Disclosure – this is a collaborative post.
Being bestowed with the role of maid of honor gives you a lot of responsibilities during the wedding ceremony. However, the biggest responsibility that you will face in the lead-up to the big day is planning the perfect bridal shower. These pre-wedding parties can often go one of two ways. You can gather all of the bride’s close friends and hit the town. On the other hand, if the bride’s older family members are present, you may have to plan something more subdued.
Creating a bridal shower that caters to both of these groups is a difficult task, but there is also the well-fare of the bride to think about. With that said, let’s look at how you can create the perfect bridal shower and still include everyone.
Provide A Range Of Drinks
Bridal showers are often linked with the bride’s last night of freedom. It is an outdated concept by modern standards; however, it does mean that people still engage in some behaviors that they normally wouldn’t. As such, it is highly likely that they will want to drink something alcoholic.
It is quite normal to chill out and drink champagne or cocktails at a bridal shower. Unfortunately, not everyone in the room will have the same ethos. Perhaps you should try offering a range of drinks of both the alcoholic and non-alcoholic variety, especially if the bride’s mother or grandmother is in the room.
Have A Gift List
Another trope that comes with the idea of a bridal shower is giving the bride inappropriate or sometimes naughty gifts. As you can imagine, this might not be ideal with the bride’s family present. You can still exchange these gifts at a later date; however, you find it more useful to provide the guests with a list of items to choose from.
A bridal shower gift list works exactly like a wedding gift list only it covers things that bride may want in the run-up to the wedding. What’s more, you can avoid any unwanted embarrassment by planning out gifts this way.
Plan Out Games In Advance
Everyone at the shower is going to need some kind of entertainment. This is easy if it is just the girls sitting around sharing stories with cocktails. Unfortunately, there are going to be some people there that you do not know that well and a mix of age ranges.
The variety of guests shouldn’t be a problem if you plan out your events in advance. Try starting out with some simple ice-breakers that can ring the group together. Once everyone gets familiar with each other, then you can move on to something more advanced. There are plenty of ideas out there, and you can personalize some games for the bride. Everyone at a bridal shower has one thing in common, so try to utilize that connection to avoid some awkward silences.
Use A Simple Menu
While everyone is connected through their love of the bride, nothing creates more of a divide between groups of people than a choice of food. There are going to be vegetarians and vegans to think about, as well as a range of allergies and intolerances. As such, you will struggle to plan an elaborate meal that caters to everyone.
Instead, try to keep the menu as basic as possible. Provide a buffet-style menu that people can pick at throughout the day. This way, you do not have to interrupt the entertainment, and you can provide a variety of food options using a limited budget.
Stay In One Place
It can be tempting to create a sense of variety by changing locations. You may want to have lunch at one venue and then saunter on to somewhere new for drinks while choosing a new venue for dancing. Not only is this expensive, but it can also alienate a large group of your guests.
The best approach to take when it comes to planning a bridal shower is keeping it in a familiar environment. You can include any important locations that the bride holds close by including them in the pictures or decoration. Just try not to have large groups wandering the streets, and you will make everyone feel more comfortable. Also, try to pick a centralized location and provide directions. If it is at your house, it is important to remember that some of the guests have never been there before.
Photo Banners
Getting everyone together for a bridal shower provides the perfect opportunity to reminisce about the bride-to-be. You can do this with photos, but that does not mean that you can’t include the guests in this trip down memory lane.
A photo banner is a string of photographs of every guest in attendance. This is a great way to acknowledge the presence of every guest, and these photos should not be too hard to obtain now that social media exists. You can choose to focus on pictures that include them with the bride or go for younger photos to create a sense of fun.
Ask For Advice
The maid of honor role is often given to the bride’s best friend. This is usually the closest person to them and the one that knows them best. However, another person in the bride’s life probably knows them just as well, and that is their mom.
If you find yourself struggling with plans for the bride or catering for an older audience, the bride’s mom can provide you with a source of information that will help you with both of these issues. Put yourself out there and ask for advice, and you can achieve the best of both worlds for your friend.
You will be able to create a day dedicated to who they are now and have access to information from when they were younger. Therefore, you can create the perfect bridal shower checklist. Everything works better when a team plans it, so try to remember that you can share this task with other important members of your friend’s life.
Summary
Achieving the perfect balance in a bridal shower is difficult, and you may find catering for everyone a challenge. At least now you know where to begin with this huge task.
Disclosure – this is a collaborative post.
