The wedding shower is a prelude to the quickly approaching big day and should be a time of indulgent happiness for the bride-to-be. Her close friends, family members and anyone else attending the shower should be completely focused on her; pampering and showering her with gifts. It is also a great excuse to all get together and celebrate the upcoming union!
The maid of honor or mother of the bride is typically assumed responsible for the wedding shower planning, unless of course, otherwise expressed by the bride-to-be. Traditionally the shower planning excluded the bride, although today many brides are heavily involved or doing the planning themselves. Why not? Planning a wedding shower can be a lot of fun!
Although, I think the location of the wedding shower should always be left up to the bride-to-be, whether she wants to go to a private room in a classy restaurant and sip on cocktails, or have it at home in a more comfortable, relaxed atmosphere, where friends and family can easily gather. Perhaps the most important element in planning a wedding shower is finding the perfect location, followed by the rest of the details.
When deciding how to choose a wedding shower theme, consider what the bride-to-be may be in need of as far as gifts go. Here are some fun wedding shower themes:
- Kitchen Bridal Shower – Stock her kitchen with all of the necessities and more
- Lingerie Bridal Shower – The classic bridal shower
- Stock the Bar Bridal Shower – Help in putting together a home bar
- Cookie Bridal Shower – Each guest preparing their favorite cookie recipe
- Hollywood Bridal Shower – For your glamorous and fabulous friend
- Beach Bridal Shower – Make her feel like she’s on vacation
- Couples Bridal Shower – It takes two to have a wedding, right?
- Western Theme Bridal Shower – Include the bride’s interest and hobbies
- Tea Party Bridal Shower – Bring back her childlike joy
- Around The House Bridal Shower – Each guest brings a gift for a certain room
- Around the Clock Shower – Each guest brings something for a certain time of day
- Four Seasons Shower – Each guest brings a gift for a certain season
- Book Shower – Each guest brings a useful, unique book
- Honeymoon Shower – Each guest brings a special gift for the honeymoon
- Entertainment Shower – Bring something entertaining, such as a personalized CD
- The Pampered Wife Shower – Bring gifts that can help her relax
- The No Theme Bridal Shower – Just get together and have fun
Once you’ve chosen a fitting theme, the fun begins! From the decorations to the bridal shower games, party favors, food and more. Some of the most memorable moments at my wedding shower were the games. My maid of honor really planned it out well. My best laugh-out-loud game was making wedding dresses out of toilet paper! We separated into groups of three and and used the toilet paper to dress one member of the group in a safe-for-septic-systems wedding gown, with a mini fashion show to follow. It was hilarious! Our only mistake was forgetting to capture our silliness on camera.
Be sure to get your bridal shower invitations out at least three weeks prior to the shower. It is also customary and thoughtful to send out thank you notes for the gifts. A bridesmaid, mother or someone else at the bridal shower should take detailed notes on the gifts to keep track of who gave what. Want to be the hostess with the mostess? Have pre-addressed thank you cards made for the bride and be sure to give them to her before leaving the shower. This small gesture will relieve a lot of stress, considering all of the other wedding planning she has to do in preparation for her big day.
