How to Plan a Bridal Shower (Checklist & Ideas)

8 Tips for Planning a Bridal Shower

This past weekend I had the honor of throwing a Bridal Shower for my best friend of 12 years! If you know me, then you know I love hosting events and making sure every little detail is thought through. While I was planning this shower and choosing the color scheme, flowers, food, and decorations, I thought it would be helpful to write a post about 8 important tips to follow when planning a bridal shower! Enjoy!!

1. Always Keep the Bride-to-Be in Mind

When you are planning a bridal shower, it’s always nice if you can ask the bride-to-be a few questions before you start nailing down all of the details. Here are some important questions that you can ask: What are a few of your favorite desserts?, Do you want your fiancé to make an appearance at the shower?, Would you like for there to be a dress code?, Do you want the shower to be your wedding color scheme? Those are a few questions you can ask the bride-to-be to get a little more information before you start making all of the decisions. You obviously do not want the bride-to-be to plan her own shower, but it is nice to get a little bit of her input beforehand so you can plan the best possible shower for her! Whenever you are making a decision like what games to play or decorations to buy, make sure you always ask yourself, “Is this something the bride would like/ want to do?” The day will work out perfectly if you are always making the bride the #1 priority!

2. Don’t Pick a Theme, Pick a Color Scheme

Picking a theme for a bridal shower can lead you down a difficult path as a planner. You may think a “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” theme is a wonderful idea until you realize that the space you are throwing the shower in can’t really transform into what you had pictured in your mind. When you choose a theme, you will most likely spend a lot of money on decorations when you could be spending that money in other areas. Instead of choosing a theme, choose a color scheme. Pick a few colors that you know the bride-to-be will love, and stick to that. Everything will look cohesive and well thought out.

3. Add Personal Touches

This step is SO important, planners!! There is nothing more special than personal touches at a bridal shower. Making a customized sign with the bride’s soon to be new last name or making a welcome sign with the amount of days left until the wedding are some ideas you can use to make the shower feel more personalized to the bride. You can browse Pinterest all day for decorations, but the most memorable decorations are the special, personal ones that come from the heart.

4. Make the Bride-to-Be Stand Out

As the planner, it is your job to think of ways to make the bride-to-be feel special at her shower! It’s always fun having the bride wear white so she looks and feels more like a bride at her shower. I have seen bridal shower hosts make cute “Bride” sashes for their bride-to-be, and at my shower I was given a beautiful wrist corsage to wear. For this shower I threw, I wanted to get my bestie a flower crown to wear. Her style is very boho chic and I knew a flower crown would suit her perfectly and make her feel special. Whatever you choose to do, make sure it is something you know the bride will feel comfortable wearing.

5. Choose Games That Involve the Whole Crowd

When you are choosing games to play at the shower, keep the audience in mind. It’s fun to play games that involve the whole group and get people up and moving. Bridal trivia is a fun game because it quizzes the group on how well they know the bride and groom. The toilet paper wedding dress game is always tons of fun because it lets the group be creative and have fun together. It’s also a great ice breaker game if the attendees don’t all know each other.

6. Have a Photographer

You don’t need to hire a professional to do this, but just designate one or two of the guests to snap photos on a nice camera during the shower. I love taking detailed shots of the decor, games, gift opening, etc. It’s a nice gift to be able to share with the bride-to-be so she can enjoy re-living her shower through all of the photos. Not only is the photo quality going to be better than taking pictures on a phone, but it’s also nice that all of the pictures are on one camera vs. 15 different iPhones.

7. Give Several Food Options

Depending on the time of the bridal shower, the food options will differ. The shower I threw started at 1 p.m. so I knew I wanted to offer desserts and some snack-y foods too. You do not know the food preferences of your guests, so it’s important to offer a little bit of everything. Balance is key here. If you are offering lots of sugary foods, make sure you also have a veggie tray or some cheese and crackers. Also, don’t forget to make the bride-to-be’s favorite food!

8. Party Favor for Guests

After wrapping up a wonderful bridal shower, it is always nice to give each guest a party favor. You want to say “thank you” for coming and for showering the bride-to-be. Some people give little treats, while others give lotions, nail polish, candles, etc. It’s up to you as the planner, but make sure you tie the color scheme into the favor! Remember, you want things to be cohesive from start to finish 🙂

I hope these 8 tips will help you plan a great bridal shower! The most important part of the day is celebrating the bride-to-be and making her feel as special as possible. If you have any questions or need any suggestions, leave me a comment down below!

Thanks for stopping by!