A bridal shower is a great way to celebrate a bride-to-be’s upcoming nuptials.
The event typically takes place before the wedding, usually around six months prior to the big day. Brides often throw their showers at home or at a local restaurant.
Hosting a bridal shower is a fun way to show off your love for the soon-to-be bride. Guests can bring gifts and food to share with the newlywed couple.
If you’re hosting a bridal shower, you might want to consider inviting family members, friends, co-workers, and even neighbors.
Hosting a bridal shower isn’t cheap. In fact, it costs anywhere from $200-$1,500 per guest. That means you’ll likely need to cover the cost of the party itself, plus the cost of catering and other expenses.
The good news is that most brides will pay for half or, all the cost of the shower. You just have to ask! It’s always nice when guests offer to chip in.
If you’re not planning on paying for the entire cost yourself, you may be able to find sponsors for the event.
For example, if you work for a company that provides health insurance benefits, you could ask them to sponsor the shower.
They would provide the gift cards and help offset some costs.
If you don’t have any money to spend on a bridal shower, there are still ways to make it special.
For instance, you could invite the bride-to-be over to your house for lunch or dinner. Or, you could take her out to eat somewhere fancy.
Hosting a bridal shower is very difficult. You don’t want to step on anyone’s toes, and you don’t want to make them feel uncomfortable.
A bridesmaid should take over the responsibility of hosting the bridal shower. She can ask a close female friend to act as a hostess.
Proper bridal shower etiquette is important because you want your guests to enjoy themselves. You should also be nice to them as well.
Making Decisions
You could also put together a themed shower. There are plenty of ideas online.
Some brides like to go shopping for dresses and accessories while they’re having their showers. Others enjoy baking treats and serving cupcakes.
You could also plan an outdoor shower. This is especially popular among those who live in warmer climates.
Instead of throwing a traditional indoor shower, you could hold the event outside under a tent or canopy.
Whatever you decide to do, make sure you think about what kind of style you want your shower to be.
Are you going for something casual and laid back, or formal and elegant? Do you want to incorporate lots of pink and purple colors, or do you prefer black and white?
Whatever type of theme you choose, keep it consistent throughout the whole event. Don’t mix up the decorations or favors between different rooms.
Doing so will confuse your guests and ruin the overall experience.
Another important thing to remember is that you should never pressure anyone into attending your bridal shower.
It’s okay to say “no, thanks” if someone doesn’t feel comfortable coming.
Who Should Actually Pay For The Bridal Shower & How Much Will It Cost?
A bridal shower is an event that takes place before a wedding. The host pays for everything except the cake. Hosts’ bridal showers are usually held in their homes.
Average costs range from $10-$15. Bridal showers with an inexpensive activity follow, go for about $15-40 per person, while those with an elaborate meal and expensive activities can run up to $40-150 per person, depending on how much money the host wants to spend.
Choosing a venue is important because it can make or break a party. Your church may offer a room to host a bridal shower, but you should check with them before deciding to do this.
You could also ask friends and family to bring finger foods.
For decorations and games, make sure you go to the dollar store. They have many things that can be used for centerpieces and game prizes.
Also, your wedding guests will appreciate having something useful in their place setting.
Kitchen utensils work great for centerpieces, and they’re also versatile enough to be used for other purposes.
Who Should Throw The Shower?
Bridal showers are usually hosted by the maid-of-honor, close friends, bridesmaids, or bridal attendants.
No matter who hosts, be sure to communicate well to avoid two separate showers. Traditionally, mothers shouldn’t host because it may seem like they’re directly asking for gifts.
Today, however, it’s becoming much more common for anyone to host who wishes to. Bridesmaids should be there to help plan wedding (see also: How To Plan A Small Backyard Wedding)details.
When Should It Be Planned?
A bridal shower should be scheduled within two months of the wedding. You’ll want to register for gifts as soon as possible.
You should host the shower at a restaurant or hotel. Call ahead to make sure there won’t be any problems.
Invitations should go out three weeks prior to the event. Guests should be invited to both the bridal shower and the wedding.
The venue plays a big part in determining the number of guests. You need to make sure that everyone who is invited to the shower is also invited to your wedding.
Decide on your budget before purchasing anything. Talk to the bride about any allergies she might have.
Make sure to ask if there are any mobility problems among her friends and family.
Decide on the menu and set up a list of vendors. Ask the bride what kind of food she wants and make arrangements for catering.
Send out wedding invites approximately one month before the wedding. Make sure to tell guests when and where the wedding is going to be held.
Buy decorations, tablecloths, and other items needed for the reception.
Order all party supplies and prizes two weeks prior to the event. Have everything prepared for the big day. A bride-to-be needs to plan a party before she gets married.
She should make sure she has everything she needs to throw a great party.
Usually, the bridal shower should be held 2-6 months before the wedding. This is because most people do not want to spend money on gifts until they know what they need.
However, this could cause problems if you choose a date that is inconvenient for your friends. You may want to host a bridal shower in the morning instead of the evening.
What Exactly Occurs At The Bridal Shower?
A wedding shower is usually held for the bride before the wedding day. Guests bring gifts and eat snacks.
Games and prizes are played during the party. Thank you notes can be written after the event.
A traditional bridal shower includes food, drinks, and presents.
The bride gets to open the gifts while she waits for her groom to arrive. She also opens the gifts at home with him later.
Best Bridal Shower Themes
It’s really easy to throw a bridal shower themed around
- brunch
- tropical
- tea party
- garden party
- nautical
- food truck
- rustic
- BBQ
- crêpes & croissants
- elegant
- coffee
- white and gold
- donuts
- Alice in Wonderland
- vintage antique
- love in Paris
- spa night in
- scavenger hunt
- roller disco
- movie night in
- pool float parties
and more!
Etiquette For The Bride
A bridal shower is a great opportunity for women to get together, share stories, and celebrate the upcoming marriage.
The woman should attend the shower and enjoy herself without worrying about anything else.
She should try to speak to everyone there, and thank them for coming.
In the end, she might also want to make a speech thanking everyone for the gifts and giving a short thank-you note to the hosts.
Plus, she should get a small gift for the hostess as a thank-you. Whatever suits the hostess’ personality. Thank you notes should be sent out a few weeks after the wedding.
You could also ask guests to write their addresses on envelopes at the bridal shower, or you could have them pre-addressed beforehand.
There aren’t any set rules for throwing a bridal shower, but you should follow some basic etiquette when planning your party.
Don’t give out too many gifts, and make sure they’re appropriate for the bride-to-be.
Also, avoid giving expensive presents unless it’s something she really needs. And be sure to include everyone who was involved in the wedding plans.
Things You Need To Purchase For A Bridal Shower
A bridal shower is a shower given by friends and relatives to celebrate the upcoming marriage of the bride-to-be.
Gifts are brought by guests who want to congratulate the newlyweds.
You can really help yourself by considering what the bride-to-be and groom may need in their lives as your gift for them, also it can never hurt to bring along extra drinks or snacks to help out the contents of the party itself.
If you want to help out, consider giving money instead of something tangible.
In terms of gifts, home items, jewelry, utensils, towels, kitchenware, or some small appliances that may help the lucky couple settle into their home lives together.
Truly anything can help out, so ask the family what they need for a personal, but practical gift.
Also, shower gifts have a tendency to stick to event themes, so be sure to find out what the wedding theme is so your gift can be even more useful in the long run.
Below, we have featured a link to an appropriate gift if you’re going to go down the road of usefulness!
SMIRLY Bamboo Cheese Board And Knife Set
Final Thoughts
The most important thing to remember when throwing a bridal party is that it’s supposed to be fun.
So if you’re feeling stressed out about it, then maybe you shouldn’t plan one.
If you’re worried about whether you can afford to throw a bridal party, then don’t worry.
It doesn’t have to cost a fortune. You just need to find a way to make it work within your budget.
My husband proposed to me in spring and it was a very lowkey setting, in our backyard without anyone else around to see it. It was a perfect proposal. But then everything got real, and I was suddenly thrust into planning mode.
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