- First thing's first, pick a date that is good for the bride of course. In can be six months before the wedding or the week before the wedding, it doesn't matter. After you decide the date, determine the time of day.You can also make it a surprise shower if you wanted to.
- Figure out where you are going to have it. A lot of times it is at one of the bridesmaids houses or a good friend's house. If you're going to go all out, you can do it at some fancy hotel, restaurant etc.
- Decide on a budget and who is paying for what. It is kosher to ask all the bridesmaids to help pitch in. Make sure everyone knows how much they need to pitch in in advance. It can get expensive to reserve a hotel room or a botanic garden especially once you add in the cost of food, decorations, gifts etc.
- Pick a theme. Depending on where you have this shower might depend on what theme you decide on, but a lingerie theme is always fun, or if she has a favorite color you can do a lot of decorations with that color. Keep in mind that themes often lead to easier planning and more fun of course.
- Determine the guest list. Everyone who is invited to the shower should also be invited to the wedding. If it's a surprise shower you can ask her mother, sister or groom about attendees, but if it's not just consult the bride. If you're doing just a girls shower then make sure the bride and groom's close female relatives and friends are invited. If you're going to do a couple's shower then obviously make it more coed friendly, don't just plan a traditional shower and invite the boys as well. This will obviously make it a larger event which will require more food, more space, etc. If you're on a tighter budget I would do a girls only shower.
- As for invites, they don't need to be too fancy just as long as they reflect the theme of the shower. You can make them, or they have cute ones online or at any store. Make sure there is an RSVP on the invite to either the MOH or a sister and have guests RSVP a couple weeks beforehand.
- Choose the food. Depending on what time you decided on determines what food will be served. For example if you do a Saturday at 11am then plan on "brunch type" food. A weeknight at 7pm says that dinner won't be served, but there will be desserts and light finger food. If you want dinner to be served then make your time a little earlier and maybe you include that information on the invite. If you're going to be at someone's house then maybe you want to consider getting a caterer. Another idea could be to find out where the bride and groom are going for their honeymoon and do a dinner that replicates something they will be eating on their honeymoon. Have some hors d'oeuvres and then of course some amazing dessert for later. You can do homemade or from your best local bakery.
- Next up, entertainment. This can get fun. Besides the opening gifts, visiting, and food you need to have some games planned. Here are some fun games and great suggestions if you're struggling coming up with your own ideas. The newlywed game is a classic and must-play. I played this at my bridal shower and for every question I got wrong I had to chew a huge piece of bubble gum. It wasn't so fun for me but the crowd sure got a kick out of it. Another way I have seen this done is for every question the bride gets right she gets a dollar and everyone she gets wrong the person that asked the question gets to keep the dollar.
- Lastly, let's talk about gifts. On the invites most include where the bride is registered so guests can get something off their registry or if it's a lingerie theme include the bride's sizes. When you're opening presents have the MOH or sister right down which guest gave which present so the bride can do thank you cards.
Hopefully this post was some help to you in planning the bridal shower. Bridal showers are fun and an opportunity where guests can shower the bride with love, gifts and good wishes. Happy Planning!
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| My bridal shower hosted by my bridesmaid Katie Falk and MOH Kaitlyn Giles |
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