Wedding Tip of the Week: Bridal Showers

April may best be known for its spring rain showers (to bring May flowers) but you know what else it brings? Bridal Showers!  With so much emphasis put towards weddings, I thought I’d share a few tips for you bridesmaids on how to add a special touch to the shower day!

Consider a Theme

The shower does not have to match the wedding inspiration, so you can have fun with this.  One of my favorite ideas is an Around the Clock shower, where guests are assigned a time of day in their invitations, and asked to pick a gift from the registry that the bride and groom would use at that time of day.  For example, 11 a.m. might mean brunch – so a waffle iron would be an appropriate gift.  Even better, add recipe cards for each guest to also bring a recipe for the bride that coincides with that time of day!

Decorate

Pick a color palette and stick to it. With a bridal shower, the colors are limitless but having a set scheme of colors to work with creates a cohesive ambience.  Colored napkins, custom bunting (download your own here or here) tablecloths and crepe paper poofs (check out the variety of colors at in Branford) make the day!

Have a Signature Cocktail

Designate a specialty drink of the day. A pink punch (alcoholic or not) could easily turn into a “blushing bride” cocktail.  Add cute straws or drink stirs to finish the look.

Don’t Forget the Games

Do your own version of “The Newlywed Game” (make sure a bridesmaid interviews the groom ahead of time) or try a bridal mad-libs, bridal shower bingo, or even something as simple as having guests guess where the couple is going on their honeymoon.  Be sure to have some (little) fun prizes for the winners!

The Ribbon Bouquet (or hat)

This is a favored tradition, originally thought to bring luck and good fortune (and provide the bride with giftwrapping embellishments to be used in wrapping presents in the first year of marriage). Enlist your craftiest bridesmaid to save all of the ribbons from the packages the bride unwraps and turn them into a ribbon hat or bouquet.  Not so crafty? You can buy a kit to help you with this, or follow instructions from here.  *Note: I like a bouquet better as the bride can then carry this down the aisle during her ceremony rehearsal.

Do you have any favorite bridal shower ideas to share? 

Newly married or engaged?  Share your news in the Announcements!

Author Erin Ethier is a shoreline CT resident who writes a daily wedding blog Sparkle & Hay: Inspirations for a Rustic Chic Wedding