Putting Together a Bridal Shower

Week 1: Organizing the Bridal Shower
What's Expected?
Traditionally, a bridal shower takes place during the day time, and brings family and friends from all aspects of the bride-to-be's life together in one place. So one main goal, is to break the ice. Here is a sample format you can follow for your bridal shower that does just that:

• Welcome the guests
• An ice-breaker game or activity
• Serve food or have a buffet service
• Another game or activity
• Open gifts
• Serve cake

Of course, you can throw in some more games, mix things up, leave things out, it's all up to you! Here are some games to help you get your creative juices flowing:

And The Bride Wore... $6.99 The Bride-to-be is the center of attention today...but how well were your guests paying attention to her? Find out when the Bride leaves the room and you surprise your guests with this pop quiz!	Bridal Bingo Card Generator $6.99 We've taken the Classic Game of Bingo and pre-filled the Bingo card with Wedding items. And with our Game Card Generator, you get a different Bridal Bingo Card for each guest - even if you have 200 guests!	Who Am I? Bridal Shower Survey $6.99 How well do you really know each other? Take this secret survey and have the Bride-to-be read the answers as the guests try to figure out Who's Who! A great ice-breaker, even for groups who think they know everything about each other!
Bridal Shower Charades $6.99 Everyone loves charades! Keep your guests laughing as they act out and try to guess these songs, movies, TV shows, and books that all have one thing in common… the word LOVE, WEDDING, and BRIDE.	Things In Bride's Purse $6.99 Do you know who brought the biggest purse? She could be the big winner! Use this fun checklist to see who has the most - and the most unusual - items in her purse!	Bridal Shower Raffle Tickets $6.99 Having a raffle? Don't miss these fun tickets that make it easy for guests to participate! Raffle off a prize and contribute the proceeds to the couple's honeymoon fund! Start printing as soon as you order
Sketch The Bride $6.99 This humorous activity is sure to make it into the bride's scrapbook! Have each guest try to draw a picture of the bride, then list 5 things they like about her. What a great way to get to know the bride better, and even share some sentimental moments with the girls.	Finish The Bride's Phrase $6.99 Guests compete to find out who is the best mind-reader as they try to finish the Bride's phrase! You'll get lots of laughs as guests try to out-wit and out-guess the Bride when she's given a phrase such as “White _______�? Was it White Wedding, White Dress, White Doves? Anything goes in this bridal mind-reading game!	What Will The Bride Say? $6.99 Only the bride and groom know what goes on on their honeymoon night…but we can get a sneak peak as we listen to what the Bride might say!

Crunching the Numbers
Here are the 8 major costs you should budget for when planning a bridal shower:

1. Invitations
2. Favors
3. Pictures and film developing
4. Food and beverages
5. Cake
6. Paper plates, cups, napkins, utensils, etc.
7. Decorations: streamers, balloons, flowers, etc.
8. Games and prizes

Create the Guest List
Anyone on the wedding guest list can be included, but if you need to shorten the list, invite close family and friends that are in town - or just the women.

Week 2: Invitations, Decorations and Entertainment
Pick a Theme
A theme can serve as inspiration for decorations and games, even the invitations, favors and nametags. It makes planning and preparation simpler to have one central theme. For some great ideas and inspiration, here are some of our favorites: Bridal Shower Themes.

Plan the Entertainment
As mentioned above, games are a great way to get guests who may not know each other, to interact. They're great ice-breakers and can really set the mood for your bridal shower. About three games for a two-hour shower are just right. Bridal shower games should be the fun part of planning your shower, so don't wait until the last minute to think about them! Here are some of our favorites: Bridal Shower Games.

And what about party favors for the winners and booby prizes for the losers? Here are some fun ideas:

Printed Votive Cups

Printed Bud Vases

Printed Champagne Flutes

Tea Light Candles

Parchment Picture Frames

Invitations
Now is the time to finalize the guest list and get those invitations sent out! Invitations to any bridal shower are the guests' first clue to the theme of the bridal shower. Pick invitations that reflect the theme, and don't forget to include any special instructions or requests. Here are some fun invitations you can print out yourself: Free Bridal Shower Invitations

Week 3: Final Details
Finalize the Menu and Go Shopping
Take a look at your theme and your plan, and make a list of everything you need to buy. Think about the food and beverages you're going to serve, what you're going to serve it on, what games are going to be played, party favors, decorations, are you ready? A tip on food: set the food up at different spots around the room. Put the chips on one side of the room and beverages on another. This will encourage your guests to mingle.

Confirm Reservations
If you have reservations, go ahead and confirm them. Double-check to make sure you have enough chairs, tables and dishes.

Creating Memories
Designate a photographer to capture these bridal shower moments for the bride. Set out disposable cameras at the bridal shower for the guests to snap "action shots" and then develop the film for the bride-to-be. Take a photo of each guest with the bride-to-be as they leave, and include the photo with each thank you note. Designate a gift recorder to keep track of who brought what gift, so the bride-to-be will have an easier time writing thank you notes.

Day of Shower!
Now is the time to reap the rewards of all your efforts! Greet the guests with a smile and make sure the bride-to-be gets an opportunity to meet each guest. Have fun and enjoy!