8 Tips for Planning a Wedding Shower
Planning a Wedding Shower should be tons of fun! You are celebrating one of your most favorite people, their wedding is around the corner, and the themes are adorable… but what should you be on the lookout for, avoid, and totally splurge on?
Here are some pro tips to make your Wedding Shower Planning process as fun as possible!
1 - Don’t try to do it all yourself!
Find a little team of people willing to help out. Whether that means delegating games or catering to someone else… or having weekly planning meetings to divvy up responsibilities. It takes a village to throw an awesome party, so don’t take on too much.
I always recommend an initial planning meeting with the core decision makers… could be a family member, close friend, or even the couple. Know who gets to call the shots and foot the bill from the get-go. Once there is a theme, budget, and location… then it’s easy to decide who is going to be best for what tasks.
Vendors and items to Consider:
Venue
Catering
Sweets options
Beverages
Tables and linens (if necessary)
Games and prizes for game winners
Decorations
My favorite splurge at a wedding shower is definitely a photographer. Have them arrive 30-45 minutes early to take photos of all the beautiful details you’ve planned and then stay for 1 to 1.5 hours to capture guests, games, and some socializing. It’s an amazing opportunity to get a nice photo with your guests in more casual attire.
2 - Find a fun theme, but don’t go all in
Selecting a fun theme or color scheme is half the excitement of a bridal shower… but don’t forget your PERSON is the main theme of the event. Not everything needs to have their name or initials on it. For example, I took a “She Found Her Main Squeeze” theme and totally removed ALL the words…. Just lots of bright colors, citrus everywhere, and everyone “got it” without being “told what it was”.
Some fun themes we’ve seen in the past, all worth a google search:
She Found Her Main Squeeze
Mint to Be
Donuts and Diamonds
Better Together
Stop and Smell the Rose
Brunch & Bubbly
Afternoon Tea
Love is Brewing
3 - You don’t need to feed an Army
Catering and snacks are essential to keeping people happy with a glass of champagne in their hands. We are naturally inclined to eat when we socialize. But don’t forget, this isn’t a five course meal, and you don’t need to fill everyone to the brim… unless that’s the theme! Maybe dinner and gifts is the point of the event, then skip this tip entirely. I always plan for 4-6 small bites per person for a mid day event and 6-8 bites per person for an evening event when people just tend to be more hungry.
I always lean towards pairing some savory options with a few sweet items.
Also… a cake is totally fun, but unnecessary. Then you gotta cut it and serve it and it’s a whole production. Small bites and one serving sweets are where it’s at! And easier!
4 - Not everyone drinks at 2pm
Sounds like an easy one… but don’t forget to provide a wide variety of drink options for people that aren’t include to sip vodka lemonade at 2pm on a Sunday. Always offer water, something sweet like lemonade or tea, and something warm (especially if there are older guests or the event is in a cooler month).
For my own parties, I like a healthy array of La Croix, tea or lemonade, one fun mixed drink (pre-mixed in a serving vessel of some kind), and a few wine options (two is usually enough).
5 - Games should be easy!
The games need to be easy enough that even guests that may not know the person of honor that well can still have fun. Sure, one or two can be super duper personal… but a fun “what’s in your purse” or “guess how many in the jar” kind of situation allow for more equity with the game portion of the day.
Favorite games:
Put a Ring On it
Disney Love Song Match
Celebrity Marriage Match
Guess the number of [kisses, corks, jelly beans, etc] in the Jar
What’s in your Purse?
Guess the Dress
Date Night Ideas (less of a game and more of an activity)
10 Questions about A + B
PS: No one likes the toilet paper wedding dress game. Read that again… NO ONE LIKES THAT GAME. Promise you! I think we have collectively moved past that game as a society. Haha
6 - Only open gifts from guests that are present at the party
When you have a lot of guests, the gift opening portion of the party can get a little long winded. I always recommend breaking it into two parts with a potty/drink/snack break in the middle or only opening gifts from people that are present at the party!
Whatever Aunt Tilda sent from Cali can wait until you get home.
7 - Favors don’t need to be fancy
I know favors are such a great way to tie in the theme and give everyone a little token of thank you at the end of the day, but first… no one is expecting a favor and two… just make it functional. No one needs a glass with the guest of honor’s name or wedding date on it. Go for something functional or edible.
Favor Ideas:
Custom Designed Cookies
Mani Thanks - Nail polish or mani set
Fancy Soaps
Mini Drink with a cute label
Cute drink tumblers (without the couple’s names or date please!)
Hand sanitizer was a big one in 2020-2021, but it may be over done at this point.
8 - Wedding showers aren’t just “for the bride”
A wedding shower kicks off the final push through to the big day. It’s meant to be a fun party to celebrate the soon to be married couple and shower them with some relaxing love before their big day. It’s also a nice way to casually hang out with your crew before the wedding day, because that day is busy!!
Yes, a groom can totally be invited (if they want to come)! If there are two brides, just ask who would want to come, and assume both if it’s unclear. If there are two grooms, they totally deserve to be showered as well… again, see who wants to be showered and who wants to sit it out. My poor husband was horrified at the thought of sitting through games and presents… so, I was glad I asked.
Hope this helps you and yours plan a thrilling wedding shower for your favorite people!
