Are you thinking of how to throw a bridal shower that is spectacular, away from the normal and boring? Our bridal shower itinerary will guide you to perfection!
The only way that many hosts know how to throw a bridal shower is the suave, prim, proper and rigid way, which can be tiring. There is no fun and people end up losing interest and going home bored to tears. But by getting imaginative and creative, you can spice up what happens at a bridal shower to hold everyone’s interest.
The purpose of a bridal shower is to meet people, have so much fun and give the bride to be the best time of her life. This may be the only time everyone may see the bride before her wedding, so make the most of it for the bride and the guests. Bring on the best bridal shower games and icebreakers, food, drinks, and program. These are what the guests notice and not your perfectly arranged Florals!
Check out our 4 step guide to throwing the best bridal shower!
Pick a Theme
Weddings, no matter how luxurious or simple, must be well put together and not chaotic. As such, the bridal shower is an opportunity to go all out and feature all your weird fantasies. Go with all the colors the bride could not add to her wedding. Bring on the glitz and glam, the way the bride wants it.
You all could make it a nautical affair with anchors, ship wheels, sailor hats and compass of the bride loves to sail. For brides who love the movies, a Harry Potter themed bridal shower with all the woods, trees and shrubs is a winner.
How about a romantic bridal shower with the hearts and flowers for the bride in love. One could never go wrong with that. The bridal shower is also an opportunity to give your backyard a touch with cute florals and lights. For the ones who love sophistication, get all the girls to dress hot to the teeth with a touch of glitter and attitude!
What Makes A Great Bridal Shower?
A bubbly atmosphere, great food, smooth conversations, and interactive games are what makes a great bridal shower. These are what guests look out for and what holds their attention. We should not also forget that the bride is at the center of it all, everything should be about her. She has fun and everyone has fun.
Make the atmosphere comfortable, soothing yet bubbly for everyone with great music. Make light food available to everyone. It doesn’t have to be anything costly, tea or finger foods will do. Create an order of program that leaves opportunity for people to loosen up, mix and interact. Lastly, do not forget that great games are icebreakers! A way to bring everyone out of their shells.
Check, check!
- Establish what, who and why there is a bridal shower.
The bridal shower is an intimate affair that brings all close friends and family of the bride together. The bridal shower is mainly about the bride, as everything centers on her. The purpose of the bridal shower is to get the bride to have some fun away from the tension of wedding planning. It is also a place to get her gifts to start rolling in, even before the wedding. Lastly, it’s an avenue to network and mingles.
- Stick to a bridal shower timeline.
Pick a convenient date to have the bridal shower and when to start sending out the invites. It is best to start sending out bridal shower invites about 3 months before the party, especially if there is going to be a registry. The bridal shower should hold at most, a week to the wedding. You don’t want your bride walking down the aisle fatigued and with puffy eyes.
- Draw up a guest list.
This is to help establish an accurate number of people that your budget can take care of. It will also help you know what to put on your registry to match the caliber of people who will attend. The catch is to make sure that everyone on your guest list gets invites to your wedding.
- Create a wedding registry.
If you have not created a wedding registry, do so during your bridal shower planning. It has to be ready by the time your bridal shower invites go out. Many guests prefer presenting with gifts at the bridal shower party.
- Let the guests know what to expect.
Include in the bridal shower invites what the guests should expect at the party. Furnish them with the details of the party such as time, date, venue, theme, dress code and maybe gifts. You don’t want guests dressing like Cinderella to a Harry Potter themed bridal shower.
With all these checked out, you are more than halfway through.
An Agenda to Match
Unlike wedding agendas which have the ceremony and reception parts, the agenda for a bridal shower is simple and short, but fun-filled. Mind you that a bridal shower is not supposed to last longer than 3 – 4 hours, so make the most of the time. This we will show you through our bridal shower program sample below.
- Doors open and guests arrive.
As the guests arrive, they are well treated with fun activities such as picture booth and card games. The sticker or paint booth where interested guests can get hearts or other stuff painted on them and then, some quick foods. There is also the advice and best wishes box where guests can write and drop their advice and wishes. This is a very good time for everyone to mingle and get to know each other.
- Guests settle in.
As they settle in, it is time to serve the main meals, if any. Time to also bring out the other games that need more interaction, teamwork, and concentration. This is also the time to make announcements because they better relaxed and you have their attention. The games should be all focused on the bride. She’s the reason for the gathering.
- Time to toast to the Bride.
As we know, the day is all about her. Arm every guest with a glass of wine or drink and have each guest tell a good story of the bride. Maybe the help she has rendered, how she came through others or great things about her. With each story, there is a toast until the last guest speaks. This will gladden the heart of the bride and include everyone.
- Open the Gifts.
At the point, the bride begins to open each gift and thank the sender. These gifts are the ones she loves because they were carefully selected from her wedding registry. This is a fun time for the guests and the bride. She gets to go home with a car trunk full of gifts.
- The Close
After the bride thanks everyone for coming or the host does it on her behalf and gift souvenirs, the party is over. The guests begin to converse and make plans to keep in touch. Others begin to dance on and eat what’s left over. With time, guests begin to leave one by one and then, in their numbers. It’s time to go home, put your feet up and give yourself a pat on the back!
In 4 simple steps, we have covered planning and how to throw a bridal shower to remember. There is no fear of a flop in the bridal shower itinerary because it’s a seamless plan. Study the bride, be sure of what she wants and give her that. Do not forget a little spice and creativity won’t hurt. The bride deserves to have fun and you deserve to look back with a smile and say you did a good job!