Throwing a bridal shower can be overwhelming, especially if you’ve never thrown one before! It can be hard to know what the proper etiquette is and what the bride will want. Today, we’re going to go through all of our bridal shower tips. When it comes down to it: make sure that it fits with the bride’s personality and desires!
Our Tips for Throwing a Bridal Shower
If you are throwing a bridal shower for a loved one who is a bride-to-be, hopefully these tips can help you!
Who should host?
Traditionally, bridal shower etiquette says that the maid of honor, bridesmaids, or close friends should host. Traditional etiquette says that family members, such as the mother or mother-in-law, should not host.
However, nowadays, it’s perfectly acceptable for anyone to host. It has actually become very popular for the mother of the bride and/or groom to host the shower! Anyone who wants to host can host, or at least help to. Just make sure that everyone is on the same page with hosting and that you aren’t unknowingly planning two separate showers!
Set a budget
Everyone who is involved with planning the shower should sit down together and figure out a budget. Budgets vary depending on the formality of the event and how large or small it is. It can range between $10 per person to $100 per person. Figure out what you’re comfortable spending, and go from there!
Decide on vendors
Next, you’ll need to decide what vendors you’ll want to hire, if any at all.
Did you know that you can hire a planner/designer for your bridal shower? This is perfect for hosts who don’t have much time to plan, or those of who want to plan the perfect event with the help of someone who has an eye for designing them! Reach out to us here to inquire about helping to plan or design your shower.
Consult with the bride
Unless the shower is a complete and total surprise, it’s a good idea to consult with the bride before you start planning. After all, the shower is supposed to be all about her… it should be the way that she wants it to be! Here are some things to ask the bride about:
- Guests to invite
- Themes, decor, and activities
- Location of shower
- Overall vibe
Make sure there’s a registry
Unless you are specifically asking for no gifts, make sure that there is a registry for guests to shop from. There does not need to be a separate bridal shower registry, it can be the same one as your wedding registry! However, be sure to include a link to the wedding website that includes the registry on the invitation, or at least list the stores that the couple is registered at.
Guests are going to bring a gift, so you may as well have them choose from items that you need or want!
Decide who to invite
We touched on this a little bit earlier, but make sure that you consult with the bride about which guests to invite. There really shouldn’t be anyone at the shower that the bride doesn’t want there! Remember, this shower is about her. If there is anyone that you really want to invite (such as the mother of the bride’s friends, for example) make sure that the bride is okay with it.
When it comes down to it, you should not invite anyone that is not invited to the wedding. Also, the shower guest list can be as large or as small as you want it to be! You can invite everyone who is invited to the wedding, or you can keep it very small and only invite your closest friends and family to the shower. As long as they are invited to the wedding, it’s fair game.
Choose a theme and plan decorations
A bridal shower doesn’t need to have a theme, but it can be a fun way to plan! It can be as simple as rustic or glam, or it can be more specific — think Breakfast at Tiffany’s, Disney, or Taylor Swift eras, to name a few.
Once you choose a theme, it will be much easier to plan decorations. We suggest going with just a few decoration pieces. You don’t have to go crazy and buy everything that you find on Pinterest… unless you want to, of course!
When to hold the shower
The bridal shower should generally be held one to six months before the wedding.
Sending invitations
Invitations should go out about four to six weeks before the day of the shower. This gives guests plenty of time to mark the date on their calendar, RSVP, and shop for gifts.
Be sure to start looking for invitations at least a few weeks before you’ll be sending them out. If you are getting more complicated invitations, such as having a designer or calligrapher make custom invitations for you, then you might want to start talking to them at least a month before the wedding.
Make a checklist
As you’re getting closer to the shower, we suggest making a checklist of everything that you need to know leading up to the shower and on the day of the shower. This will make you much less stressed out, and you’ll be able to enjoy yourself!
HAVE FUN!
Finally, HAVE FUN! While planning events can get overwhelming and tiring, remember that this is supposed to be a fun event meant to celebrate the bride-to-be.