An amazing and memorable bridal shower is probably the most important job the Maid of Honor has. I’ve always been the kind of person that likes to do fun, silly things at parties that most people wouldn’t have even thought about doing. So here is my stab at a creative non-traditional bridal shower to remember!
While you know your girlfriend and bride-to-be better than almost anyone else out there, here are a few out-of-the-box suggestions on how to make sure her Bridal Shower is spectacular.
- Be Unique. You know her best features, her quirks and her hiccups. Take the time to show you care by steering away from the standard, everyday, boring, generic party and instead, choose the personality trait you love most about her and run with it.
- Make a Great Invitation. All parties start with an invitation. Make yours great! It will probably be something the bride will want to keep as a momento too, so this is one area that I don’t mind splurging on. Purple Trail has a nice selection of bridal shower invites at competitive prices (about 40% lower than other popular sites!). No need to “splurge” here! Their online design studio is really comprehensive and allows you personalize each design extensively. You even have the option of purchasing a digital download of your creation so you can print more if you need to later, or send them via email! Shipping is a low flat rate of only $6.95 or free if you order over $50.
- Make a Memorable Gift. When you send out the invitations, ask your guests to mail or email you their favorite photo with themselves and the bride-to-be, by a certain date before the shower event. You can then create a collage or a scrapbookto showcase your friend’s “before” life that she will most certainly cherish. The best part of this is that you can include people and friends that won’t be able to attend as well!
- If you aren’t crafty enough to do this by hand – that’s ok! Just ask for digital pictures and then use a simple program like Smilebox to create a page for you! If you are familiar with Adobe Illustrator or Photoshop, there are some really beautiful “digital scrapbook kits” that are amazing. They are pre-made layouts that look like real scrapbook pages and all you do is insert photos! Here is a sample from the Remember When Kit available here.
Click to enlarge - Food and Drink. Once again, rely on the bride’s personality for this one. No need to be spendy – a personal touch is going to be much more appreciated than caviar! Is the bride super casual and a big sports fan with an uncanny affinity for BBQ type food? Try serving mini gourmet burgers or “sliders”. Dress them up by adding fancy toppings like avocado & bacon, blue cheese or carmelized onions and serving them with an edible flower on the side
Serve beer in champagne glasses! If you want to ooo and ahhh them with special treat – chocolate dipped strawberries are really easy and inexpensive to make!
- Set the Mood. Itune Playlists make the best background music. Include her favorite songs and the songs that make you both look at each other and laugh because “remember when…”.
- Games and Activities. Games or no games? Personally, I like games. But I don’t like the lame, boring ones that everyone does.
- Want to try something different? Instead of a game – do this group activity instead! Have everyone make a garter belt for the bride! Wouldn’t it be funny if when the groom lifted her dress to fetch it, she was wearing 10 or 15 of them – all made by her friends? Here are some easy no-sew instructions here. This is a fun way for everyone to get to know one another, without having to play some dumb game of bingo.
- Party Favors. I always like to make sure that if I go through the trouble of buying something for someone, that they are going to use it!! I just don’t see the point in spending money on “traditional” party favors that people are just going to throw away. Give your guests a choice and offer a few different favors.
- Make extra copies of the Itunes Playlist that you’re going to play during the party. I guarantee several people will love the music and ask about it. They’ll be thrilled to take a copy home!
- Another great, inexpensive idea is to buy some $25 Restaurant.com Gift Certificates to popular local restaurants. You can often score these for only $2 each and they’ll surely be a hit!
- You could ask guests to bring a small girly gift under $5 and play White Elephant.
- Capture Everything. Have a digital camera available and pass it around during the party. Ask each guest to take a minimum of 10 pictures each before passing it on. Make it a rule to NOT take any “posed” photographs. They should all be candid or creative shots. The bride will love the variety of photos that result from this – because everyone has a different creative eye! Get everyone’s email address and post the collection of pictures online for everyone to enjoy later!
- Gifts. Traditionally, one portion of the shower is dedicated to watching the opening of presents. Some people enjoy this, some don’t. I’d ask the bride what she wants to do. I personally HATE opening presents in front of people and I hate putting my guests through that. Feel free to skip this portion if you want and leave a sign at the present table that says “Thanks so much for your gift! My gift to you is that you don’t have to watch me open it!”
- Timing is Everything. Short and sweet is usually a good way to go. 2-3 hours is usually a good goal to shoot for.
Thanks you www.dealsfordummies.com
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