So you’re maid of honor for your best friend, and you want to throw her an awesome bridal shower… but where do you start?! Hosting the perfect bridal shower for your bestie can be more than a bit intimidating but don’t stress! Here are a few ideas for starters on how to create a fun, memorable and successful day…
Pick a theme and get creative
First things first, you need to decide what sort of bridal shower you’d like to throw the bride-to-be and pick a theme. You should base this on the type of person she is: you can go traditional or quirky, classy or casual… There are so many differents routes you can go down – a bridal shower doesn’t have to be dull and stuffy. Throw a tea party that is simple but elegant, or an indulgent spa day, or a sophisticated wine-tasting.
For quirkier ideas, if your bride is a movie buff or chick-flick-obsessed, host a movie night with a romcom theme! (the horror genre may not be appropriate if there are grandmothers invited, so we’d probably recommend staying away from those). If she’s girly or loves crafting, have a cupcake-decorating competition, or a ‘crafternoon’ or a flower-arranging session. The possibilities are endless!
Choose your guests carefully
You don’t want to end up inviting someone she isn’t comfortable having there… And you need to get your hands on the wedding guest list to see who to include! If you’re planning a bridal shower in secret, ask her fiancé – or maybe her mom – to try and nab a copy of the guest list (and to maybe do some subtle investigative work to find out who she’d love to see and who is gonna be a no-no). If your bride knows you’re hosting a bridal shower for her, ask her for the list or find out who she’d like to invite. She may want to invite all of the women invited to the wedding and then some, or she may like a more intimate gathering with just a handful of close female family members and friends.
Feed your women! Serve up something awesome
Once you’ve got your theme sorted, think about what you want to do for food – this is your chance to wow the bride-to-be and your guests and set the tone of the whole bridal shower. But don’t worry, you don’t have to spending hundreds of dollars on a caterer or a bespoke bakery bridal shower cake. The important thing is to personalize your food – what does your guest-of-honor like? Put pitchers of her signature cocktail on the tables, and if you’re having a light buffet, find out her fave finger foods. Little touches like these personalized lollipop favors show you’ve paid attention to the tiniest details – display on a dessert table along with your bestie’s favourite cakes and candies.
Try to match the theme of the party – decorate your place with cake stands and dainty sandwich plates if you’re doing an afternoon tea, or popcorn and nachos if you’re hosting a movie-themed shower. Your leading lady might even want a barbecue or take-out, so get imaginative and see how you could spin these into bridal shower-worthy food!
Plan some fun activities
There is a common misconception that activities at bridal showers are lame… Okay sure, they can be. But they’re actually a great way of breaking the ice if people at the shower doesn’t know eachother that well. It also breaks up the time and means you aren’t left trying to fill awkward silences with small talk. Plus, if you pick the right activities, it will actually be really fun!
Start with ice-breakers – before the party, get everyone to write down how they met the bride, or their funniest memory of her, and then get everyone to guess. Once you’ve got everyone talking, the key is to keep them interested with competitive games, or make them laugh with funny activities like the classic ‘toilet paper wedding dress’.
Don’t forget to say a little thank you to your guests with favors
Everyone will be bringing something to give to the bride, and of course the day is all about her, but it’s customary to say thank you to all your lovely gal pals for showing up and showering the bride in presents. Give back on her behalf and get them a cute keepsake from the day.
Again, you can match your shower favors with your theme if you’d like: little make-up sets if you’re having a pampering sesh, a little succulent from your garden party, a beautiful wine tumbler after your wine tasting, or just something you think is cute! I love these little mason jars as favors – you can decide what you put in them, like mints or candy or cookie mixes (and write a little recipe to attach with twine). You can even fill them with homemade preserves or chutneys which would be super cute if you’ve just had an afternoon tea-themed bridal shower.
Hopefully this post has given you some inspiration on how to start planning your bestie’s bridal and making it as beautiful, fun and memorable as you can. Good luck, and remember – have fun!
By Hollie Jones
Hollie is a freelance writer and co-writer for the Hollie and the Ivy blog. She is passionate about upcycling, interior design, crafts and weddings. Hollie enjoys writing about these topics and spreading her knowledge and experience to others.