Through your engagement, there are so many exciting celebrations leading up to your Wedding day. Engagement party, bridal shower, bachelorette are all celebrations that your friends and family are excited to host for you.
Similar to planning a Wedding, many people do not know where to start in the process of planning a bridal shower. Traditionally it is hosted by the maid of honor and bridesmaids, but often mothers, aunts, grandmothers, cousins etc all get involved as well because they're excited to celebrate the bride to be! It can become a stressful process, but we've laid out some simple steps to share with your tribe (or follow if you are hosting one!) to host a beautiful and organized bridal shower.
Bridal Shower Planning: Step by Step
Talk to the Bride
Step one of planning any Wedding related party is always talk to the bride first! Get her input about the bridal shower, what her expectations are and then plan accordingly. You don’t need to disclose any details to the bride but getting her input can help you plan the shower of her dreams!
Assemble Your Team
Planning a Bridal Shower can be a lot of work but don’t worry, you don’t need to do it alone! Traditionally the bridal shower is hosted by the maid of honor and bridesmaids. In planning, you may also find the mother of the bride, mother of the groom, grandmothers, cousins etc may also want to get involved. Do not be afraid to delegate but keep the voices making the decisions to 1-3 people to avoid too much confusion.
Create a Budget Setting a budget for yourself before you start planning is the best way to ensure that you stay within your financial means. Discuss the budget with the bridal party and figure out what everyone is able to contribute financially to the party and base your budget on that. You don’t need an enormous budget to create a memorable and fun Bridal Shower! Create a Guest List If you are unsure of who to invite to the Bridal Shower, rely on the Mothers of the Bride and Groom and rest of the bridal party for help. The Mothers of the Bride and Groom can help you figure out which family members to invite and you and the bridesmaids can decide which friends and coworkers to invite. Remember only people invited to the Wedding should be invited to the Bridal Shower! PRO TIP: Most couples planning a wedding have a list of guests they invited to their wedding and their contact information so ask the Bride to share this with you. It’s a great way to get all the contact information you may not have for everyone you want to invite!
Set the Date and Location
Once you have your budget in place, its time to find a venue and date for the Bridal Shower. Do some research on venues and figure out which ones work with your budget. Common places to hold Bridal Showers include country clubs, restaurants, hotels, or even you or a family member’s home.
Pro Tip: Once you have chosen a venue it is always a good idea to visit the venue ahead of time. This can help you get a feel for the space and give you a chance to get some photos for future reference when planning décor and activities.
Send out a Save the Date
It’s always a good idea to send out a Save the Date to guests about 3 months ahead of the shower, especially if some guests will have to travel in from out of town. The earlier you let the guests know, the less likely there are to be scheduling conflicts!
PRO TIP: Remember to let guests know on the Save the Date if the Bridal Shower is a surprise so no one accidentally spills the beans!
Plan!
Now that you have your guest list, date and location set, its time to get to planning décor and activities! Start with choosing a theme or color scheme for the Bridal Shower and choose décor based on this. You can base it off of the venue, the color scheme for their Wedding - or something else special to the Bride!
When planning don’t forget to consider the logistics of the Bridal Shower, like how the bride will get to the shower (if it’s a surprise) and when/if the groom will be joining her at the party.
Some things to make sure you don’t forget when planning:
Linens/Tablecloths
Centerpieces
Florals
Room décor
Balloons/balloon arches
Music
Games/Activities and Prizes
Guest Favors
Gift for the Bride
We recommend dividing up the responsibilities and have the bridal party help you out with the planning. One bridesmaid can plan a fun Bridal Shower activity, one bridesmaid can make favors, one bridesmaid can make a playlist for the party, etc. By dividing and conquering you can make the planning much less stressful for yourself and include all of the important people in the bride’s life in the planning process!
PRO TIP: Create a Day of Timeline for the Bridal Shower for yourself that includes the start and end time of the party, when guests will be arriving, when food will be served, games and activities and opening gifts! Having a timeline will help you to keep the Bridal Shower on track and not forget anything the day of - including what you need to do the morning of!
EXTRA PRO TIP: Check out our Pinterest page for Bridal Shower Décor Ideas!
Send out Invitations
Make sure you get the invitations sent out about a month ahead of the Bridal Shower if you sent a Save the Date and about two months ahead of time if you did not send a Save the Date. Be sure to include where the Bride is registered on the invitation so people can easily find the items she is registered for.
Day of The Party
On the day of the Bridal Shower make sure you arrive early to the venue to set up the décor and activities. We recommend having a couple people to help you out especially if you are bringing in all the décor yourself. You are the host of the party so refer to your timeline to keep the party on track. It will be your responsibility to initiate the games, activities and gift opening!
PRO TIP: If you are setting up the Bridal Shower décor yourself don’t forget to bring all the supplies you will need with you! Make yourself a Bridal Shower kit with all of the supplies you will need to set up. Some must haves in our kit are tape, scissors, command hooks (to help with hanging banners or balloons), lighter (if you are using candles) and a hot glue gun (especially if you have DIY décor that may need last minute touch ups).
CHEAT SHEET
