Bridal Shower Ideas

 

Last month I shared a post about ideas on how to run a successful couples shower. Of course, with a couples shower comes a bridal shower, which we took part in this past weekend.

Now my mom is the queen of parties and she throws some seriously good ones. With the experience of already hosting mine almost 2 years ago, this was going to be good. She hosted the shower at my parents house and the space couldn’t have been better.

The color scheme included hues of royal purple, white, saffron and fuchsia which will be her wedding colors. Tables and chairs were rented out and took up the entire family room. It was a beautiful even with so many personal touches.

Here are some ideas on how to make the bride feel special on such an important event:

1. Venue

Just like a couples shower, a venue is everything. My parents house is spacious, perfect for a get together. If you don’t have a house to host it at, look for a restaurant or a venue that has a feminine air about it. No worries about making it fit both the bride and groom, this one is all about the bride.

2. Games

 

Bridal shower games focus solely on the bride and there are so many to choose from. I’m not a huge fan on the cheesy ones, so keep those at home unless the bride has that sense of humor. Make sure the games can be played comfortably with all age ranges (leave all the risqué games for the bachelorette party) as most likely there will be some older folks attending. We played the purse game, bridal bingo, face-on-a-plate and memory lane, all with much success.

3. Decor

 

This is where it can get fun. My sister loves anything “blingy”, so my mom bought a ton of crystals in different sizes that we scattered on the tables, countertops and hung from the ceiling.

 

The colors are also a great and easy way to personal the shower. Use her wedding colors and buy flowers (doesn’t matter what kind unless you want to specifically pick out her favorite blooms) that are that color. We picked orange Hydrangea and roses, purple lithium and fuchsia Gerber daisies to decorate.

4. Food

This all depends on when you are having the shower. If it’s a mid-afternoon, light appetizers should be fine as it’s in between lunch and dinner. An early afternoon would be a good brunch theme and a late afternoon is usually dinnertime, so something more heavy is ideal. The shower my mom held started at 4:30, so we had pork, mashed potatoes, salad and dessert as well as some appetizers. It turned out really well and guests left without having to worry about dinner. If you don’t want to have a full spread, heavy appetizers will do the trick for most bridal showers. Get creative and cook/buy food items the bride loves (my sister loves potatoes and mexican hot chocolate so that was on the menu).

 5. Gifts

This one is easy. By now the bride should be registered somewhere, or has made it clear what she has in mind for gifts (whether it’s just money, a honeyfund, charity or no gifts at all). Go on the registry and buy something from it that fits your price range and budget. If you know the bride well and think she’d love something not on the registry, go ahead and get it and combine it with something off her registry. Don’t attend the shower without getting her something.

That’s it! With these 5 points in mind, the shower will be fantastic. Good luck!

Here are some additional pictures taken: