Ideas on How to Host a Wedding Shower
- 1). Envision your wedding shower. You can choose to host an afternoon tea for the bride and her bridal party or an evening cocktail party for the bride and groom and their closest friends. The type of shower you choose to host will dictate your decisions.
- 2). Choose a theme. The wedding shower theme can revolve around the gifts you want the bride to receive, or it can reflect the couple’s interests. For example, a kitchen-themed wedding shower works well for the bride who loves to cook and wants to receive houseware items. If the couple loves football, throw a tailgate party in your own backyard and use a color scheme that matches the couple’s team’s colors.
- 3). Set the guest list. You will need the couple’s help with this task. Once you know the type of shower you’re throwing, you’ll know if you want to invite only women or both women and men. It is customary to invite only those guests who the bride and groom are inviting to their wedding.
- 4). Choose a venue. The guest list will dictate the type of venue you need. If your house can support the crowd, then consider throwing the shower at home. Other wedding shower locations include a local restaurant or tearoom, a spa or a park with a pavilion.
- 5). Create invitations. Your invitations should reflect the theme of your shower, so if there are any special requirements for guests, include them here. For example, if you’re hosting a lingerie shower for the bride, let guests know that gifts should be suitable for the bride to enjoy on her honeymoon. Also, include the location, date, time, your name and bridal registry information.
- 6). Design the menu. While you do not need to serve a full meal at the wedding shower, set up a buffet with appetizers like finger sandwiches, cocktail meatballs and fruits and vegetables. You can create a menu that matches or theme or simply one that consists of the guest of honor’s favorite foods. Don't forget a shower cake or cupcakes.
- 7). Decorate the venue on the wedding shower day. Again, your decorations should reflect your wedding theme. For example, if you are hosting a couple’s shower luau, you can include tiki torches and beach balls in your backyard. Other decorations that transcend themes are floral centerpieces, framed photographs of the couple and a wedding-themed cake.
- 8). Run the event. The wedding shower host should establish a timeline for the shower so that guests enjoy themselves. Let guests mingle as they arrive, and then let the bride—and perhaps her groom—enjoy good food, open gifts and eat cake. Also, include a shower game or two—for example, you can have the bride and groom answer questions about one another and then see how many answers they get correct. Or, scramble the titles of love songs, and have guests unscramble the titles. The guest with the most correct answers wins a small prize, like a candle.
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