You have been her go-to friend since the very beginning. Now that her big day is finally approaching and you’re one of her honored bridesmaids, it’s bridal shower time. With a little bit of planning and some elbow grease, you can execute a memorable and elegant bridal shower that’s perfect for your favorite bride-to-be. Plan the perfect bridal shower and get the best bridal shower gifts for the bride to be.
This is the best time to help your bride de-stress from all the wedding planning she’s been doing and let her hair down with her bridal shower. Weather she has an elopement, traditional wedding or a microwedding; she deserves to have the best bridal shower to celebrate her future being married. Be sure to get the best bridal shower gifts for not only the bride but for the whole bridal crew.
Bridal Shower Theme Ideas
Go out for a coffee or cocktail with the bride-to-be and brainstorm a theme together. Some fun bridal shower themes include:
Glamorous: An elegant afternoon soiree.
Safari: An exotic animal themed event.
Hip Hip Hooray: A sports lover’s party before the big day.
Summer Dreaming: A party perfect for those hazy, lazy days.
Yogi Retreat: For the health-minded bride.
Relaxation: A spa excursion for all the ladies.
Your friend will know what she wants, so talk to her about what her dream bridal shower involves. Once you pick a theme, you can move forward with your planning and executing.
Invitations to the Party
You’ve figured out what type of party to throw; now you need to let everyone know. First, create a master list of guests you plan to invite. Make sure you get the bride’s approval. You might have to do some additional digging to get their addresses, but at least this master list will give you something to work with. Invitations are a key component of the bridal shower, so send them out with plenty of time for each guest to respond. You can be super creative and make them all by hand. Another great idea is to create photo invitations, which add a nice, personalized touch and can easily be made online with the help of templates. With Shutterfly, customized bridal shower invitations can also be paired with matching address labels, stamps and envelopes for a professional look. Regardless of the bridal shower invitation style you choose, be sure to include all the important information on your invitations. You’ll need the date, time and location of the party. Include the bride’s registry information, too. Also include your contact information and an RSVP-by date.
Fun Bridal Shower Drinks
Some fun ideas for bridal showers involve the beverages. Perhaps the bride-to-be is a mimosa bar type of lady. You can get multiple types of juices to mix with champagne or sparkling wine. Another fun beverage idea is to make punch. A good rule of thumb is to make it “one part strong and two parts weak” and “three parts sour and four parts sweet.” You may want to test this out before the day comes. A signature cocktail is also a great idea. Pick the bride-to-be’s poison of choice and find a classic recipe or create your own. You can make crafty drink stirrers, coasters and other fun drink-themed crafts to celebrate this day.
The Perfect Menu
Whether you’re providing light snacks or a meal, it’s never too early to start planning the menu. You may also want to check with the guests to see if there are any food restrictions or allergies. Try to match your themes to the snacks. For example:
Glamorous: Bite-size tarts or sandwiches with cheesecake for dessert.
Wedding Safari: Kabobs or meats and veggies on sticks.
Hip Hip Hooray: Get sporty with game-day food such as hotdogs, nachos and soft pretzels.
Summer Dreaming: Fresh lemonade (or fruity cocktails) with pasta salads, grilled or BBQ foods and summertime treats such as ice cream.
Yogi Retreat: Coconut waters, fresh fruit and light, healthy finger foods.
Always make sure to try out recipes and food preparation ideas before the day of the party. Enlist the help of the other bridesmaids in making and tasting each menu item.
Bridal Shower Activities
It wouldn’t be a shower without a few games:
Trivia: Create your own trivia cards about the bride. The person who guesses the most correct thing about the bride-to-be wins.
He Said, She Said: This bridal shower game is fun and easy to pull off. Gather together a list of love- and wedding-related quotes from the bride and groom by asking them a series of questions. Then, print the list without including their names by each quote. The object of the game is for attendees to guess whether each quote was spoken by the bride or the groom. The guest who has the most correct answers wins a prize.
Bingo: Set up a bridal shower twist on the classic game of bingo. Create your own bingo boards by filling in the squares with wedding-themed words like true love, vows, dress, roses and honeymoon. Instead of chips or markers, you can use valentine hearts to mark off your squares during the game.
Throwing a bridal shower doesn’t have to be stressful. To ensure you throw a party the bride will love, sit down with her, ask questions and take notes and your party is sure to be a success. Remember to test out new things with plenty of time before the event. Choosing a theme can help you achieve focus when making plans and thinking about drinks and the menu, and a few games can be played to help everyone have a good time. Finally, use Shutterfly to create beautiful, personalized invitations, RSVP cards and thank you notes for your bridal shower.
