7 Tips on Planning a Great Bridal Shower ...

This is the most obvious of all tips on planning a great bridal shower and also the most important. Although a bridal shower is a relatively informal occasion, you cannot afford to leave it to chance and hope for the best. The venue, the guest list, invitations, gift ideas, games and activities, and favors all need to be planned. If you start planning about 6 weeks in advance, you will have more than enough time to think calmly and exercise your creativity, without stressing yourself out.

It is her day, and it is best if you let her take the call on when and where. For instance, if she has a conservative family, it may not be a good idea to host the shower in a smoky bar. Perhaps she would prefer something more relaxed, in a home environment. The date is also very important. While bridal showers are traditionally held a few weeks before the wedding, she may want something nearer to the wedding date, if she has friends and family coming in from out of town.

This is one of the most crucial tips on planning a great bridal shower. Obviously, she will prefer certain things and not others, when it comes to ideas, gifts and games. A lot of maids of honor take it as a given that the bridal shower is up to them, and then go ahead and plan something that they find extremely interesting. This is not exactly the best way. I have a colleague, whose friends decided to surprise her with naughty and risqué decorations for her bridal shower, not realizing that her mother’s family was from a conservative Asian background. It didn’t go down too well! The responsibility for the shower is yours. But remember that you need to dedicate your creativity to her best interest.

She obviously trusts that you know her intimately enough to allow you to plan a complete surprise! However, you still need to keep your discipline and exercise your creativity from her point of view. So make a basic outline (a couple of outlines would be better) and then run it by her. She may not have a lot of time but it's important that you keep her in the loop.

Traditionally, the whole point of a bridal shower is that it is an occasion where friends can give gifts to the bride/couple for their new life. Everyone will bring a gift, but it is up to you to plan it in such a way that the gifts the bride gets are to her best interest. If the couple are well off and can easily afford all the practical necessities for a life together, you could make the gift giving the fun and wacky part of the evening. You could assign every guest an hour of the day on their invitation cards, and tell them to get a gift that is most appropriate for that hour. That is always fun, especially the night hours! On one bridal shower I went to, the guests brought in the wackiest thing they could find in a flea market, and attached a note on why that gift was appropriate for the bride-to-be. She then had to guess who brought her each gift. I saw some of the most unusual gifts in one place, and the whole evening was great fun.

Naturally, if the couple needs things that would help them set up a new life, a registry list is the best idea. The bride and the groom might both want to be a part of choosing the registry list for the bridal shower, and you can add a note on the invitation that the gifts are for the couple and not just the bride alone.

Another tip on planning a great bridal shower is to add fun games to the evening. They make bridal showers a lot of fun! People arrive in an informal mood, expecting fun and enjoyment, and everyone is generally eager to participate in a game. The emphasis naturally has to be on the bride. You can get ideas from friends, colleagues and even off the internet. But remember, whatever ideas you get, the girls in the planning team should always add in their own touch. After all, few people know the bride as well as you do!

If you have been nervous about the big day, I hope these **Tips on Planning a Great Bridal Shower **have calmed your nerves a bit! Just remember to involve the bride in the planning, and make sure that all the close friends have specific roles and responsibilities in the preparation. You will do just fine! If you have already been a maid of honor, do share your tricks and tips!

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