Bridal Shower Favors, Activities, & Games

Bridal Shower Favors

Most hostesses wish to provide all of the bridal shower guests with a small bridal shower favor for attending and honoring the bride. We offer a couple of choices for simple yet special wedding shower favors that make a perfect way of saying, “Thank you”.

• Our Personalized Bubbles are adorable and a great reminder of the upcoming special day!
• Fill frosted boxes with small candies in the colors of the wedding. These favors look great on the table at each place setting. You can attach a small card with the guest’s names on each one and use them as placecards for assigned seating if desired.
• Give your guests a nice scrapbook to record all their memories of the shower and the wedding.
• Another bridal shower favor idea that serves as a very nice keepsake and place to store precious memories are keepsake boxes. Your guests will be thrilled with these simple yet elegant boxes.

Bridal Shower Party Activities & Games

Play the Bridal Shower Game

• A fun game that allows your guests to become familiar with the groom as well as the bride, is the “How Well Do You Know The Bride” game. Here’s how you play: Before the day of the shower, ask the groom several questions about the bride. For example, “What is her favorite flower?” or “What is her dream date?” Videotape his answers to each of the questions. At the shower, ask the same series of questions to the guests and have them write down their answers. After all the questions have been answered, ask each one to the bride and have her give her answer. Next play the videotape of her fiancee’s answers – just for fun. The one that gets the most answers right wins! Not only is this a fun way to include the groom, you learn more about the guest of honor!
• Playing “Bridal Gift Bingo” ensures that the guests will pay close attention to the gifts as they are opened! Before the bride opens any presents, have each guest create their own bingo card (to make it easier, print up blank cards before hand for them). They must fill in each square with a shower gift that the bride might open that day. For example, one box would be bath towels, another box might be pots and pans. As the bride opens her presents, the guests can mark off a box if they wrote down that particular item. The first person to get bingo wins!
• For this “Think Fast” game, everyone sits in a circle. The bride begins the game by throwing a garter to someone. While attempting to catch it, she must name something found in the wedding ceremony (i.e. flowers, alter, camera). Once the garter is caught, it is quickly tossed to someone else who must name something. If she cannot answer quickly enough, that person is out of the game. Play until one person is left!
• “The Mystery Spice Game” is always fun. Before the shower, take the labels off of 10 spice jars and number them. Pass the spices around and have the guests guess what they are by sight and smell – but no tasting! The guest with the most correct answers wins!
• For a funny yet meaningful moment, play “Name That Advice”. Go around the room and have the guests give the bride a piece of advice on marriage. The fun part of this is that the advice must be something that starts with the first letter of their name. For example, Jodi could tell the bride that “Jell-O is easy to make for a quick meal!”, or Laura could tell the bride to “Love him every moment”. At the end of this game, you could, as a group, award the bride with wedding favors.
• This game works best if the attendees are good friends or all relatives. It brings a little embarrassment and lots of laughs! First, pass out 10 pieces of candy to each person. The object of this game is the keep your candy while making everyone else eat theirs! The guest of honor starts by stating something true about herself. For example, “I never dated two guys at the same time”. Any one that has done that must eat a piece of their candy. The game continues to the next player who makes a true statement about herself. After everyone has had a turn, the person with the most candy left wins.

Couple’s Shower Party Activities

Playing some games (no matter how silly they seem) will really liven up any shower. Here are some tried-and-true hits to really keep things going during your party!

• Play the newlywed game! You’ll need four couples to play this game. The men leave the room and women are asked questions. (For instance, who is his favorite sports player? Who is her favorite male movie star? What is the most embarrassing thing that has ever happened to him/her?) Be sure to record all of their answers! The men are brought back in and asked the same questions. Then reverse the whole process and have the women leave. The couple with the most matched answers wins!
• For this “Ring Toss” game, choose as many couples that want to play. One person sits in a chair and holds a wooden spoon in their mouth with the handle sticking out. The partner stands 6-8 feet away and tosses 10 large rings, one at a time, attempting to hook them on their partner’s spoon. The person with the spoon can help to catch it by maneuvering their head, but cannot get out of the chair. The couple with the most rings wins!
• See how many guests know their partners with this fun game! Hang a clothesline across your room and place a couple of sheets over it. Have the men stand behind the sheets, exposing their legs and feet only. The women need to identify their partner by his legs only. They must stand in front of the legs that she believes are her partners. When the sheets are removed, the prizes go to the women that were correct. You would be surprised by how many women cannot identify their partner’s legs!
• Ask trivia questions about the bride and groom throughout the party — how they first met, color of their eyes, first date, likes, dislikes, etc. Give out small prizes for correct answers, or the person with the most correct answers wins.
• Take a kitchen junk drawer and ask a specific person to walk around the room with it, allowing each guest to view the contents only for a few seconds (don’t tell them why they are looking at it). Then take the drawer away, pass out paper and have each person right down all the contents that they could remember. The person with the most correct wins. Or, you can add a twist to this and have the person that has passed the drawer around leave the room with the drawer. Then ask your guests to describe the person that was holding the drawer instead of the contents. This will really throw everyone off!
• Host a karaoke competition! Have each person write down two famous songs about love or marriage on a piece of paper and put in a basket. Then have each person pick a slip and sing as much of the song as he or she can remember.
• Create your own “Mad Lib” story by writing a story that tells the couple’s history as well as predicts the future. Leave out all of the important information and then, before reading it, ask the bride and groom to fill in the blanks. Remember, you ask them for an action, number, or noun for each of the blanks but they don’t know the sentence. When you read the story out loud (with the blanks filled in) it is hilariously funny!
• Have each couple write something significant about themselves and the bride or groom. The bride then has to read each slip of paper and guess which couple wrote it.

 Share your favorite bridal shower games and activities.

Your Wedding Shower Planning Guide

 

Shower the Bride & Groom

Traditionally, wedding showers followed a predictable pattern in nearly all situations. Today, although some broad rules still apply, there is much more flexibility and room for creativity in hosting a bridal shower. The most important thought to keep in mind is that the purpose of having the party is to “shower” the bride or the couple with affection and a show of support for their decision to marry, and to provide them with thoughtful gifts.

Typically, the maid or matron of honor or other good friends of the bride or groom host the shower. It is also perfectly appropriate for anyone with a strong connection to the guest of honor (for example, the best friend of the mother of the bride), a co-worker, or a family member (aunt, cousin, etc.) to host the bridal shower. Historically, close relatives, such as the mother of the bride or siblings would not host a shower. However, there are some parts of the country where that has become an acceptable custom. It is also perfectly acceptable for the mother of the bride to open her home to be used as the location for the bridal shower, to involve the families of the bride and groom in the planning, and to accept offers of help with food/activities/etc.

Many brides/couples are fortunate enough to have several different circles of people who want to host a shower for them…attendants, church friends, co-workers, groom’s out-of-town relatives, old family friends. While there is no limit to the number of showers that can be held for a couple, it is most considerate not to invite any guest, with the exception of immediate family, to more than one bridal shower.

Another increasingly popular option in hosting wedding or bridal showers today is to throw the party with a co-host or a group of co-hosts. The advantages to sharing the responsibilities include:

• Share the expenses…much easier on the budget. Purchase a bigger gift for the bride, or make the shower unforgettably spectacular with favors, great decorations and wonderful food!
• More options for the party location.
• Time saving for everyone with responsibilities divided equally.

Wedding Shower Location

Traditionally, the most popular location for a wedding shower has been the home of the hostess. That remains a popular option for the following reasons:

• Least expensive option – no rental fees
• Easy to prepare for if your time is limited (no scouting, negotiating fees, contract signing, etc.)
• You won’t have to transport your shower goodies (gifts, decorations, favors, etc.) to another location
• Decorating and cooking can be done in advance
• Regardless of what the invitation says, whoever’s home the party is held at will receive the majority of thanks for the party.

The following factors have caused some busy hosts to consider alternative locations to their own home:

• After the party is over, the mess will be yours to contend with
• Amongst all the other preparations, your home will have to be cleaned and tidied
• For a few hours, you will need to empty your home of children and pets
• Guest list may be limited by size considerations
• Someone else can see to all the fun details (for a fee)

If you are co-hosting a bridal shower, choose the home that will be most practical in terms of convenience for other guests, and space requirements.

For some of the reasons listed above, and also because so many wedding showers are built around a theme today, more and more hosts are choosing alternative locations for their party. Consider one of the following, but don’t blow your budget on the location!

• A hotel tearoom
• A favorite restaurant (many have private rooms, and don’t add a surcharge for using them)
• The home or grounds of the parents of the bride or groom, or a favorite aunt
• The beach
• A park
• A zoo
• A community center or reception hall
• A church hall
• The Country Club
• An art gallery or museum
• An athletic facility or field
• A building on campus at the bride or groom’s Alma Mater
• A barn (great for a Western theme – complete with bonfire)

Consider the interests, hobbies, honeymoon destination, careers, or family heritage of the bride and/or groom, and tie the theme and location together to honor the couple.

Wedding Shower Planning Timeline

TWO MONTHS PRIOR:

• Determine a budget, and stick to it
• Select a date (make sure you clear this with the bride, or the mother of the bride or the groom if the shower is a surprise)
• Determine location and time (especially critical if your shower will not be held at a home)
• Select a theme
• Begin to gather a guest list
• Make or purchase invitations
• If co-hosts are involved, meet and divide responsibilities (put everything in writing to avoid overlapping duties or forgetting a key factor)

SIX WEEKS PRIOR:

• Mail invitations
• Select a menu (if your event is to be catered, finalize the menu with the caterer)
• Purchase decorations, paper goods, and favors
• Order cake from the bakery if you won’t be making one
• Select a shower gift for the bride

ONE/TWO WEEKS PRIOR:

• Start purchasing non-perishable food/beverage items
• Confirm the caterer, cake, florist, photographer, location, etc. (These confirmation calls will help you avoid last minute panic!)
• Make calls to guests who have not RSVP’d yet
• Select games/activities and gather the tools/props/copies you’ll need, along with prizes for the winners

THE DAY BEFORE THE BRIDAL SHOWER:

• Decorate as much as possible (including the gift table and a special chair for the bride)
• Prepare as much of the food as possible
• Bake the cake (cover it with clean, damp kitchen towels and it will remain moist and fresh)
• Purchase perishable food items
• Make sure that you have plenty of film and fresh batteries in your camera
• Gather serving dishes and utensils
• Purchase plenty of ice…plan on one pound per guest
• Gather pad and pen so that gifts can be documented (this will make preparing “thank you notes” much simpler for the bride)

THE DAY OF THE BRIDAL SHOWER:

Toast to Successful Wedding Shower Planning!

• Finish decorating (wait till the day of the party to inflate helium filled balloons)
• Decorate the cake
• Finish all food preparations
• Set the tables (paper goods and serving dishes)
• Clean the guest bathroom, and make sure there is plenty of toilet paper available
• Simmer pot pourri, light the candles
• Give yourself plenty of time to dress, apply a little make-up, and relax for a few minutes before guests arrive
• Start the background music before guests arrive

Wedding Shower Guest List

• The guest list for a bridal shower typically includes the bridesmaids, close friends of the bride, and family members (both bride and groom’s female relatives). If you are hosting a shower for “work friends”, or a “church” shower, you would not be obligated to include anyone outside that circle of friends. This is especially true if the paths of the different groups of friends do not often cross each other.
• Today, more and more wedding showers are co-ed events that honor both the bride and the groom. Some people refer to this type of shower as a Jack & Jill Party, and it really is much more like a party than the traditional bridal shower. If you are hosting a co-ed wedding shower, the groomsmen, ushers, friends of the groom, and male family members would also be included. Gifts are still the hi-light of the event, but this is also a fantastic opportunity to gather families and friends together prior to the wedding…the reception will be all the more fun for everyone!
• How many people should be included? There are no rules as to the number of guests that should be included. The bridal shower hostess really is the one who needs to define the number that she feels comfortable with, and the location and/or budget may be determining factors in the decision.
• In order to assure that mistakes are not made, consult with the bride about the guest list. If the shower is a surprise party, consult with the mother of the bride, or the honor attendant as to the makeup of the guest list.
• It is generally considered to be in good taste to include only people who will be invited to the wedding to a bridal shower. There are some exceptions to this rule. If the couple is getting married in the bride’s home state of New York, and they reside in California…invite everyone to the shower held in California…chances are 95% of them wouldn’t make it to the wedding even if they were invited. Other exceptions include: acquaintances or colleagues who might be included in a church or work shower, but who aren’t close enough to be invited to the wedding; if the couple are having a small intimate wedding with only family members; or if the couple has chosen to marry at a location away from their home town (exotic destination weddings have become extremely popular).

 

“Girls Only” Wedding Shower Theme

Shower & Bachelorette Party Ideas & Supplies

Hosting a wedding shower for a special bride is a wonderful way to demonstrate your love, and to show her just how important she is in the lives of those she holds dearest. Not everyone loves huge parties, so consider your guest of honor’s preferences when putting together your guest list. In fact, unless the shower is a surprise, the bride can be called upon for help with the guest list. The party should be as upbeat as possible, and should show the bride that her decision to marry is being supported and celebrated by those she cherishes.

While the traditional bridal shower will never go out of style, it has become increasingly popular to build a shower around a specific theme. We recommend that you center your theme around the bride’s interests, hobbies, passions, hopes and dreams for the future, honeymoon destination, family heritage, occupation or favorite era. To get your creative juices flowing, we have outlined a few theme ideas.  Choose one of the ideas that follow, or come up with something that feels just right to you. After you make your selection, choose invitations, decorations, favors, cake, and games/activities that match your theme.  We’ll be happy to provide you with help on the details!

Host an “Around the House” shower. Each guest is assigned a specific room in a home (it’s okay to duplicate assignments)- bathroom, kitchen, bedroom, living room, garage, or laundry room.

Gift Certificate Shower:

If the wedding couple already has all the necessities for their home, or has had several showers, host a Gift Certificate Shower. This type of shower is perfect for a second marriage, or a more “mature” bride. Gift certificates can be either “store bought”, or can be for “services” redeemable from the giver of the gift. Gift certificates could be from a sporting goods store, a department or specialty store, a fancy restaurant, a hotel, a spa, a house cleaning service, a professional decorator, dry cleaning certificates, or theatre tickets.

Honeymoon Shower:

Let guests decide what the bride will need for her honeymoon…hopefully she’ll leave the shower with lots of silky, sexy lingerie…fun stockings, teddies, lace panties and bras, and negligee sets. Be sure that the bride approves the theme, or that she is a good sport, and include her size in the invitation. For grandma and straight-laced Aunt Martha, the bride can also use luggage, scented lotions, perfume, or a camera and lots of film. Center your theme around the couple’s honeymoon destination. This theme is a favorite of brides everywhere!

Slumber Party:

If you have been friends with the bride since childhood…relive some of those fun moments by hosting a slumber party bridal shower. Recreate the slumber party of your adolescent days…sleeping bags, nail polish, curlers and home facials, popcorn, midnight pizza, truth or dare, revisiting old crushes and embarrasing moments, and watching her favorite movie from her teen years! Ask guests to bring a gift that the bride can use for her “overnights” with her new husband. For invitations, attach a computer generated or hand written tag to a toothbrush (decorated with Tulip™ paint…little dots or stripes are adorable), a miniature teddy bear, or a satin sleeping mask. Use your imagination! Use curling ribbon, satin ribbon, yarn or pipe cleaners to attach.

Harried Homemaker Shower:

For the beautiful young blushing bride who has every intention of remaining perfectly groomed and perfumed 24 hours a day for her handsome groom, host a harried homemaker shower! This theme is also great for the determined career woman! Encourage guests to arrive dressed in curlers, housecoats or fuzzy bathrobes, shower caps, mudmasks, slippers, or frumpy aprons. Treat guests to cleaning product favors. The bride can leave the shower with all the necessities she will need for becoming the perfect homemaker…cookie sheets, mops, brooms, an iron and ironing board, coffee maker, etc. For a fun themed centerpiece, gather a bouquet of kitchen utensils or toilet bowl brushes and place them in a small cleaning bucket. Send kitchen sponges, scouring pads, wooden spoons, spatulas, or potholders with a tag attached as invitations. Ask each guest to bring along a favorite recipe so that a cookbook/memory book can be assembled for the bride after the party. Take a picture of each “harried homemaker” at the party, and add the photos to the memory book beside each recipe.

Family Treasures Showers:

This shower is intended for family members only. Invite mothers, sisters, grandmothers, great-grandmothers, cousins, aunts, great-aunts, godmothers, etc., on both the bride and groom’s side of the family. The general idea of the party is that each family member will pass a small piece of herself, in the form of a family heirloom, antique or special memento on to the bride as a gift. In addition to the special gifts, send out a card with each invitation that says “You will always be special to our family because…” or “We are so happy you are joining our family because…”. Ask each guest to complete the card, and share a funny or heartwarming story, family legend or tradition, or ways they feel their family has been richly blessed. Request that they bring the completed card on the special day. At a specified time, possibly before you eat, have each person read the message they have prepared. Videotape each guest as they deliver the message to the bride, and then present the guest of honor with the videotape as a memento of the party. She will be moved by the gesture, and you will have created a priceless family treasure. As an alternative to videotaping the messages, you can collect the cards after they are read and compile them into a scrapbook. You could add a photo of each person to her message, and the scrapbook will be an instant family heirloom for the bride.

Bridal Tea:

For a charming and elegant bridal shower, host a proper afternoon tea, complete with tea sandwiches, petit fours, chocolate dipped strawberries, scones, jam, clotted cream, and a variety of flavored teas served in real china tea cups (borrow from friends, or scour thrift shops). Ask guests to dress for the occasion…romantic dresses, white gloves and hats. Use lace tablecloths, good sterling, and lots of fresh flowers. Arrange a display of family wedding hierlooms including enlarged photos of the bride’s parents’ and grandparents’ weddings. Ask each guest to come prepared with advice for a “prosperous marriage” for the bride. This theme is ideal for a guest list filled with multi-generations of family and dear friends. A harpist or string quartet would make the setting picture perfect.

Along the same lines, you could host a Champagne Brunch for the bride. Incorporate a “romantic” theme by asking guests to bring romantic gifts like bottles of wine, CDs of romantic music, velvet pillows, cashmere blankets, candle holders and candles, and gift certificates to hotels and nice restaurants.

Couple’s Shower Themes

We recommend that you center your theme around the couple’s interests, hobbies, passions, dreams, honeymoon destination, family heritage, occupation or favorite era. To get your creative juices flowing, we have outlined a few theme ideas. After you make your selection, choose invitations, decorations, favors, cake and games/activities that match your theme . . . we’ll be happy to provide you with help on the details!

Around the Clock Theme

For this shower, your guests (typically by couple) will be assigned a certain hour of the day. Guests then bring a gift for the couple appropriate to their designated time. If you have 24 guests, you could assign each one a different hour. If you have less, divide the day up so that you have morning, afternoon, evening and night covered. More than 24 guests? Double up on a few afternoon or evening times.

A few examples are a sexy nightgown and silky boxers for 11:00pm, a coffee maker for 7:00 am, and a gift certificate to a restaurant for 5:00pm. For invitations, use either toy watches (set to an assigned time) with a tag attached to provide all the details or have an invitation imprinted with custom wording.  Remember that each one will need a blank space for a time assignment.

Another popular variation of this theme is a “Through the Year” shower. Couples are assigned a particular month of the year or a season, and gifts are centered on the calendar. For April, the couple may receive gardening tools or patio accessories; for July, a picnic basket filled with goodies; for December, ski lift tickets or a snow shovel!

A third alternative is to host an “Around the House” shower. Each couple is assigned a specific room in a home (it’s okay to duplicate assignments)…bathroom, kitchen, bedroom, living room, garage, or laundry room.

Location Theme

Throw a party at the bride and groom’s favorite place to hang out (this could be a restaurant, bar, entertainment center, amusement park, college union, etc.), or the spot where the couple met or shared their first kiss. Reserve the entire place (unless their favorite hangout is Disney World!) for about three hours and invite all of the couple’s friends and family. Serve a meal, or just cake and appetizers, play the couple’s favorite music, and encourage friends and family to say a few words about the upcoming event. Ask both the bride and groom to share their own version of the courtship. The variations in who-did-what-first will provide great entertainment! A very fun evening together…and a nice trip down memory lane for the couple!

Luau Theme

Because Hawaii is the #1 honeymoon destination, this is a terrific shower theme! If you can throw the party in the spring or summer (or if you live somewhere with a year-round warm climate), host your party outside.  If the weather doesn’t cooperate, move the luau party supplies inside! Let all the guests feel like they are enjoying a little bit of honeymoon magic with this warm and balmy destination shower!

Hobby Theme

To make a wedding shower very special for the couple, center your theme around their shared hobbies or interests. For example if they are avid golfers, host a golf shower…”Teeing up for McKenzie and Jake’s wedding!” Play a round of golf, then gather at the 19th hole for mingling, munchies, and gifts!

For inspiration, here are a few additional hobby ideas: sports, traveling, nature, music, motorcycles, crafts, horseback riding, photography, art, sci-fi, or acting/performing/dancing. A theme can be built around any hobby . . . be creative, and know that your effort will be much appreciated!

Gift Certificate Theme

If the wedding couple already has all the necessities for their home, or has had several showers, host a Gift Certificate Shower. This type of shower is perfect for a second marriage, or a more mature couple. Gift certificates can be either “store bought”, or can be for “services” redeemable from the giver of the gift. Gift certificates could be from a sporting goods store, a department or specialty store, a fancy restaurant, a hotel, a spa, a house cleaning service, time with a professional decorator, dry cleaning certificates, tickets to a sporting event, or theater tickets.

Hard Hat Theme

 This theme focuses on the couple’s new home and the fix-up adventures that usually come with it! Ask each guest to wear clothing to match your working-around-the-home theme (hard hats, jeans, work boots, tool belt, etc.). Use hard hats to decorate and give to guests as favors. Guests should bring gifts that are home improvement related – tools, lawn care equipment, a stepladder, and brooms. A hardware store is the perfect shopping spot for this one!

Other very popular themes for wedding showers include:

Hawaiian Luau (Hawaii is the #1 honeymoon destination)
Beach Party
Hollywood Shower (for the bridal “star”)
Casino Night (Great if the honeymoon destination is Las Vegas, Atlantic City or Monaco…gambling on love theme!)

Above all else, relax and enjoy yourself and know that the bride and groom will appreciate the loving effort you have made on their behalf. Because we believe that life should be more fun, we want to help make all your celebrations special. The party planners at www.Shindigz.com will be happy to assist you!

What are some of your favorite wedding and bridal shower ideas?

Design Classy Bridal Showers

Sweet love birds on these Bridal Shower Dinner Plates capture elegance and style!

Nothing’s more radiant than a bride-to-be. These planning tips will help you design a classy, elegant bridal shower that will “wow” the special bride-to-be in your life, whether she is your best friend, a family member, or a colleague.

First, select pretty invitations such as the black-and-pink diamond ring box invitations.Next, choose a theme that suits the taste of the bride-to-be. Consider her interests: Does she love traveling? Art? Music? Does she collect anything that might make a fun theme? Did she and her groom meet in a certain romantic location that might make a great theme for the shower? Here are some possible themes:

• Host an “Around-the-Clock” Shower. As a lovely shower favor, order the gorgeous and inexpensive sterling wishes photo clock for each guest. At this shower, each guest’s invitation is marked with a certain time of the day (such as “Please purchase Julie a gift that can be used at 7 a.m.”). Each guest then purchases a gift that could be used at that time of day. For example, a guest could purchase a waffle iron and kitchen accessories for 7 a.m.; a picnic basket and table linens for 12 p.m.; or a restaurant gift card, silver candlesticks, a bottle of wine, CDs of her favorite music, or lingerie for 10 p.m.
• Throw a travel-themed or Paris-themed shower for a gal who enjoys traveling. Decorate the walls of the party location with artwork or murals like the stunning Paris lights photo backdrop. This also makes a beautiful souvenir for the bride to take home after the event. Shower gifts could include photo albums, picture frames, luggage, lingerie, or other items the bride may need for her honeymoon.
• Host a lingerie shower or personal shower for the bride with a group of the bride’s closest friends and family members. Gifts could include lingerie, perfume, restaurant gift cards, gift cards for Victoria’s Secret, bottles of wine, soft music CDs, and more.

Be sure to plan some fun party games for your shower guests. For quick and easy party games, order the pre-packaged bridal shower game kit that includes a set of five games.

For simple and elegant tableware, order the beautiful two lovebirds bridal shower dinner plates along with the matching two lovebirds dessert plates, beverage napkins, cups, and table covers.

Bridal Shower Guest Lists, Hostesses and Invitation TipZ

Who Should Host a Wedding Shower?

Traditionally, wedding showers followed a predictable pattern in nearly all situations. Today, although some broad rules still apply, there is much more flexibility and room for creativity in hosting a wedding shower. The most important thought to keep in mind is that the purpose of having the party is to “shower” the bride or the couple with affection and a show of support for their decision to marry, and to provide them with thoughtful gifts.

Typically, the maid or matron of honor or other good friends of the bride or groom host the shower. It is also perfectly appropriate for anyone with a strong connection to the guest of honor (for example, the best friend of the mother of the bride), a co-worker, or a family member (aunt, cousin, etc.) to host the party. Historically, close relatives, such as the mother of the bride or siblings would not host a shower. However, there are some parts of the country where that has become an acceptable custom. It is also perfectly acceptable for the mother of the bride to open her home to be used as the location for the shower, to involve the families of the bride and groom in the planning, and to accept offers of help with food/activities/etc.

Many brides/couples are fortunate enough to have several different circles of people who want to host a shower for them…attendants, church friends, co-workers, groom’s out-of-town relatives, old family friends. While there is no limit to the number of showers that can be held for a couple, it is most considerate not to invite any guest, with the exception of immediate family, to more than one shower.

Another increasingly popular option in hosting wedding or bridal showers today is to throw the party with a co-host or a group of co-hosts. The advantages to sharing the responsibilities include:
• Share the expenses…much easier on the budget. Purchase a bigger gift for the bride, or make the shower unforgettably spectacular with favors, great decorations and wonderful food!
• More options for the party location.
• Time saving for everyone with responsibilities divided equally.

Bridal Shower Invitations

Although themed bridal showers are becoming increasing popular in recent years, a traditional wedding shower for the bride is still the most common form of pre-wedding celebration. Many times the party is held in the morning over brunch, but it can also be hosted in the afternoon or evening with a dessert menu or light appetizers and drinks. The guest list for this event typically includes the bridesmaids, close friends of the bride, and family members of both bride and groom.

A shower can take place six months before the wedding or as close as two weeks before the big day. Check with the bride for a convenient date! Be sure to mail the invitations out so that they arrive at least two weeks before the event. If you are inviting guests from out of town, a six to eight week lead-time would be more appropriate.

Be sure to include the following information in your invitation:
• Date, time, and length of shower
• Who is invited (i.e. children, or adults only)
• Name & location of bridal registry
• Bride’s name & groom’s name
• Map to the party location
• Description of theme (if applicable) and if gifts and attire should be tied to the theme
• RSVP phone number

We offer a few different bridal shower invitations that are preprinted and ready for you to add your individual information. All of them are lovely and are excellent choices.

If you are inviting a large group of guests to the shower, you may want to consider having a formal invitation printed to give your hands a rest from writing each one. A preprinted invitation also provides a sense of style and sophistication to the event at a reasonable cost. A beautiful choice for this occasion would be a Bridal Invitation.

Wedding Shower Guest List

The guest list for a bridal shower typically includes the bridesmaids, close friends of the bride, and family members (both bride and groom’s female relatives). If you are hosting a shower for work friends, or a church shower, you would not be obligated to include anyone outside that circle of friends. This is especially true if the paths of the different groups of friends do not often cross each other.

Today, more and more wedding showers are co-ed events that honor both the bride and the groom. Some people refer to this type of shower as a Jack & Jill Party, and it really is much more like a party than the traditional bridal shower. If you are hosting a co-ed wedding shower, the groomsmen, ushers, friends of the groom, and male family members would also be included. Gifts are still the hi-light of the event, but this is also a fantastic opportunity to gather families and friends together prior to the wedding…the reception will be all the more fun for everyone!

How many people should be included? There are no rules as to the number of guests that should be included. The hostess really is the one who needs to define the number that she feels comfortable with, and the location and/or budget may be determining factors in the decision.

Many brides/couples today are fortunate enough to have multiple showers held in their honor. The only rule that generally applies to this situation is that with the exception of immediate family, each friend or extended family member should appear on only one guest list. For most people, purchasing two nice gifts in a short time frame can be a strain on the budget.

In order to assure that mistakes are not made, consult with the bride about the guest list. If the shower is a surprise party, consult with the mother of the bride, or the honor attendant as to the makeup of the guest list.

It is generally considered to be in good taste to include only people who will be invited to the wedding to a shower. There are some exceptions to this rule. If the couple is getting married in the bride’s home state of New York, and they reside in California…invite everyone to the shower held in California…chances are 95% of them wouldn’t make it to the wedding even if they were invited. Other exceptions include: acquaintances or colleagues who might be included in a church or work shower, but who aren’t close enough to be invited to the wedding; if the couple are having a small intimate wedding with only family members; or if the couple has chosen to marry at a location away from their home town (exotic destination weddings have become extremely popular).

Shop our whole selection of party supplies for tons of party themes and decorations to create a wonderful bridal shower!

Decorations for a Beautiful Bridal Shower

Whether your shower location is a home, clubhouse, restaurant or other location, you’ll want to make it special with a few unforgettable decorations.

Inside Decorations:

An inexpensive way to create a beautiful and striking ambiance is with gossamer material. Choose either a bridal white or the colors of the wedding and simply drape the fabric over tables, tie bows on the backs of the chairs, swag it across a mantle, wrap it around pillars, and hang it from the ceiling. To add to this extraordinary look, place twinkle lights under the lightweight fabric for an ethereal glow.

Place pictures of the bride and her groom around the room. Make collages of them as babies and young adults. Be sure to include a collection of pictures of them together doing shared activities.

Don’t underestimate the power of balloons even for a more formal setting such as a bridal shower. For bridal elegance, you may want to consider using only a white and silver combination of balloons. Tie curling ribbon onto each balloon and hang them from the ceiling at varying heights.

Large bouquets of fresh flowers are a beautiful addition to your décor. You can have them arranged using the colors of the wedding, or an assortment of brightly colored flowers in season is exceptionally nice.

Place a white parasol on the floor next to the bride’s chair. To “shower the bride” with gifts, have your guests place their packages under the umbrella as they arrive.

Table Decorations and Napkins:

We offer two excellent ensembles for this occasion.  Both are updated elegance that will surely make your bridal shower an event to remember.  Choose between a Blushing Bride Ensemble or a Bridal Ensemble.

If you don’t have access to enough fine linens for your tables, gossamer is again an excellent choice. You can put this over the top of a colored cloth for extra dimension. In addition, if you don’t have enough good china to serve all of your guests, plastic tableware is perfectly acceptable as a great alternative.

For your centerpieces, we suggest one of the following options.

You can continue with the fresh flower suggestion and have a large arrangement at each table. Purchase a beautiful bridal centerpiece.

Use framed pictures of the bride on each table. Place the pictures on a bed of greens or colored shred.

Place a variety of candles on your tables varying the height of each one for the most appealing look. A small piece of gossamer tied in a bow on pillar candles really top off the look.

Use your food as a centerpiece. Place large upside down buckets and paint cans of various sizes under your tablecloth. Place your food on beautiful serving pieces and place them on top of the makeshift platforms. Sprinkle silk rose petals between dishes. A sweet stations are also great for this purpose.

Bridal Shower Games and Activities

Games are a traditional party of the bridal shower festivities. Here are some of our favorite bridal shower games.

A fun game that allows your guests to become familiar with the groom as well as the bride, is the “How Well Do You Know The Bride” game. Here’s how you play: Before the day of the shower, ask the groom several questions about the bride. For example, “What is her favorite flower?” or “What is her dream date?” Videotape his answers to each of the questions. At the shower, ask the same series of questions to the guests and have them write down their answers. After all the questions have been answered, ask each one to the bride and have her give her answer. Next play the videotape of her fiancee’s answers – just for fun. The one that gets the most answers right wins! Not only is this a fun way to include the groom, you learn more about the guest of honor!

Playing “Bridal Gift Bingo” ensures that the guests will pay close attention to the gifts as they are opened! Before the bride opens any presents, have each guest create their own bingo card (to make it easier, print up blank cards before hand for them). They must fill in each square with a shower gift that the bride might open that day. For example, one box would be bath towels, another box might be pots and pans. As the bride opens her presents, the guests can mark off a box if they wrote down that particular item. The first person to get bingo wins!

For this “Think Fast” game, everyone sits in a circle. The bride begins the game by throwing a garter to someone. While attempting to catch it, she must name something found in the wedding ceremony (i.e. flowers, alter, camera). Once the garter is caught, it is quickly tossed to someone else who must name something. If she cannot answer quickly enough, that person is out of the game. Play until one person is left!

“The Mystery Spice Game” is always fun. Before the shower, take the labels off of 10 spice jars and number them. Pass the spices around and have the guests guess what they are by sight and smell – but no tasting! The guest with the most correct answers wins!

Have a “Bridal Shower Scavenger Hunt.” This activity actually takes place inside the guests’ purses! Make a list of items and assign a point system to each item. For example, 20 points for – dental floss, $100 bill, or nail polish remover; 10 points for tweezers, rubber band, or shopping list; 5 points for pen, comb, or photos. Set a timer for 4 minutes and have the guests see how many of the items they can find in their purse. The person with the most points wins!

For a funny yet meaningful moment, play “Name That Advice.” Go around the room and have the guests give the bride a piece of advice on marriage. The fun part of this is that the advice must be something that starts with the first letter of their name. For example, Jodi could tell the bride that “Jell-O is easy to make for a quick meal!,” or Laura could tell the bride to “Love him every moment.” At the end of this game, you could, as a group, award the bride with a blue bow hankie.

This game works best if the attendees are good friends or all relatives. It brings a little embarrassment and lots of laughs! First, pass out 10 pieces of candy to each person. The object of this game is the keep your candy while making everyone else eat theirs! The guest of honor starts by stating something true about herself. For example, “I never dated two guys at the same time.” Any one that has done that must eat a piece of their candy. The game continues to the next player who makes a true statement about herself. After everyone has had a turn, the person with the most candy left wins.

Tell us about how you made you bridal shower tons of fun!