Planning a Bridal Shower

Are you ready to plan a bridal shower? You have had quite the job bestowed upon you, and this is your time to shine. The shower is designed for the women involved and invited to the wedding to get together, celebrate, and relax one more time before the big day. It is at the shower that friends and family make contributions to the bride and groom to help them equip their new home. It is typically thought that the maid of honor runs and coordinates the bridal shower,  but that does not mean that the bridesmaids are off the hook.

Bridesmaids

The bridesmaid should all be present on the day of the shower, and that is when their help is vital. It is a great idea to keep the entire bridal party involved, since they all have a close connection to the bride. Great group tasks include labeling invitations, deciding on the menu and decorations, choosing games, and decorating. An easy way to keep everyone involved is to set up a website with all of the bridal shower details. You can also include dress fitting schedules and other important facts about the big day on the website. This will help keep those in the bridal party that are living out of town informed of what is going on and what still needs to be done. The day of the shower the bridesmaids will greet guests, arrange gifts, record gifts received, help load gifts after the shower, and help clean up.

Who to invite?

Typically, bridal showers consist of anywhere from 15-50 close friends and relatives. This is a personal affair, and when too many are involved it can lose that intimate feel. Many brides have numerous showers thrown for them by other family members and friends; however, the maid of honor is only responsible for hosting/running one shower. A new trend in wedding showers is couple showers, where the groom also attends. Make sure to discuss with your bride how she would like her bridal shower to be.

Favors

Bridal shower favors are meant to be small gifts of appreciation for those who attend the shower. There is no need to go over board when deciding on favors. The best gifts are the practical ones. Think along the lines of candy, scented candles, photo frames, or a personalized gift such as a picture of the bride and groom. Rule of thumb: keep it simple.

For the best deals on all your bridal shower favors, visit any of these online stores:

SignatureFavors.com : AmericanBridal.com : HansonEllis.com
MyWeddingFavors.com : FavorsDirect.com

The bride is depending on YOU to plan this exciting event. Now unless you've done this before you are probably asking yourself, "where in the world do I begin?". I will do my best to walk you through this process while elaborating on the important details. There are many things that you need to take into consideration while planning, and my first and most important bit of advice is to keep the bride (and the mothers) involved as much as they want to be. With that said, we will start with the basics; your bridal shower countdown calendar.