How to Plan a Bridal Shower
Photo by: Tres Sucre
1. Who to Invite~ Talk with the bride to get a list of people she would like to invite. If you are having a surprise bridal shower make sure you talk with the groom or the brides Mom to make sure you invite all the right people.
2. What Kind of Shower~ Decide what kind of a shower you want to have for the bride. There are so many options here are a few ideas:
Household Shower (This can be anything goes or you can specify on the invitation which room the guest has. For example: We are having a household shower & your room is the Family Room & be sure to specify colors if the bride has specific colors in her home.)
Intimate apparel shower (This type of shower is usually held with only really close friends & we suggest a small group)
Grocery Shower (This is a great way for new couples to get a start on food storage & a good pantry stock.
Pampered Chef Bridal Shower (If you haven’t been to one of these they are really fun. The bride is the guest of honor & has a wish list. Guests can purchase anything off her wish list or just apply any amount they want to go towards a gift with pampered chef. The guests are also able to purchase items for themselves & the hostess usually gives the hostess gifts & rewards to the bride as well.)
Glitter Toe Bridal Shower~If you haven’t been to a glitter toe party, I highly recommend it. They are lots of fun for sure & having one as a bridal shower would totally work. Many nail technicians will come to your home if you have a certain number of people getting their toes done, so check with your glitter toe specialist or you can contact mine Melissa at The Retreat.
3. Create a Theme~ Whether you want to use the brides colors, season or just make up your own theme keep all your details on the same page so it looks like the same party. Depending on what kind of shower you have you may not really need much of a theme just maybe a touch of color. Keep in mind all aspects of the shower when creating a theme.
4. Who hosts the bridal shower~ Most bridal showers are hosted by the Maid of Honor unless she is direct family then one of the other bridesmaids who is not a relative typically offers to host a bridal shower. However, not every bride these days has bridesmaids or a maid of honor. In that case a close friend typically throws a shower. It really doesn’t matter who throws the party as long as everyone has fun. If you want to throw your friend a bridal shower, ask her. Many brides will have more than one shower. One for different groups of friends like: work, school, close girlfriends, neighbors & family. More than one group may be invited to the shower, just make sure you invite multiple people from each group so that everyone invited will know someone there, besides the bride of course.
5. Location~ Typically, bridal showers are held at the hostess’ home. But you can really have a bridal shower at any location. Here are some other fun spots: Favorite Restaurant (You don’t have to foot the bill for dinner or lunch, just let those invited know drinks & dessert provided lunch is available from $10-$15 or something like that), Local Church, A Tea Room (The Grand America offers afternoon tea that is sure to be a hit for a bridal shower. Having a tea party brings out the inner child & their chocolate drink is heavenly) Wherever you end up having the bridal shower keep in mind how many guests you will be having & plan accordingly.
6. Food~ Here comes the fun part. If you want to plan the food yourself here are some tips. Share the work load, ask some of the other bridesmaids or friends to bring a dish or help with decorations. Don’t be a superhero & do it all yourself. Many hands makes light work. If you plan on catering check out our vendors on our website The bride and groom.com. We have some incredible vendors & they are affordable too. You don’t have to have a full meal, you can have a dessert buffet, appetizers or a light sandwich & salad. Anything goes, but food is definitely a must when having a bridal shower. Here are some of my favorites: Chicken salad croissant sandwiches, fruit platter and Mint Brownies are always a hit. I will share some fun recipes in a future post, so stay tuned.
Photos by: Simply Sweet
7. Games~ Not everyone enjoys playing games at showers. But there are a few that are pretty basic that everyone can get involved in. My recommendation on the games are keep them simple, keep them quick & just let everyone get to know each other & enjoy talking about the upcoming wedding with the bride. After all she is the focus.
Here are a couple game/activity ideas:
Advice for the Bride~Get some cute paper & let each person share some marriage advice for the bride, let the bride read the advice out loud. You can give prizes for who gave the best advice.
Get to know the groom~ Have a questionnaire about the groom & how they met, the person who gets the most correct wins.
Q & A for the bride~ Here is a chance for those to get to know all about the couple. Open question & answers are always fun. Let the bride tell her relationship story. Everyone loves hearing about how they met & when she knew he was the right guy for her.
You can also purchase games from a fun little website I found called simply wedding stuff.com. They have some really great favors & ideas for bridal showers on their site so be sure to check them out.
All in all just have fun & remember you are all there to celebrate the same thing ~the bride!!
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