Wedding Shower Ideas
A friend of mine e-interviewed me for a wedding shower article she’s working on. I thought I’d post some of my responses for the blog. Enjoy!
Timing
• There are no hard and fast rules on this one. Most find that a month or two months before the event help avoid the stress of having too many wedding-related events before the big day.
Who’s Invited
• 1. Don’t invite people to the shower who aren’t invited to the wedding! 2. Be sensitive to the ones throwing you the shower. Take into consideration their budget (the more people, the more expensive the party) and the shower’s location (how many can the space accommodate?).
Invites
• There are so many economical and modern designs out there today—from invitations at Target to customizable online designs at sites like www.paper-source.com—even at places like Costco.com!
Venue
• Homes are always comfortable and cozy places to have a shower—and the most economical. More festive affairs could be at a tea room or a community center (decorations would be needed there).
Team Effort
• Whoever is throwing the shower should delegate as many tasks as she can to those in the wedding party—from asking them to make phone calls to a caterer to ironing linens. Everyone can pitch in when creating party favors and when setting up/cleaning up at the shower.
Theme
• I tend to prefer a traditional shower with no theme, but there are plenty of suggestions on the web, like a “round the clock” shower where guests are assigned a time of day to bring gifts for the home related to that period or a wine shower, where the bride-to-be can instantly expand her collection.
Decorations
• If decorations have been bought/prepared for the wedding already, there’s no shame in repurposing some of them for the shower beforehand.
• Food is also economical to decorate with. Take large glass cylinders and fill with whole fruits like lemons and limes, or arrange sugar-dipped grapes around platters of food in the serving lines.
• Use boxes and other sturdy elements to create varying height levels under linens. This will give the food layout instant eye appeal.
• Don’t go all out decorating every inch of the room. Focus on three areas: the entrance/gift table, the food tables and modest centerpieces for the eating areas.
Games
• I’m not a big fan of games at showers, unless it’s a small, intimate gathering. There are lots of recommendations online. Some are cheesy. Here are a couple of winners in my book:
o Bridal Shower Mad Lib
o How Much Do You Know About the Couple?—that link has a number of reader comments under the post with additional game ideas.
• This isn’t a game, but it is helpful to have guests fill out an envelope with their address as the come in the door—this will make writing thank-you notes a snap for the bride later on.
Food
• It’s good to set a theme for the shower with the food. Brunch is delightful for showers—even at night! There’s also tea-themed food (finger sandwiches and lighter fare) and a dessert shower (sweets galore).
Favors
• I personally don’t think favors are necessary even at the wedding but they’re more economical to provide at the shower (fewer to make).
• My personal favorite favors are personalized items like photos of the couple.
Getting Personal
• Tables can feature photo trees or mobiles of the couple—from birth to now. The guest book can take many more personal forms, like a journal for attendees to write their thoughts and advice to the bride-to-be. if the couple has a religious orientation, a special ceremony like communion or a prayer could be observed.
• Sentimental items like the bride’s mother’s things from her wedding day could be on display—even items like her dress on a dressmaker form.
• If a couple feels he and she have all the material goods they need to start their new life together, throw a shower or dinner party and ask guests to bring verbal or written blessings to share with the couple. A time spent sitting around and sharing from the heart will mean more than stacks of china, crystal and toasters. Guests can also make donations to a charity of the couple’s choice in the name of the couple.