How To Plan A Bridal Shower She Will Absolutely Love

This post is all about how to plan a bridal shower.

A bridal shower is such a special and memorable occasion in any bride’s life. It’s a time to celebrate with her closest friends and family members in a time-honored tradition.

As someone who has thrown over 10 bridal showers and got to be the bride at my own, I am sharing my checklist on how to plan a bridal shower.

I created a checklist after the first 2 bridal showers I threw to make the planning process much easier! If you’re like me, you like organization and simplicity and this list helps with exactly that. 🙂

How To Plan A Bridal Shower She Will Love

What Happens At A Bridal Shower?

A bridal shower is traditionally an all-female party to celebrate the bride-to-be. Ladies gather to enjoy food, games, and gifts. Guests typically are the bridal party, close friends of the bride, and female relatives of both the bride and groom (aunts, cousins, parents, and grandparents).

In a nutshell, a bridal shower is a time you get to shower your bride with love and celebrate the next chapter in her life!

How To Plan A Bridal Shower She Will Absolutely Love In 10 Steps

As soon as you find out that you will be hosting a bridal shower I recommend getting started with these steps. It will make the entire planning process so much easier.

#1 Decide On The Bridal Shower Budget

Come up with what the budget for the bridal shower is going to be. If you are throwing the bridal shower solo or if you have other bridesmaids or family members contributing this can make all the difference!

Regardless, step number one is to decide on a budget. Once you know what your budget for the bridal shower is, it makes the rest of the planning so much easier. I know from experience just how easy it can be to spend more than you anticipate on a bridal shower. Knowing your budget ahead of time will help you to stick to it!

#2 Select A Date For The Bridal Shower

Talk with the bride about what dates work the best for her. She’ll need to reach out to the main ladies in her life to see if the dates she is selecting will work for them as well. This is especially important if there are going to be guests coming in from out of town.

#3 Put Together The Bridal Shower Guest List

Get help from the bride with the bridal shower guest list. She can consult with her mom and the groom’s mom to see who all they want to have added to the bridal shower guest list in addition to your bride’s favorite ladies. You will want to get all contact information from the bride for all the guests on her list so that you will be able to send out the invitations.

Tip: If guests are going to be coming in from out of town, it is helpful to send them an email or give them a phone call as soon as you know the date of the shower. Doing so will give them plenty of time to make any travel arrangements that might be necessary.

#4 Choose a Bridal Shower Theme or Color Scheme

This is my favorite part of planning a bridal shower! When it comes to selecting a theme, the best thing to do is to think about the bride. This shower is all about the bride and everything that she loves. That means the colors, the decorations, the favors, the food…all of it. I have always found it to be best to check with the bride to see if there is a particular theme that she has in mind that she would love as part of her special day.

Bridal Shower Theme Ideas

Think about what theme will fit your bride the best. If you don’t want to do a themed shower, selecting a color scheme instead is a great way to tie all the details together. I have done themes and color schemes, both of which were extremely well received.

Tip: Remember to check with your bride! Make sure she’s getting the shower she’s always dreamed of. If she says it’s up to you, you can always consult the bridal party or her family for additional ideas.

FAVORITE BRIDAL SHOWER THEME IDEAS:

Regardless of what type of theme or color scheme you decide to go with, ensure that it will be a good fit for your bride.

#5 Bridal Shower Location

Once you know the bridal shower budget, approximately how many people will be attending the shower, and the bridal shower theme…then you select a location that can fit all of those aspects.

Whether you decide to rent a venue, hold the shower at someone’s home…knowing all the above details helps a ton.

RELATED: 5 Best Bridal Shower Locations

#6 Send The Bridal Shower Invites

Once you know your theme you can select invitations that pair nicely with that theme.

You’ll want to send out the invites about 4 to 6 weeks before you plan on having the shower. This will give guests plenty of time to make arrangements so that they can attend. Especially if there are guests that need to fly in from out of town.

#7 Plan The Bridal Shower Menu

The theme that you choose will help you to select a menu that coincides nicely. I always find it helpful to include several different types of foods that are easy for guests to eat while they are standing and chatting with other guests.

#8 Get The Decorations

Decorations are such a fun part of the planning process. Amazon makes this super easy these days. There are so many excellent selections to be found online, regardless of what type of theme or color scheme you’re going with.

Fiesta Bridal Shower Theme

View this Fiesta Bridal Shower Theme on Amazon.com.

Champagne Brunch Bridal Shower Theme

View this Champagne Brunch Bridal Shower Theme on Amazon.com.

Tea Party Bridal Shower Theme

View this Tea Party Bridal Shower Theme Theme on Amazon.com.

Parisian Bridal Shower Theme

View this Parisian Bridal Shower Theme on Amazon.com.

Beach Bridal Shower Theme

View this Beach Bridal Shower Theme on Amazon.com.

Glitz And Glam Bridal Shower Theme

View this Glitz And Glam Bridal Shower Theme on Amazon.com.

Love Is Sweet Bridal Shower Theme

View this Love Is Sweet Bridal Shower Theme on Amazon.com.

Miss To Mrs. Bridal Shower Theme

View this Miss To Mrs. Bridal Shower Theme on Amazon.com.

Nautical Bridal Shower Theme

View this Nautical Bridal Shower Theme on Amazon.com.

Lemon Bridal Shower Theme

View this Lemon Bridal Shower Theme on Amazon.com.

White Bridal Shower Theme

View this White Bridal Shower Theme on Amazon.com.

Shades Of Pink

View this Shades Of PinkTheme on Amazon.com.

Black And White

View this Black And White Theme on Amazon.com.

Shades Of Blue

View this Shades Of Blue Theme on Amazon.com.

Shades Of Green

View this Shades Of Green Theme on Amazon.com.

#9 Select Bridal Shower Games

Playing games at the bridal shower is a great way to break the ice and help the guests to feel comfortable and start chatting. It’s also good for a few laughs and it’s fun to add in prizes for the lucky winners as well.

Favorite Bridal Shower Games:

#10 Bridal Shower Party Favors

Consider having favors for your guests attending the shower. This isn’t a necessity but it can be a lovely extra touch. If you choose to do favors, I recommend selecting something that ties in with whatever bridal shower theme you are going with.

Throwing a bridal shower is such an honor and so much fun! I hope that these 10 steps help get you started on the right foot in planning a special occasion for the bride-to-be.

Have any bridal shower themes you think we should add to the list?

We’d love to hear from you!

This post was all about how to plan a bridal shower.

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