Bridal
Shower Planning
 Date,
Guests, Location...
You've got a
shower to plan. You want it to be memorable, and you want it to be
impressive. But there are so many details, and so little time. So,
where do you begin with the bridal shower planning?
Relax, we're going
to make shower planning a breeze...
First, decide if
you want it to be a surprise? Surprise bridal shower showers are a
little more difficult when it comes to planning because you have to
organize it all without the bride's knowledge. Allowing the bride to
know you are planning a bridal shower eliminates secret
conversations, excuses, and a reason to get the bride somewhere at a
certain time.
Next, you must
choose a date and time for the bridal shower. First and
foremost, make sure the bride is available. Sounds obvious, but you'd
be surpirsed how often someone plans a bridal shower without
consulting the bride's schedule only to discover she'll be out of
town that weekend (or otherwise unavailable). You want to avoid this stress.
Once you know the
bride's schedule, check the schedules of other important guests,
namely the bridal party and the bride and groom's immediate family.
You should end up with several weekends and evenings from which to
choose for the bridal shower.
 Note,
bridal showers do not have to be on a Saturday or Sunday afternoon.
A weekday evening is perfectly acceptable. If the bridal shower is in
town, it's perfect (and some of your guests may be grateful to not
give up a Saturday afternoon). However, if you have elderly guests,
an afternoon bridal shower would be preferable. A couple's shower
(women and men) is fun for a Saturday night. Skip the games, serve
hors d'ouevres and alcoholic punch and everyone will have a good
time. The decorations and presents act as the reminder of the party's
purpose. If the bridal shower you are planning is not a surprise, ask
the bride what she would prefer. If it is a surprise bridal shower, a
little sleuthing is required.
Once the date has
been decided for the bridal shower, its time to draw up the bridal
shower guest list. If the bridal shower is a surprise, contact the
groom or the bride's mother for the wedding guest list. It's
important to remember that in keeping with proper etiquette only
those invited to the wedding may be invited to the shower. You must
never invite anyone to the bridal shower if they will not also be
invited to the wedding.
If you are hosting
and planning the bridal shower by yourself, you know what you can
afford. If you are co-hosting the bridal shower with someone, you
must come to an agreement on cost. As well, will there be other
bridal shower thrown by other people for this same bride? In
accordance with proper etiquette, no guest should be invited
to more than one shower for the same bride, with the exception of the
wedding party and the mothers. Otherwise it looks like a "gift
grab" - and that's in very poor taste.
If this will be
the one and only bridal shower for this bride, you may invite from
both sides of the family plus friends. This is where you will have to
decide on the guest list limit. Money and space limitations have to
be taken into account when planning a bridal shower.
While some people
really enjoy big bridal showers hosted in a hall, others love more
intimate, smaller bridal showers.
While deciding on
a bridal shower guest list and a date, you've probably also been
considering locations for the bridal shower. Possibilities are a
private home, a restaurant, or a hall. The house shower is easiest
since you know the inventory of the kitchen, its inexpensive, and
you're not on a time constraint. A restaurant shower can be expensive
since you will be expected to pay for every guest's meal, in
accordance with proper etiquette. A hall shower is a good
alternative if a house isn't available. The kitchen is usually quite
large although you don't know its contents, so you'll need to be sure
to come equipped. As well, a hall is only available during the hours
you have reserved it and you may not be able to get in in earlier to
begin decorating for the bridal shower, etc. If the bridal shower is
a surprise, it's easier to come up with an excuse to go to a house
rather than a hall.
Invitations,
Decorations and Games...
You've selected
the date, time, and place. Now things really get fun.
If you are hosting
a bridal shower in a restaurant, you can either have it in the main
dining area or try to find one with a separate banquet area. Check
with the restaurant to see what they allow in the way of decorations
for the bridal shower. As for food, you can either allow the bridal
shower guests to choose from the restaurant's menu or you can
prearrange to have a choice of two or three meal options. As well,
take your guests into consideration. A specialty restaurant may not
please all appetites nor would a spicy Tex-Mex restaurant please
older guests. It's up to you if you want to include bridal
shower games or rely on the guests to converse, mix and mingle,
and make their own good time. The restaurant shower bridal shower
planning easiest, but can be the most expensive.Remember, to be
proper, you cannot invite guests to a gift giving event like a bridal
shower and expect them to pay for their own meal. Thats a HUGE etiquette no-no.
Now its onto the
bridal shower invitations. If the bridal shower guest list is small
and you're familiar with most of the invitees, a simple phone call
will suffice. With a larger, more unfamiliar guest list, mailed
bridal shower invitations are best. Make sure to include the bride
and groom's names on the invitations, the date, time and location,
and most importantly, a phone number to which guests may RSVP. I once
attended a shower where the Maid of Honour invited over fifty people
but did not ask for RSVPs. It made food preparation difficult.
Please, avoid this mistake. Its your decision whether or not you
choose to include your name (as the hostess) on the invitations, but
it is quite customary to do so.
In the meantime,
you have to decide on decorations, games, prizes and favours.
What you do for
bridal shower decorations will depend somewhat on your budget,
like most bridal shower planning decisions. You may wish to buy
streamers and balloons in the wedding colours, or you may wish to go
all out and have a florist decorate. If you plan to go the streamer
route, take a trip to a local party supply store. Here you can pick
up all sorts of decorations as well as paper plates, plastic cutlery,
tablecloths, plastic cups, etc. If you really want to have some fun,
you can do your own super-fancy balloon decorations. Follow this link
to learn the secrets of how to make
balloon decorations, and really add some WOW FACTOR to the
bridal shower.
Are you going to
play bridal shower games? Some
bridal shower guests enjoy this, others aren't so thrilled with the
idea. Bridal shower games aren't a necessity, and are only a feature
at the smaller percentage of bridal showers (they are more popular in
some regions of the country thatn in others) but they so serve a
purpose. They get the guests talking and mingling, so if you're
worried about the particular crowd you'll have at the shower, bridal
shower games may be just the ticket to liven the shower up. If you
decide to play bridal shower games, put some thought into how many.
One game as an icebreaker to get the shower stated, or serveral
spaced throughout the bridal shower? Its you call! Do you want all
the guests to walk away with a prize for playing, or will there only
be one prize for the winner?
With the bridal
shower games decided, you must have prizes. A dollar or discount
store is a great place to find prizes. From coffee mugs to pretty
candles to little frames or silly pens, you can find tons of great
prizes at a very good price. If you wish to wrap them, tissue paper
is an economical choice.
And what about bridal
shower favors? Many wedding favors also double as bridal shower
favors. Check this wedding
store for fabulous favors you can use for a bridal shower.
Again, you can also check out the dollar store. Any guest would enjoy
tapered candles in the wedding colours. Visit a craft store and buy
candy molds and make chocolate in a wedding theme - here's how to
make fabulous edible
bridal shower favors. Wrap them in freezer bags tied with pretty
ribbon. Jellybeans wrapped in tulle are also great. If the budget
doesn't permit favours, don't worry - there's no law that says you
have to have them. They are fun for the guests, and they can add a
sense of style to the bridal shower, but bridal shower etiquette
does not make favors a requirement.
Bridal
Shower Planning Made Easy!
TIPS!
Got a case of the
bridal shower hosting jitters? There's no need to get stressed. Just
use the top seven ways to help you relax and enjoy bridal shower planning.
1) Shop the
Internet - Instead of fighting the crowds at the mall, do your bridal
shower shopping on line. Almost anything, from bridal
shower favors to bridal
shower decorations, can be bought on the Web - and often for
less money! Plus its super-convenient!
2) Hire a Caterer
- Leave the food preparation to someone else! Just place your order
with a local catering company, sit back, and wait for the goods to be
delivered on the day of the bridal shower.
3) Heat and Eat -
Many price club stores offer tasty frozen appetizers, from chicken
kebobs to mini quiches at really good prices. Just pop 'em in the
oven and serve!
4) Pot luck It -
Serve up a sumptuous spread of homemade party treats with a little
help from your friends (and family). Plan ahead and assign everyone a course.
5) Pass on Baking
- Pick up your pies, cakes, or pastries from a local bakery and spare
yourself hours in the kitchen.
6) Use Disposable
Tableware - With all the delightful designs out there, why bother
washing dishes for so many people?
7) Don't Wait...
Delegate! - Don't try to do everything yourself. Recruit your spouse,
friends, and kids to help with the bridal shower party chores. Enlist
volunteers to decorate the house, clean, shop, cook, and address invitations.
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