Wedding Trends That Take The Cake

Woman Offering Colorful Present --- Image by © Royalty-Free/Corbis

As stated in Part 1 and Part 2 of  “Bridal Shower Theme Ideas,” a bridal shower should celebrate…and accentuate…the bride’s personality.  As the party planner, in order to come up with a great theme, make a list of all of the bride’s “loves.” Maybe she loves wine, maybe she loves the color red, maybe she’s a homebody and can’t wait to decorate her home, or maybe she’s super-excited about her honeymoon. List everything that you can think of that helps describe the bride. Once you have the list in hand, use these Bridal Shower Theme Ideas to help you plan the perfect get-together for the bride-to-be.

Garden Shower

Is the bride-to-be an avid gardener? Then why not hold a garden party! Gifts for the bride and groom might include a variety of plants or gardening tools. Not sure what to buy? Gift cards from a local nursery would be great. How about having a tree planted in the couple’s yard or a pot, if they don’t have a home yet. Favors could include seed packets, fresh flowers, or garden tools.

Tea Party Shower

A tea party is a timeless theme. Serve tea along with finger foods, and for a bit of fun, have each guest wear a fancy hat and gloves. This type of shower is less involved than a dinner party, and the theme would be perfect for a mid-afternoon celebration. Bridal gifts might include dinnerware, glasses, place settings, teas, etc. Favors could include a small teapot or teacup with a small assortment of tea.

Honeymoon Shower

Whether it’s an exotic beach location, a camping trip or a different locale, a honeymoon shower should celebrate the couple’s honeymoon destination. Gifts should follow the theme, so let guests know what the couple’s needs are for travel. Luggage would be a great gift for this type of shower, as well as gift cards for the bride’s favorite boutiques. Excellent shower favors would be beach towels, if the location is beach-themed or candles or lanterns, if a camping trip is in order. The favor should be relevant to the theme and may be used as part of the shower décor.

Pajama Party Shower

Want a girl’s night in? Have a pajama party…complete with P.J.s! Everyone should arrive in their cutest pajamas and bring gifts to pamper the bride. Activities might include manicures, pedicures, facials and massages. Fun party favors for the girls might be personalized gifts such as spa slippers, toiletry bags or cosmetic cases.

Scrapbooking Shower

Have your guests get creative, by bringing photos, recipes and other memorabilia of their friendship with the bride. Provide each guest with a blank page or two of the scrapbook to decorate as they wish. The bride will end up with a great book of memories! Party favors could include monogrammed photo albums or picture frames.

Photo invitations are a great way to announce your wedding and are a great keepsake for your invitees.

As stated in Part 1 of  “Bridal Shower Theme Ideas,” a bridal shower should celebrate…and accentuate…the bride’s personality.  As the party planner, in order to come up with a great theme, make a list of all of the bride’s “loves.” Maybe she loves wine, maybe she loves the color red, maybe she’s a homebody and can’t wait to decorate her home, or maybe she’s super-excited about her honeymoon. List everything that you can think of that helps describe the bride. Once you have the list in hand, use these Bridal Shower Theme Ideas to help you plan the perfect get-together for the bride-to-be.

Couples Patio Shower

If you’re getting couples together, host an outdoor patio shower! Fire up the barbecue, entertain outside, and have guests bring a gift for the couple’s patio. Super party favors for your guests might include a bottle of your favorite barbecue sauce and a monogrammed chef’s apron and mitt.

Couples Home Improvement Shower

This shower is great for the do-it-yourself couple! Even the man-of-the-house will appreciate the gifts when guests give you tools and supplies to fix up your home or apartment. If you don’t know exactly what the bride and groom need, request gift cards to their favorite stores. A nice take-home gift for your guests would be an engraved tape measure, so that you’ll guest will think of you whenever they use it.

Bed & Breakfast Shower

Host this shower in the morning and serve a breakfast buffet. Have your guests bring gifts for the bedroom and kitchen. Linens, bath luxuries, candles, kitchen utensils, condiments and gourmet foods would make great gifts for the bride and her man. Guests could be given candles, linen sprays and bath salts for their own romantic bedtimes.

Kitchen Shower

Gather up all of the bride and groom’s friends and family and have them give them their favorite recipes and a gift for their kitchen. Have the guests’ recipe “match” the type of gift they’re bringing. If they bring a recipe for a cake, cake pans are in order. If the recipe were for soup, a stockpot would be the perfect gift. A great present for your guests would be recipe cards with their name on them, so as they pass a recipe along, the recipient will remember where it came from.

Christmas Shower

If the bride and groom are having a winter wedding, why not have a Christmas shower? Ask your guests to bring Christmas ornaments for your first tree and other holiday decorations that have meaning to them. You might reciprocate by giving guests their own Christmas ornaments with your wedding information on them.

Room to Room Shower

The newlyweds are gonna need help with every room in their home or apartment, so why limit the gift list to the bedroom or kitchen? Assign guests a specific room of the house or yard. Each guest should bring a gift for their specific room. A nice gift for your guests might be a nice 5” x 7” picture frame.

Stock the Pantry Shower

Similar to the kitchen party, the pantry shower will get the bride and groom ready to get things cooking! Have your guests bring a recipe and all the dry ingredients needed to make it. With cooking made this easy, the bride and her man will be off to a great start. A great gift for your guests? Again, the recipe cards with their name on them…or your wedding info…would be a great idea!

Next week, we’ll give you even more bridal shower ideas in Part 3 of “Bridal Shower Theme Ideas.”

Plan ahead by ordering your Rehearsal Dinner Invitations from Best Little Wedding Shop!

Lisa Bakewell

A bridal shower should celebrate…and accentuate…the bride’s personality. As the party planner, in order to come up with a great theme, make a list of all of the bride’s “loves.” Maybe she loves wine, maybe she loves the color red, maybe she’s a homebody and can’t wait to decorate her home, or maybe she’s super-excited about her honeymoon. List everything that you can think of that helps describe the bride. Once you have the list in hand, use these Bridal Shower Theme Ideas to help you plan the perfect get-together for the bride-to-be.

Wine and Cheese Tasting Shower

If the bride loves wine, arrange an afternoon or evening of wine tasting. This shower can be held at the bride’s favorite winery or someone’s house. Include different kinds of wine and  add cheese for guests to sample. Shower gifts might include wine, wine glasses or other wine-themed gifts. Guests can take home their wine glass charm as a party favor.

Makeover Shower

Inviting a small group of friends to the shower? How about doing makeovers? You can either invite a makeup consultant to do the makeovers, such as a  Mary Kay or Avon representative, or you can have a do-it-yourself party. Gifts for the bride might include lovely lotions, nail polishes, facial creams and body washes. Guests might go home with a small mani/pedi kit.

Naughty & Nice Shower

If the bride is all about fun and games, you might hold this type of shower. Each guest should bring one naughty gift for the bride’s honeymoon, and one nice (normal) bridal shower gift. All of the naughty gifts can be collected and placed in a satin pillowcase for use on the couple’s honeymoon night. As party favors, you might fill another satin pillowcase with some naughty and some nice small gifts, and have each of the guests reach in to pick one. Could be great fun!

Stock the Bar Shower

Ask guests to bring their favorite alcoholic beverages and/or mixers to help the bride stock her bar. For a stress-free, mess-free time, consider holding this shower at the bride’s favorite bar or restaurant. For party favors, guests might receive cocktail shakers, monogrammed cocktail glasses or wine glasses.

Lingerie Shower

The groom will love you for this one! If the bride and her guests aren’t shy, why not plan a lingerie party? You can set the mood with candles, cocktails and chocolates, and ask each of the guests to bring a gift of lingerie for the bride. A great guest party favor might be a scented sachet, scented candles or a fabulous linen spray.

Save the Date Wedding Magnets are a great way to keep your wedding date in plain view for your guests!

Lisa Bakewell

Woman Offering Colorful Present --- Image by © Royalty-Free/Corbis

In Bridal Shower Planning Tips (Part 1), we discussed making the plan, creating your budget, choosing your date, deciding whom to invite and picking a theme. In Part 2, we’ll discuss food and fun–and games!

Plan the menu.

Assign tasks.

Guide your guests throughout the shower.

Pick a couple of games to play.

Playing games is a great way to break the ice at a bridal shower. Listed below are several games that may be fun to play, but only pick one or two. You don’t want your guests to be too overwhelmed with planned activities.

Don’t forget your Wedding Shower Favors! Send a special bridal shower remembrance with all of your guests.

Lisa Bakewell

Besides your wedding day, the day of your bridal shower may well be one of your most memorable days. Generally given by one of your attendants or a close family friend, this day should be one of fun and absolutely no stress. To aid your hostess(es) in the planning of your bridal shower, pass along these tips:

Make a Plan.

Create a Budget.

Choose the Date.

Decide Who to Invite.

Tip: If there are multiple showers planned, you may want to consider combining them.

Pick a Theme.

Tip: For Bridal Shower Theme ideas click Wedding Checklists in the column at the right.

Buy the Invitations and Advice Cards.