labels so that they all match and on the Avery printing website, you can import your canva designs so that they print on label paper. I have also used this to make recipe cards, stickers for to go containers, invitations, and signs for a soup swap I hosted in January. You can check out my Pinterest account for my post on that. Honestly, I love using Canva to create aesthetic invites, menus, signs, and labels for all my parties so if you want something like that for your party let me know and I can teach you how, send you something I have already designed, or come up with something special for you! Leave a comment below and we can come up with something together!

    What do you think of this idea? Leave a comment below!