Here is a Bridal Shower Checklist To Serve as a Guide

Planning a wedding takes a lot of work and so does planning a bridal shower. So if you are a maid of honor and you have been charged with planning the bridal shower then you have to create a checklist. So you ask, What is a checklist? A checklist is a list that contains things that need to be done, recommendations, points to consider and it is also used as a reminder.

Now don’t let the planning scare you as far as you have a bridal shower checklist all will be fine, here is a bridal shower checklist that breaks down all the fun of the pre-wedding party ;

3 Months

For a great bridal shower your plans have to start from around this time. Here’s you should be doing;

  • Set date.

  • Request guest list from bride.

  • Confirm venue.

  • Order invitations.

  • Decide theme.

  • Set a budget.

6-3 weeks to the D-day here is what you should be doing;

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  • Put the address list together.

  • Send an Email of the travel date to the Out-of-town guest.

  • Have a meeting with all those planning to brainstorm ideas for decor, menu and so on.

  • Place orders for tables, chairs, linens, and other rentals necessary.

  • Delegate tasks and DIY projects to the committee.

1 Month to D-day, Here is what you should be doing;

  • Purchase items for food prep/serving, favors and decor.

  • Pick out flowers and Decors also purchase paper products.

  • Select games, music, icebreakers and other activities.

  • Check in on anyone making or bringing items.

1 Week to Date

  • Follow up with guests who haven’t RSVP’d.

  • Decide layout.

  • Assemble and prepare favors also order for balloons.

  • Purchase food and make a schedule for when to prepare food.

1 day to the Bridal Shower

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  • Prepare food that can be made ahead.

  • Pick up flowers, balloons, and any purchased food or cake.

  • Prepare seating area.

  • Set up food and drink serving areas.

The Bridal Shower Day

  • Make sure house or venue is clean and smells nice.

  • Display balloons, and decorate space.

  • Set out drinks and food.

  • Have fun!

22 Fun Bridal Shower Ideas Everyone Will Love 

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APR 27, 2020

By Wedding Spot

Bridal showers have been a common pre-wedding event for ages, and there are hundreds of different ways to make yours completely unique. In this post, we’re going to offer 22 fun bridal shower ideas for any type of bride-to-be. Plus, we answer frequently asked questions about bridal showers so you can feel more prepared for what it is and how to plan. And while you may not be able to have a bridal shower at the moment due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we hope that these ideas will inspire you — and help you start planning — for when that day comes!

Explore 22 fun bridal shower ideas for any type of bride-to-be:

Traditional-but-fun bridal shower themes

1. Parisian themed 

Serve French champagne and Parisian-inspired treats with a pop-up patisserie. Add fun fashion-themed games, like paper doll brides where guests create wedding dresses to put on a mini bride cut out. Decorate with parasols, bicycles, and lace details. 

2. Beach themed

This classic party theme lends itself well to bridal showers because of the array of decor and food and beverage options. When planning your color scheme for the shower, stick with blue, white, and wood details for a more nautical theme. If you’re opting for a tropical vibe, throw in vibrant pops of green and coral shades. For party favors, buy everyone a pair of flip-flops that they can put on at the beginning of the party to get everyone in the beach mood.

3. Color themed

Take a tip from P. Diddy and throw a white party for the bridal shower. Or choose the colors from the couple’s wedding palette. Whatever colors you choose, using them to theme your food and beverage as well as decor is an easy and affordable way to incorporate a theme into a shower. 

4. Champagne brunch

Whether you choose to go out to a restaurant or bring the champagne brunch to your living room, this theme is all about sipping cocktails, nibbling treats and toasting to the bride. Opt for buffet style and lay out your food and beverage in sections. You can have a mimosa bar, complete with fresh berries and various kinds of juices, a doughnut bar, and towers of tasty appetizers. You could even throw in a bloody mary bar for some heat. 

5. Tea party

We love this idea because you can make it more formal and request guests wear fascinators, or keep it casual and laid back. This shower should revolve around the tea so make sure you have an array of flavors with both caffeinated and decaffeinated options. For food, tea sandwiches of course! Some traditional sandwiches are egg salad, cucumber, and smoked salmon. Party favors can be an assortment of tea cookies, loose leave tea, or candles and soaps. 

6. Roaring 20s

Choose a color palette of black, white, and gold with art-deco style decorations and tablescapes. Add pearls, rhinestones, and feathers for some extra glitz. A champagne tower is a must for this theme, and make sure you have a playlist of all the best 1920s music. As far as activities go, a murder mystery game would be perfect, or even a dance class to learn some signature 1920s moves like the Charleston.

7. Rustic

Rustic showers are all about creating a warm, homey, and inviting feel. For decor, use mason jars, bottles, and cans jazzed up with twine and burlap to act as vases. Bring in lots of wood whether that be in the form of tables and chairs, palette backdrops, raw wood centerpieces and more. For food and beverage, keep it simple and fun. A waffle or biscuit bar, vegetable tray, fruit kabobs, and a naked cake for dessert. If you’re looking to add an activity, these traditional card games printed on wood cards are perfect. 

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8. Travel theme

If the wedding is a destination wedding or if the couple plans to take an exotic honeymoon, consider making the location of the wedding/honeymoon the theme of the shower. Use maps, luggage, globes, and postcards as decor. Give guests a taste of what to expect on the big day with food/beverage, decor, and games all in the line with the destination.

9. Destination

If you and your guests have it in your budget, have a destination shower! You can even double up and also have the bachelorette party the same weekend. Consider places like Palm Springs, Las Vegas, New York City, and Miami. Theme the shower to match the destination utilizing local food and beverage as well as activities so you can get a real taste for the city you’re in.

Modern ideas

10. Flower bar

Create a flower bar where guests can choose florals of their choice, then everyone together will create a beautiful arrangement to take home at the end of the shower. 

11. Cake decorating class

Check with your local bakery to see if they offer any private cake decorating classes, whether they come to you or you host the shower at the bakery. Each guest will leave the shower with a gorgeous cake decorated by themselves as a creative and delicious party favor.

12. Mixology

For a shower with an activity attached, take a mixology class. Either have a bartender come to your venue or house to teach you some fun cocktails or if your city has a bar or business that does this, you can host your shower there! Elevate the night by pairing the cocktails with foods to enhance the flavors of your meal.

13. Self care

When we think of self care, we think of relaxation and unwinding. Nothing says unwinding more than a day at the spa. You can either include treatments or let guests know if they’d like to book one for themselves if you’re on a tighter budget. If you’re looking to save even more, have a spa day at home with face masks, foot soaks and sugar scrubs. You can even make your own scrubs together as a party favor for each guest.

14. Construct a backdrop

Backdrops are gorgeous, show-stopping decorations, but they also make fantastic photo booth backgrounds. You can either construct the backdrop ahead of time or have everyone work together to create a backdrop as an activity for the party.

15. Stock the bar

A stock the bar party is where guests bring alcohol, bar tools, glassware, etc. for the couple to stock their bar at home. If the wedding itself is at a BYOB venue, have shower guests bring alcohol that the couple can use to stock the bar on their wedding day. That way they don’t have to pay for it out of their wedding budget.

16. Photo booth 

Create a photo booth at the shower. Whether you use a tripod and iPhone or hire a photographer, this activity is so much fun and is a hit every time. You can even make or purchase fun photo booth frames and props to elevate your photos.

17. Centerpiece creation

If your couple is crafty and loves DIY, have the shower activity be creating centerpieces for the actual wedding day. This will take some coordination with the couple and/or wedding planner to make sure your centerpieces are in line with the wedding decor, but is a great option to take one task off the couple’s plate and help them to stretch their wedding budget.

18. Everyone’s invited

Instead of having a bridal shower that’s just for the bride and her female friends and family, consider having a wedding shower where the groom and his friends and family are invited as well. Having a wedding shower where everyone is invited may be non-traditional, but it’s such a lovely way to celebrate the couple together and add to their wedding memories.

Budget-friendly ideas

19. Have the shower at a home

Using a cost-free venue for your shower will cut major costs. Consider a backyard BBQ or a if you’d rather stay inside, opt for a tea party or champagne brunch. Not only is hosting the shower at a home cost-effective, it always allows you to customize your event completely, making it as formal or as informal as you’d like. 

20. DIY decorations

From flowers tied to branches with twine to spray-painted bottles for vases to paper doilies and lanterns, there are so many incredible DIY decorations out there to try, and our favorite place for sourcing them is Pinterest. 

21. Simple food made by you

Skip the caterer and make the food yourself. We love the idea of having a bunch of smaller bites rather than a full fixed meal. You can also consider making the shower a potluck where each guest brings a food or beverage item or do a dessert bar filled with sweet treats. Another budget tip is having one signature cocktail as opposed to a multitude of beverage options. 

22. Combine crafts with favors

Set up a crafting station at the shower where guests make something that they can take home as a party favor. Some of our favorites are DIY hair accessories, bath bombs, tea cups, and succulent pots, but the possibilities are endless. 

Frequently asked questions about bridal showers:

What’s the difference between a bridal shower and a wedding shower?

Bridal showers are more traditional parties that are thrown during the day for an all-women guest list to celebrate the bride’s upcoming nuptials. Wedding showers are a more modern party that can take place at any time of the day and include both partners and their friends and family. For this reason, the guest list for wedding showers is usually much larger than bridal showers. Regardless of which type of shower you choose, guests should be from your wedding guest list. 

What do you do at a bridal shower?

Traditional bridal showers include food, drinks, games and gifts taking place usually at someone’s home, but can also be the bride’s favorite restaurant or venue. As far as specific games go, bridal showers can have more customary games like building a wedding dress out of toilet paper, various versions of bingo, and recipes for a lovely marriage. Some more modern games include creating a date night jar, how well do you know the bride quiz, newlywed trivia, and pen the mustache on the groom. If you want, you can plan a more activity-based bridal shower — consider a pottery class, calligraphy class, wine tour, or spa day. 

Who plans the shower?

For a bridal shower, it’s usually hosted by the bridesmaids, the bride or groom’s mother, or any other close female friends and family. 

For a wedding shower, anyone from the wedding party or the couple’s families can host. Just be sure to communicate so no one drops the ball or multiple showers are planned by mistake.

Who pays for the shower?

Whoever hosts the shower should be paying for it. So if the bridesmaids host, they should divide the cost equally. Same goes for whoever is hosting if you opt for a mixed gender wedding shower. 

When do showers usually take place?

On average, showers take place between four months and two weeks prior to the wedding. Choose a date that is convenient for the bride/couple, wedding party, and close friends and family. If convenient, you can have the bridal shower during the day and the bachelorette party at night.

A bridal shower for every type of bride-to-be!

Whether the bride wants a traditional mid-day bridal shower, a weekend getaway, or a shower where everyone is invited regardless of gender, there’s a shower for everyone. Remember to customize it to really fit the personalities of the couple.

Now that you have an idea of what you want to do for the bridal/wedding shower, learn step-by-step how to plan the bridal shower, complete with a three-month timeline.

TIPS FOR BRIDES WITH LOW CUT HAIRSTYLES

There are lots of women out there who rock a low cut hairstyle and they would want to rock their low cut hairstyle on their wedding day. Brides can rock their low cut hairstyle and still look beautiful and flawless; Here are some tips you can follow

  • One thing about low cut hairstyles is the fact that its an ornament friendly hairstyle but it all depends on the kind or type of jewelry you want on your head and you have to think of how you want to look

                                                                      &nbs…

                                                                                     Net

A veil is also a good way to accessorize as a bride with low cut, you have to choose the veil that would work best for you

                                                                              Veil

  • Keep in mind that elaborate makeup would only take away from your look, so ensure to opt for a more natural look for your big day.

                                                                                                                                  Simple

  • Before you pick the right flowers or ornament for your hair think about your dress and wedding color scheme, this should give you insight into what the right choice would be.

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THROW BACK THURSDAY! Our Bride Crystal Featured on MunaLuchi !!! Bridal Summer Night Carnival Wedding in Long Island: Crystal + Scott

Story BY MELODY SIMPSON

 

Crystal and Scott have known each other since college in the mid-late 90s, but it wasn't until 2009 that the two reconnected at a friend's wedding. The timing still wasn't quite right though as both were in relationships, so a few more years went by. The next time their paths crossed, both were surprised to find each other on the same dating website.

After two years of dating and not long after having major knee surgery, Scott proposed beside Crystal and the two were married five months later in a modern romantic outdoor wedding under the stars. Because after all, love was always in the star for these two.

Wedding Date: September 3, 2015
Wedding Location: First Look: Old Westbury Gardens, Ceremony + Reception: Chateau Briand
First Dance Song: "Our Love" by Gregory Porter

 

Tell us about how you met and all about the proposal!

Scott and I have known each other since college, back in the mid-late 90s. We didn’t attend the same school but he knew my roommate's friend. We were just friends and occasionally hung out as a group at parties etc. and I would sometimes see him at church. After years of not seeing each other, in 2009, two of our close friends got married and we were both in the wedding party. We caught up over the rehearsal dinner and exchanged emails to keep in touch. Since we both were already in relationships, contact stopped after Scott invited me out to dinner. Fast forward to 2013, my previous relationship had since ended and after being peer pressured into joining a dating website, I reluctantly joined for three months. After two months, I received a message from the site from someone saying, Crystal? I thought to myself, Who is this person that knows my name? When I opened the message and saw the picture, it was Scott. We had our first date later that week on Good Friday. The timing wasn't right back in 2009 but we were meant to be together at the right time for both of us. 

After two years of dating, Scott proposed. A few weeks before the engagement, Scott had major knee surgery. On the night of the proposal, we went to one of my favorite restaurants and as we were leaving, there was a bench outside. Since he couldn't bend on his knee, he sat down on the bench and spoke of how he knew when he first saw me walking out of my apartment for our first date, that he was not going to let me go...and proposed. We married five months later.

Wedding Style

I would describe my wedding dress as modern chic. The dress shopping experience was great; I found my dress in the third and last bridal store. The overall experience was not arduous as I've heard from other brides. I did a lot of research online before going into bridal salons which helped.

 

Culture

The wedding theme was West Indian Carnival. Our wedding took place during a time of year in New York when the Brooklyn West Indian Parade takes place and with me being from Brooklyn, I have participated in the parade in the past. Scott being Jamaican along with a lot of our guests and bridal party being of West Indian decent, the theme was fitting. We asked our guests to come with their island flag and each couple in the bridal party came out to a particular West Indian song of their choice, waving their flag.

Memories

I don't have one particular best memory from our wedding. The whole entire day after Scott and I saw each other at the First Look was the best memory.

Help a bride-to-be out!

Enjoy the moment and take in everything because the day goes by very fast.

Vendors:

Photography: Lighthouse Photography
First Look Venue: Old Westbury Gardens
Venue: Chateau Briand
Wedding Dress: Kenneth Winston, RK Bridal
Shoes: Badgley Mischka
Flowers: Flowers By Brian
DJ: DJ Dynamight
MC: Benji
Photo Booth: PhotoSnap
Limo: Serenity Limo
Hair + Makeup: Jhenelle Hill, Prim & Perfect
Cake: Francisco's Bakery
Invitation: Just the Write Touch

Venue Of The Month: Crossed Keys Estate

We are absolutely in love with this country oasis!

Crossed Keys Estate has all the elements of an exquisite wedding venue.

A charming Juliette balcony for tossing your bouquet; an elegant bride’s room to get ready for your big day; a tree-lined drive for your arrival to the ceremony; lush meadows as the backdrop for your photos; and a gorgeous reception tent. 

Anise & Wallace New Orleans

Congratulations @anisemarie & Wallace! New Orleans was Amazing!!! Thank you for booking @primperfect & flying @yourbestfriendbrittany and I out to be part of your special day. Your love for each other is so real It sends chills through me! I cried at least twice! Your Wedding & The second line was everything! Anise’s Hair & Makeup by me and of course she’s wearing @lashfixnyc “Ajna” & “RaRa” Stacked ! Big Thank you to my Assistant @yourbestfriendbrittany for helping me glam a party of 11 bridesmaids & Moms!

Hair & Makeup : @primperfect 

Photos: @travisdanielsphotography 

Planner : @lcdevents

#ItsAboutGanttTime