How To Plan The Best Bridal Shower

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Friends and family gather for a bridal shower
The Best Bridal Shower should be a fun party to celebrate the bride’s upcoming wedding

The Do’s and Don’t s of a Bridal Shower

A Bridal Shower should be a party. Friends and family gather to have fun and celebrate the upcoming wedding. If you are in charge, you want to plan the best bridal shower. There are many questions about what should and should not be done when planning a bridal shower. To help answer these bridal shower questions we offer a list of do’s and don’ts to help simplify the planning process for those in charge of a bridal shower.

Treats For Bridal Shower

Bridal Shower Party

DON’T – invite people to a shower that are not being invited to the wedding.There are a few exceptions; if you are having a destination wedding or a very small wedding to which very few guests can be invited, then inviting additional guests to a shower  would be fine. In this case you will have some people who would be happy to celebrate the upcoming marriage with the bride even if they won’t be at the wedding.. A shower at work can also include people who really aren’t close enough to you to be invited to the wedding

DO – Have more than one shower IF you have several different people who like to hold showers. BUT, remember, guests who are invited to more than one shower are only expected to give you one gift. Not one per shower.

DON’T – give yourself a shower. That is a blatant request for gifts. Ideally, your attendants or family members will host a shower for you.

A table full of yummy food adds to the fun of a bridal shower

Lots of sweet and savory food makes the best bridal shower even better

DON’Tdecorate the shower to match the look of the wedding. Each event should have its own style and be unique.

DON’T – include a registry list of potential gifts on the invitation. On an insert you can include registry information for the guests to check out.

A pretty and fun, written invitation to a bridal shower

A bridal shower is a special event that should start with a written invitation

DO – mail invitations to the shower. This is a special event. It deserves something more elegant than an email.

DO – make a ribbon bouquet. Your attendants can create a bouquet out of the ribbons from your gifts. Then at the rehearsal the bride to be can carry the ribbon bouquet.

A ribbon bouquet made of the bows from bridal shower gifts

Bridesmaids make a ribbon bouquet from the bows off of the gifts at the shower. The bride carries it at the rehearsal for luck

DO – encourage whoever is planning your shower to have a mix and mingle activity. The guests may not all know each other and having a planned group activity will be more fun than just sitting.

DON’T – stress over the shower. You are the guest of honor. Just have fun and enjoy the party while the host takes care of the event.

A thank you note from the bride for a shower gift

A written thank you note, mentioning the specific gift is the proper way to show appreciation for a shower gift

DO – promptly send handwritten personal thank you notes. Be specific about the gift received. A generic “Thank you for your kind gift” will not do.

planning A Successful Bridal Shower

Give a small gift to whoever planned the bridal shower to thank them

 DO – send a small gift to the shower’s hostess. It is a thoughtful way of thanking her for having the shower for you.

A Final Thought

Bridal Showers are a fun part of the time before the actual wedding. Enjoy spending time with people you care for in a more relaxed party atmosphere. With some thought and being careful about the Do’s and Don’ts you can plan the best bridal shower

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Updated: February 25, 2021 — 5:33 pm