Ideas for a Bridal Shower

A bridal shower is a celebration where a woman's friends and family "shower" her with gifts. Planning a bridal shower can seem like a daunting task, but if you just focus on creating a wonderful time for the guest of honor it will be a breeze. Here are some great bridal shower ideas that will help you create a memorable event for the bride to be!

Bridal Shower Invitations
Bridal showers usually are held six to eight weeks before the wedding, usually on a Saturday or Sunday afternoon. Three hours should be more than enough time for the shower. Talk with the bride to set a date that works for her and key family members like mom and grandma. The bride should give you a list of names and addresses so you can mail out the invites.

Traditionally bridal showers are for the female friends and family of the bride, but co-ed showers are becoming very popular. We have a Couples Hollywood Theme Bridal Shower if you are considering a co-ed shower. Either way, remember that you do not have to invite everyone who is coming to the wedding to the shower, but everyone who is coming to the shower better be invited to the wedding!

Send a personalized bridal shower invitation that will get all of the guests excited. Remember to include RSVP information, as well as where the bride and groom have registered.

Another fun, one of a kind invitation for your bridal shower is a ticket invitation.  Choose from 9 colors and invite them to the hottest event in town!

Bridal Shower Decorations and Party Supplies
Most of these bridal shower ideas revolve around a color scheme. Pink and white is a classic color scheme for a bridal shower. Many showers are held in the spring or early summer, so it works well for this time of year. Another popular option is to decorate in the colors that the bride-to-be has chosen for her wedding.

Once you have your colors chosen (we are going to assume pink and white, but feel free to change it up) decorating is easy. One decoration that provides a huge impact for minimal cost is balloons. Make bouquets of latex balloons in your chosen colors. An easy trick to making balloon bouquets that look great is to always group balloons in odd numbers, which are more pleasing to the eye.

Another great room decoration is a life-sized cutout of the bride. It is a fun way to greet your guests as they arrive, or you can place it near the buffet or gift table where everyone will see it.

I love it when showers have a table that displays photos of the bride and groom. This is a great place for a cutout as well. It is also a nice place to set out a personalized sign-in board or a framed photo of the couple with a matte that can be signed.

Bridal Shower Table Decorations and Menu
A buffet is the best choice for most bridal showers. I think light foods that you can snack on while mingling are appropriate. Fruit skewers, finger sandwiches, deviled eggs, stuffed mushrooms, and bruschetta are all great choices. Serve an alcoholic drink like sangria, plus a non-alcoholic option like sparkling punch, flavored tea or lemonade. For dessert you options are limitless; I love a chocolate fountain, or go with a pastry tray. You can't loose with sweets! :)

Beautiful bridal shower paper goods will help you dress up the buffet. You can add interest to the buffet, bar and gift tables by adding a balloon bouquet to each. A white table skirt will dress the tables up. Add sparkle by sprinkling more onfetti across the top.

Continue the same look at your tables. Start with a white table cloth, then place a simple flower arrangement in the middle. Pink and white carnations with baby's breath in a clear vase will look great without breaking the bank. If you have a large room, use balloon bouquets on the table instead. They provide the height needed to fill a larger space which makes the room seem more intimate.

If you are having assigned seating or placecards, attach them to light up engagement rings with ribbon. Your guests will be wowed!

Bridal Shower Games and Activities
Here are a few fun bridal shower ideas for games to play:

"Recipe for Happiness" - Give each guest a piece of stationery and have them each write down what they feel is a recipe for a good/happy marriage. When everyone is done, fold the "recipes" in half and place them in a box. Have somebody pull them out one by one and read them out loud. As they are being read, have everyone try to guess who wrote each recipe. There really is no "winner" except for the bride-to-be (if she takes and follows the combined advice).

"Life Thread" - Pass around a spool of thread, and tell each guest to break off a piece (Don't tell them what it is for, or how much to take). As soon as everyone has taken a piece of thread, go around the room and have each person talk about themselves as they wrap their piece of string around their finger. They are not allowed to stop talking until the string is completely wrapped around their finger. Be careful not to completely cut off your circulation! In the interest of saving your circulation, you can play the same game with toilet paper (for each square you take, you have to tell the group one fact about yourself). A prize goes to the person who takes the longest string/piece of toilet paper, and can give the most facts about herself.

See our Bridal Shower Games for more great ideas!

When the bride opens her gifts, make sure someone is writing down who gave the couple what. A family member is usually a better choice than a friend for this job because they are familiar with many of the guests. One of the traditions in my family is to make a bouquet out of the ribbons from all of the gifts, which can be used as a practice bouquet at the rehearsal. Just cut a hole in the middle of a sturdy paper plate and thread the ribbons through it as the bride opens her gifts. Remind her that the number of ribbons that she breaks while opening her gifts foretells the number of children she will have!

Bridal Shower Party Favors
Send everyone home with their personalized pens from the sign in board. Another popular bridal shower favor is some type of personalized candy, here are a few fun options: