What is a Bridal Shower?
Getting married is such a momentous occasion, not only for the couple who’s tying the knot but also for their family and friends who are over-the-moon happy and excited on behalf of the couple. Bridal showers are all about celebrating the wedding before the wedding in honor of the bride!
✍️ November 5, 2021
Any excuse to throw a party is good enough to plan it as if it’s the end of the world. And it’s wedding season! The most perfect excuse is to throw a party in honor of people getting married. One of the most celebrated and favorite parties of all time is the bridal shower.
Are you planning on throwing one? Here’s everything you need to know about bridal showers before you go planning the best bridal shower ever!
What is a Bridal Shower? {#what-is-a-bridal-shower} 👰
A bridal shower is an occasion celebrated in honor of the bride before the wedding. It is usually a day event and it’s the perfect opportunity for the bride’s friends and family to shower love and affection to the bride and assure her of their continued love, care, and support in the marriage. The most awaited part of bridal showers is the gift-opening!
Bridal Shower vs Bachelorette Party
Some people tend to think that these two are just the same but actually, they’re so not! Bridal showers are celebrated during the daytime and are usually wholesome parties that only involve good food, great company, and gifts for the bride. Both friends and family of the bride are invited.
On the other hand, bachelorette parties usually happen at night and are normally wilder since it’s all-girls-only party. Say hello to penis cakes, penis headbands, strippers, and lots of tequila shots. It’s more of a last hurrah to the bride’s single life!
Wedding Shower vs Bridal Shower
Wedding showers are more or less the same when it comes to what happens during these two types of shower parties. The only main difference is that this time it’s a shower for both the groom and the bride, meaning both of their families and friends are invited. What all of them have in common, it’s a celebration of the upcoming wedding!
How to Plan a Bridal Shower {#how-to-plan-a-bridal-shower} 💌
Planning a bridal shower is no small feat. There will be a lot of pressure and a million things to do in order to successfully do it. In order to help you plan it, check out this effective bridal checklist that will definitely make things a lot easier for you and for the rest of the party committee:
1. Plan the Budget
Before anything else, you gotta set a budget for the shower. Every other aspect of the bridal shower kind of depends on this factor. How much you’re willing to spend depends on how much money you have and how much the others are willing to contribute.
2. Pick the Bridal Shower Date
The date really depends on the availability of the bride, considering her very hectic schedule of wedding preparations. The party host and guests would have to adjust around the bride’s busy schedule, remember, it’s all about her this time! There’s really nothing set on stone for the shower date but normally, bridal showers are celebrated a week or two before the actual wedding day.
📖 Suggested read: Top Engagement Party Favors & Game Ideas
3. Create the Guest List
You must have a target number of guests and their names in order to create a guest list. This hugely depends on the venue and the budget for the shower. Make sure also to invite only those special people for the couple, most especially the bride. You won’t want to invite anyone that’ll make the bride feel uncomfortable.
4. Choose the Venue
This item depends on the theme of your bridal shower. Is it a luau and you want it outdoors by the beach or the pool? Maybe you want it to be in a garden with all the beautiful flowers and vintage tables. Or you can just have it at a rented conference room wherein you can pretty much do what you want for the decorations.
5. Pick a Bridal Shower Theme
There are a lot of modern and dynamic themes to choose from nowadays. You’d be surprised at the number of new themes that have emerged throughout the years. Instead of a normal beach bridal shower, you can choose for it to be a Hawaiian luau. Instead of a normal garden party, you can a French twist to it! The sky’s the limit so let your creativity take flight!
📖 Suggested read: 50+ "Would You Rather" Questions for Any Adults-Only Party
6. Send out Invitations
Another item that requires your creativity is the invitations you’re going to send out. In these modern times, photoshopped softcopies of electronic invitations sent to the guests via email, online messengers, and more can easily do the trick! But of course, for your old school heart, nothing beats paper so go crazy on the styles for the shower invitations you want that match the theme.
7. Prepare the Menu
Great parties require great food. Food is something you should be meticulous about. Make sure to serve the bride’s favorites but at the same time, choose some food that everyone generally loves. You can never go wrong with salad, cakes, and cocktails. Customize the menu to favor the bride’s tastes, the theme of the party, and the time of day where the event starts.
8. Choose the Decorations
Go crazy on the decorations or opt for a minimalist type of setting. It’s all up to the vibe you’re trying to achieve for the bridal shower. Let go of your reins and just let your imagination run wild. If you’re not sure, maybe ask the bride what type of shower she wants!
9. Prepare the Bridal Shower Favors
Everyone loves a good party but a great party is something that you would want to remember even after it ends. If it still fits the budget, you can choose little mementos to have the guests remember the shower after the party. For example: Create a gift card for everyone, buy some, exclusive sweets or maybe you have other bridal shower gift ideas.
10. Plan the Party Games
Everyone asks what you’re supposed to do during bridal showers. Well aside from giving your bridal shower gifts and well-wishes to the bride, you can also have one or another bridal shower game that will spice everything up. You can just opt for the usual party favorites like Never Have I Ever, Would You Rather, and more!
If you want more ideas for party games for your bridal, follow this link and have some fun: Bridal Shower Games! Each bridal shower attendee will love playing these games!
11. Choose the Music playlist
The music you play during the party sets the tone of the party that’s why it’s so important that you curate your playlist according to the theme and according to the bride’s taste. Make sure to pick songs and music that will give way for conversation, too.
12. Collect the RSVPs
Make sure to collect the RSVPs so that you can have an estimate of how many of the invited guests would be able to come to the shower.
13. Setup
After preparing all the other items on the list, you can now visualize how you want the entire party to pan out. You can plan the seating arrangements, the setup of the venue, and coordinate all the decorations with the rest of the place.
14. Program of Activities
You’re almost done with your list! Take time to plan the schedule of activities. Designate people who are going to give messages, toasts, and speeches. Make a call to the other members of the party committee so that they will be aware, too. If the shower is going to be a surprise, carefully think and agree on the plan so that everything would be successful and the bride would be shocked… in a good way!
This checklist might seem to have it all but you can customize it any way you want. The most important thing in bridal showers is you made the bride feel loved, honored, supported and cherished in this most beautiful time of her life!
Bonus: Most Commonly Asked Questions{#bonus-most-commonly-asked-questions} 💌
You will surely have a lot on your plate once you decide to throw a bridal shower for your friend or sister or daughter. There will be a lot of things you won’t be sure of so here are the answers to some of the most commonly asked questions about bridal showers:
1. Who plans the bridal shower?
This is one of the biggest questions about bridal showers. The most popular answer would be the “maid of honor” but contrary to popular belief, the gracious host of the bridal shower can actually be anyone who loves the bride enough to throw her one.
2. Who throws the bridal shower?
The bridal shower host can be the maid of honor, the bridesmaids, the bride’s relatives, the mother-in-law of the bride, or even her mom! Or they can all just plan it together to make one hell of a party! There can even be more than one shower thrown for the bride. The more bridal showers, the merrier.
3. Who pays for the bridal shower?
As for who will bear the expenses, well, the party host is the one who pays for everything and it just depends if the others would also like to chip in the cost of the bridal shower. For practicality, the maid of honor can just call for a meeting ahead of time in order to plan and budget everything to surprise the bride.
4. What do you do at a bridal shower?
At a traditional bridal shower, the whole agenda of the party is to honor the bride so that means speeches and toasts from some of the most special people in the bride’s life. There’s also the opening of gifts and of course, lots of socializing with each other as you all try to make the bride feel supported and loved.
But of course, times have changed and modern bridal showers already include games played by either the bride, the groom (if he’s invited to it) and/or with the guests. Out of ideas on which games to play for your upcoming bridal shower? Follow this link and be amazed at our awesome list of Bridal Shower Games
5. When do you have a bridal shower?
Bridal showers are normally celebrated three weeks to three months before the wedding. Of course, there’s no golden rule for it, as long as it’s before the wedding, the bride is available and there are no conflicts in the schedule then you’re good to go! And after the bridal shower, better get ready for the wedding party!
6. Who do you invite to a bridal shower?
As mentioned in the checklist, invite people who are important to the bride and would make the bride happy as she is the guest of honor of this party. This means her closest friends and family from both her side and the groom’s, too. Make sure that the people you invite are also welcome at the wedding party as well. If you’re not sure, create the bridal shower guest list together with the bride or the groom!
Some brides, for example, only want their female friends there while others don’t care about the gender of their guests. This is a very big deal in her life and she’ll thank you for making sure that all the people she loves are with her!
There you have it! You’re good to go in planning the bridal shower of the century. Don’t hold back and make sure it’ll be as great as you planned it to be. The most important thing in bridal showers is you make the bride feel loved, honored, supported, and cherished in this most beautiful time of her life!
Wanna explore more ideas for your upcoming bridal shower? Follow this link for more Bridal Shower Ideas!
