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The bride is your best friend, and that is enough for you to make her last bridal shower one that she will never forget. The bridal shower is usually held in the month before the wedding and brings together all the close family and friends of the bride. There are usually a few snacks, some drinks and a light buffet meal accompanying the loads of gifts that the bride-to-be receives. Here’s how to put together an unforgettable bridal shower.

Who is the host at a bridal shower?

Typically the Maid or Matron of Honor is the primary host of the bridal shower. This is usually the bride’s best friend and will take on the job of organizing the event. She will be helped by other bridesmaids who have been chosen by the bride to be a part of her wedding. Whoever has the time and the resourcefulness to help is usually welcome. Sometimes the groom’s mother and sisters may also want to get involved in the organization of the event. The situation differs in each family. 

It’s all about the bride 

The kind of person the bride is, will determine just how the pre wedding bash with friends is likely to be. If the bride is a tradition loving, dreamy gal she will love a flowery bridal shower. However, if she is the kind who likes to dance and party more than she likes to sit around opening gift boxes, a bachelorette party with a male stripper may be likely to be the answer to her heart’s desire. Who better to know what the bride desires than her best friend!

Pick the theme together

These days, themed bridal showers are all the rage, with interesting icebreaker games and gifts for the participants as well. Themes reflect the likes of the bride such as wine tasting, a favorite hobby, and even sports and games. Nothing is off limits, including the male stripper, as long as the bride loves the theme. Make sure that you get her approval before you plan the games, buy the gifts and organize the rest of the party around the theme.

Decoration

The decoration will, naturally, be based on the theme. You can call in professionals and have them do up the venue if you have a good budget for the party. Or you can do the decoration yourself, with help from other friends of the bride, and save some money. You can even have a pre-party bash where you get together and make the decorations, if your group is artistically inclined. This will allow you to personalize the decorations and will be more appreciated by the bride.

Food

The food can also be catered from outside if the budget allows, or you can have a pot luck meal with all the attendees bringing in different things. Make sure that you coordinate the snacks, drinks and main meal well between the attendees so that no one duplicates things. Stick with simple finger foods for the snacks, pick a punch over having different drinks and make the main meal a light affair. Keep things as simple as possible. The focus is not on the food but on the bride and the gifts.

Invitations

You can do handmade invitations based on the theme, if you have the time. In case you are not that creative, a simple online invitation with a couple of graphics thrown in is also fine. Just make sure that you do not forget to invite anyone. It’s a good idea to ask the bride to make a list of people she wants invited to the bridal shower. Also ask if there is someone in particular whom she wants to avoid inviting. That way you can avoid unpleasant surprises on the d-day when someone she doesn’t want around shows up.

Confirm the attendees using RSVPs

It is never easy to cater to a large number of people and you should make things easy for yourself by having RSVPs for regrets. This will allow you to get a good idea of the actual number of people you should expect to make it to the bridal shower. For those who do not respond, you may like to send out emails or phone calls to confirm their likelihood of attending the shower.

The gifts

If the bride is registered at a shop, ensure that the invitations give this detail to the guests. It will allow them the opportunity of getting the bride a gift that is already on her list and fits in their budget. There are a number of unique and inexpensive gift ideas that you can highlight as well. A CD with all the bride’s favorite songs, a basket with lots of knickknacks and lingerie that will come in handy on the honeymoon, a scrap book of old photos, etc, are some unique gifts that you can tailor make for your friend.

The Special Appearance

In some bridal showers the groom makes a special appearance at the end of the party to thank everyone for the gifts that they have given. This is also not compulsory, but a good gesture. Ask the bride to confirm with the groom if he is up to making it for the bridal shower. Have details of the venue ready for him when he gets in touch with you.

That ties up all the organizing that you will have to do in order to give your best friend a truly memorable bridal shower.

Feature Writer: Cashmere Lashkari