The bridal shower is a fun opportunity to celebrate the bride-to-be and “shower” her with gifts for her and her groom’s new life together. Check out these ideas on hosting a memorable shower including a personalized backdrop for photos, food, games and more.
If the bride has any input, make sure to follow her directions. However, remember that you’re the one planning and hosting this party—the bride should just relax and enjoy herself. In some cases, the bridal shower takes place on the same day or weekend of the bachelorette party. This is perfectly acceptable, and it can be a good idea if a lot of the bridesmaids are flying in from out of town. Generally the shower is held at the host’s home, but you can also use a restaurant, banquet hall, or a relative’s house.
Guests
Send invitations out at least four to six weeks before the event. Ask the bride for her wedding guest list. If the shower is supposed to be a surprise, get the guest list from the bride’s mother or her fiance. Generally, you shouldn’t invite people who are not getting invited to the wedding, unless it’s a destination wedding or very small. These are the wedding guests who are typically invited to the bridal shower:
- Any women in the bridal party.
- All close female friends and family members of the bride and groom.
- If it’s a “Jack and Jill” shower, you can also invite the groom to help out.
Gifts
Guests traditionally bring gifts to the bridal shower, from the couple’s registry. The host or maid of honor should take note of who brought each gift so the bride can remember.
Are you hosting a bridal shower? Follow this guide to show the bride-to-be a wonderful day.Photos and Decorations
There will be lots of photo opportunities during the bridal shower. One great idea to add to the atmosphere is to create a custom backdrop with her name. She can open presents in front of the backdrop and it will make the pictures even more memorable. You can also incorporate the wedding theme into the custom design, or something fun about the bride’s personality.
SignArtEtc has a variety of vinyl backdrops that can be customized for your event, with free layout services and fast turnaround.
One cute way to decorate for the party is to display pictures of the happy couple together throughout the home or party space. You can also include pictures of the bride with her best friends and family, and some cute pictures of her as a kid.
Food and Drinks
Guests will be expecting food, even if it’s just appetizers to nibble on. Taste of Home has some great ideas for wedding shower foods such as bride and groom cupcakes, pasta salad, Mediterranean dip and finger sandwiches. You can also customize snacks by monogramming cookies and cupcakes with the bride’s initials.
Martha Stewart Weddings has a great guide to refreshing cocktails perfect for a bridal shower, complete with recipes. The list includes grapefruit and mint Mojitos, champagne cocktails, or flavored sangria. Non-alcoholic options include pink lemonade, pomegranate soda or flavored ice tea. Keep drinks light and refreshing. If the bride has a favorite drink, you can serve that.
Activities
The bridal shower itinerary can be as simple as 1. Chat, 2. Eat, 3. Open gifts. Many also use this as an opportunity to play some fun games and ice breakers. Rachel Torgerson of The Knot has a list of the ultimate bridal shower games to give you some ideas. Favorites include The Newlywed Game, where the bride answers trivia questions about her groom and their answers are compared, and Wedding Movie Charades, where guests act out famous scenes from wedding movies without speaking.
