The important things to go over when you’re arranging a bridal shower with your girls. A guide list of bridal shower ideas to make your planning easier.
In this day and age, bridal showers have become a compulsory event for a woman prior to getting married. It says that it is meant to shower the bride-to-be with gifts from her closest friends and mostly attended by women only. It is where the bride spends time with her friends before she enters a new phase of her life as a married woman.
Some may opt for a bachelorette party rather than a bridal shower or the other way around, and some even plan both. The difference is that showers are more intimate that are held in a private place whereas parties are more like going out. But some would just call these intimate events bachelorette parties even if it is a bridal shower. It really does not matter how you call it, as long as you’re spending time with the most important girls in your life.
There are a lot of bridal shower ideas to think about when planning this amazing event. It needs time to plan and not something that you can do overnight and expect everything to be as perfect as you imagined it to be.
Who is planning?
The most common thing with bridal showers is that the bride-to-be is not aware of it. It is mostly planned by either the maid of honor, the bridesmaids, or sisters but there are some that are planned with the bride. It is up to you if you plan on having it as a surprise or not. If you’re reading this:
- As a maid of honor/bridesmaid: Will you plan this alone or with others? If you are keeping this a secret then make sure the bride won’t find out. Plan a schedule to meet up with the people who are your accomplices. If not, let the bride know ahead of time. Write things down as not to forget the bridal shower ideas that you have come up with.
- As a bride: Let your friends know ahead that you are planning this event to make them aware and ask for their help. You don’t have to plan this by yourself since you are busy with other wedding stuff.
- As a groom: Team up with her close friends and come up with a plan to surprise her or just let her know that you want to have this event for her.
Who is paying?
As for the budget, it depends on how lavish or simple you opt to go for. Have a budget limit before planning to ensure that everyone sticks to the limit only. You can have a sinking fund and plan the bridal shower on how much money is collected and do some DIYs if necessary. If there are other expenses beyond the budget, it is better to split the bill with the other people who are involved in the planning.
When?
Most of the time, bridal showers happen a few days or a day before the wedding. The planning should be done a few weeks or days prior to the said schedule of the party. Make sure to check with everyone invited if they are available on the planned date. If you have a lot of stuff to book, then might as well plan it a few weeks before. When everyone agreed on a date, the next thing to do is to plan what time of the day. You can either have it at:
- Brunch time
Lunch time Mid afternoon - Dinner time
Where?
When you think of a venue to hold your bridal shower, there are a lot of places to choose from. It depends on the budget.
- At Home (it can be the bride’s house or a friend’s and it’s free of charge)
- Restaurant (make sure the place have a private room that you can reserve ahead of time. You don’t want to disturb other guests who are dining)
- Beach (check the weather and temperature if its just right for a little gathering under the sun, you don’t want any sunburns or rain)
- Park (get some blankets and short tables and have a picnic)
- Spa/Salon (book this ahead of time so that you can have the place all to yourselves and arrange for spa treatments, hair treatments, nail treatments, or massages)
- Bar/Club (for the outgoing type that enjoys partying up until dawn)
- Hotel function room/ Hotel suite (a spacious room would be adequate since there are a lot of people invited but it would cost you extra depending on how big the room you’re going to get)
- Destination bridal shower (if you’re going the extra mile and spoil the bride, traveling somewhere locally or internationally with your girlfriends is the most lavish thing that you can do and expensive too)
Theme
There are a lot of themes to choose from. You just have to think of one that suits the bride and that everyone agrees on. When you decide on having a themed party, make sure that you dress the part also. Food, party favors and most especially the decorations should also go with the theme. Here are some bridal shower ideas that you might want to go for.
- Tropical
- Tea Party
- Bohemian
- Vintage
- Autumn
- Romantic elegant
- Floral/Spring
- Rustic
- Winter
- Parisian
These are just a few of the themes that you can use for the bridal shower. There is still a lot to choose from. If you’re a bit overwhelmed by how many there are, then just pick a color theme.
Food & Beverage
- Order from a catering service or restaurant (might cost extra but you don’t have to worry about the prepping and setup)
- Make the food yourselves at a friend’s house (cost lesser but will cost you a lot of time to prepare and do everything yourselves)
As for the menu, just go for something light. You don’t have to set up a buffet. A variety of finger food is enough to keep everyone satisfied.
Have a table ready for the food and divide the area into two to arrange the savory and sweet food.
- Savory food may include sliders, chips, sandwiches, spring rolls, cheese sticks, deviled eggs, crostini
- Sweets include cake, cookies, cupcakes, brownies, tarts, cake pops, jelly rolls, fresh fruits
Have another table ready for the drinks. Provide more than one drink to have variety since each person has different tastes. You may serve:
- Non-alcoholic drinks
- Alcoholic drinks like water, shakes, and juices
Bridal Shower Games
Games are not necessary at a bridal shower but some do it for fun. You can either play wholesome games for families or have a private adult game with the girls. These are just some of the bridal shower games that you can play with your friends.
How Well Do You Know The Groom
Have your girlfriends ask the groom-to-be questions about him. When they have the answers, ask the questions to the bride-to-be. Let’s see how much she knows his partner.
How Well Do You Know The Bride
This version is for the bride’s closest friends. The girls will be asked questions about the bride and it’s up to them to answer them correctly. The one with the most points wins a prize.
Toilet Paper Wedding Dress
The guests will for two groups. One person from each group will be a model for the dress that will be made completely out of toilet paper. The best group with the best dress wins.
Charades
A very classic game in every event or party. Collect different words that relate to a bridal shower or wedding. Choose words that are not difficult to act out. For a group of 2 and have fun. The bride-to-be can join in a group or she can be the facilitator of the game.
Guess That Love Song
Let your guests listen to your favorite love songs. Their goal is to guess each one correctly. The one with the highest point wins a prize at the end.
Board Games
If your girls are into board games then it’s a perfect bonding time at the bridal shower. You can either play the classic Jenga, Uno, Monopoly, Snakes n’ ladders, etc.
Party Favors/Gifts
Some bridal showers have party favors, especially if the bride was the one who planned it. It is a way to thank the people who came to celebrate with the bride. It would really cost extra to buy customized souvenirs but if you’re the type that wants to go the extra mile, then go for it. If you’re on a budget but still want favors, then DIY is the way to go.
Gifts are also a custom when attending a bridal shower. Most commonly, bridesmaid surprises their bride with sexy gifts like lingerie or adult cakes. Just don’t forget to think of the bride when you’re planning on giving her these
Bridal Shower Program
Some just go with the flow on what the bridal shower ideas will go but there are some who really organize things and make a short program. You can choose to follow a program or not. Depending on how much time you have for the bridal shower.
If you’re that bride or maid of honor that is organized, you can follow the list below for your program or make your own itinerary that is suitable for your schedules. The bridal shower can last for an hour or more depending on how much free time you have.
- The arrival of Guests: Spare time to wait for all guest to arrive and to prepare the surprise if ever it is kept as a secret from the bride. Make sure the guest arrive earlier than the bride to not spoil the surprise.
- Serving of Food: After the surprises and hugs, it is time to feed the guest with the food prepared.
- Bridal Shower Games: You can have two to 3 games that are simple and fun that guests will enjoy.
- Dessert: Serve sweets after the games. It can be the bridal shower cake or any dessert prepared.
- Gift Opening: Time to open a few gifts that the guests have given to the bride-to-be.
- Thank yous and Giveaways: As guests get ready to leave, thank them for coming and give them tokens or giveaways that are prepared though it is not compulsory to have one. A thank you will do.
Conclusion
Bridal showers are a fun way of bonding with the closest girls in your life and with the bride to be. With these bridal shower ideas, you can easily map out the important things on how to plan an amazing bridal shower without panicking. But the most amazing thing that you can do is to make your bride be the happiest ever.
Her Expertise Includes:
- Being a former bride
- Planning her own wedding
- Helping run her husband's wedding service USA DJ
As a former bride herself, she knows first hand what it takes to plan a successful wedding. She now offers her experience with wedding planning to other brides to be through smartestbrides.com.
Her mission is to help other brides wedding planning become as simple and stress-free as possible.
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