I want it to be fun, and not your average bridal shower. I live in a place where there are billions (or so it seems) bridal showers are thrown a day...I want the one I'm throwing to stand out!
Okay, so this may sound silly...but I think it would be a blast. Make the shower into a "Minute to Win It theme. Have you seen that show? Take ordinary things the new bride will have to do as a wife and form minute games around them!
We just got done throwing a Woodland Critter themed baby shower for my sister in law (she's pretty outdoorsy. Here's my blog post about it, complete with some photos:
One of the highlights was a game called Back and Forth. You have a prize that gets passed back and forth each time you say the words "left" or "right" in the story. Very cute, and it was a big hit. Here's the link, it's at the very bottom of the page:
We also had a "decorate your own cookies" station with cookies in woodland critter shapes, swamp punch, and...brilliant idea, not sure why I haven't heard of it sooner...having guests put their own names and address on thank you note envelopes which are then used for a drawing! Then Mommy doens't have to fill out all of those envelopes!
Hi, I am one of your many blog followers who is finally coming out of hiding! My sister threw my bridal shower a few months ago and I just LOVED it! She did a 50's kitchy housewife theme. The colors were red and turquoise, for the favors we sewed everyone a red polka dot apron with tulle at the bottom! She found some books from the 50's about being a good housewife and she printed out a guide that was in high school back then on how to be a housewife! Everyone loved the shower! It wasn't traditional and I loved every second of it! Good luck planning!
Figure out what style she likes, if it's 50's Vintage or Sex and the City, English Garden, LA or New York, Fancy Spa Day. My personal favorite is President's Wives.
I know Baby Showers are supposed to be about baby, but since the next 18 years or so are going to be all about this little one, why not make it her big opportunity to have a grown up girl party? :)
I made custom invitations for a client who was throwing a "Mad Men" themed shower.
From what I hear it was quite adorable..
I love the idea of a mod 1960's party! The invitations that I made were a rather shapely silhouette wearing an apron, and the party details were on the apron. It was finished off with a ribbon.
My most fun Bridal Shower was the one I threw for my SIL. I came up with the theme "Prisoner of Love". I made her a shirt with her prisoner number on the back (the day of her wedding 08042004) and the front said Prisoner of Love. She was actually coming home from CO so we literally "kidnapped" her from the airport, blindfolded and cuffed her and drove her to the party! The invites I made were wanted posters with her face, and I blew those up to create posters to hang at the party. I also had a "confessional" room where people could go to videotape messages to the bride. They sat in a wooden chair and behind them was a height chart like at jails. I had a police light set on the gift table and hand cuffs hung from the ceiling. It was a lot of fun and she totally was confused as to what we were doing! ;) I LOVE planning!
does she like to cook? if so maybe a kitchen theme? I threw one for my best friend, and I had all sorts of kitchen utensils as decorations on the tables.
How about an "around the clock" shower. Give every guest a time of day, they have to bring a gift for that specific time of day that the newlywed woud need. If you're feeling adventurous- give some midnight, 1 am times and guests would need to bring something for the bedroom! you can always expand w/ the clock theme on invites and cake.
My cousin did a baby shower and for her theme she found five robot cards and themed the shower after that. It was so adorable. Maybe you could do something like that for the bridal shower. Find cards and frame them for the brides new house? Or theme it after ruffles and lace and everything feminine. That's what bridal showers are about right?
When I was getting married my husband's family did a "Date Night" themed shower. We had been single long enough that we didn't need the "necessaties" a new house needs. Instead they asked that all the gifts be centered around date night. I LOVED IT! We got a picnic basket, golfing gift certificates, camping stuff, movies with popcorn and treats, beach towels with sunscreen... etc. There were so many fun things, and it helped us to be able to do fun things together and not have to worry about the money.
the women from my office just threw me an A-Z shower last night. each guest brought a gift that began with the letter of their first name or last name. everyone was able to get as creative as they wanted to and opening the gifts was a lot of fun!
If you are making the food for the shower, print off the recipes, glue them to scrapbook paper, bundle them up with a pretty ribbon and hand them out to all the guests. This was a big hit at the last shower I hosted.
Alice and Wonderland would be really fun! Everyone can dress up and wear big tea party hats! You could make little treats that say "Eat me" and wine glass tags that say "Drink Me". I would probably stay away from the Tim Burton colors but the bright Disney colors would be fun!!
An Alice in Wonderland theme would be really cute! You could have edibles that say "Eat Me" and wine glass jewelry that says "Drink Me". Everyone could wear big and fun tea party hats. You could have a game where everyone did their own Mad Hatter "Futterwacking" dance! I would probably stick to the Walt Disney color scheme instead of the darker Tim Burton version!
What about a school or classroom themed shower? You could use vintage classroom decorations like the old chalk board green and red plaid. "Rules of marriage" could be an advice game. Give the bride a "test" (contact groom ahead of time and ask him personal questions then see how many the bride gets right). I am sure you could think of lots of fun favors or decorations using chalkboard paint. "Art time" putting together a wedding dress made of TP. "Science" could be something to do with giving the bride recipes or food stuffs. I'll probably think of more ideas later.
I threw a tea-party bridal shower last year and it was a huge hit. Invites were teacups with the tea bag inserted that had all of the details on it. Favors were beautiful little teacups found at thrift stores, garage sales, etc. Little tea sandwiches, flavored teas and beautiful flowers in teapots. Guests were asked to wear their favorite dresses and hats (we had it outside). Pretty easy and very cost effective.
I threw a couple's shower since those seem to be more and more popular. It didn't really have theme. But boy was it fun! We asked that each person bring something for the bride and something for the groom, gift-wise. We served beans, beer and brats for the guys and finger sandwiches, fruit kabobs, and frou-frou cocktails for the girls. We played gender wars. I still have the questions for it. It was so much fun. The groom even said he never had so much fun at a party technically for women before!
If your bride likes wine, you could do a wine tasting shower. All of the guests bring 2 bottles of wine and some cheese. One bottle will go to the bride and groom, and the other will be used for the actual shower to have a wine tasting with cheese to go with it :)
I don't know where you are and if this is even a possibility there, but I had a great shower. My shower started at a small independent lingerie store. It was after hours, we had some appetizers and wine. People helped me pick some items..I then tried them all on and modeled them for my friends, who then helped me pick the best outfits. Instead of traditional gifts, everyone donated money to the buying spree. We then went and had dinner....
My bridemaids thre me an 80's wedding shower. Everyone had to come gressed in like 80's bridemaids dresses. They were terrible but it was soooo much fun!
I read on one of those party planning blogs the other day, that someone did a "Something Old, Something New" kind of party, but made it pretty classy. The bride-to-be wore something old, something new, something borrowed, and something blue. One of the games had people filling out cards (that were pre-printed) with their guess of which they thought was which.
i'll have to think about ideas but i just want to say that i LOVE the name of your blog...love it..
ReplyDeleteVintage 50s housewife/pin up girl shower? Like this... http://www.stylemepretty.com/2009/10/23/from-inspiration-to-reality-3/
ReplyDeleteHWTM also featured one that was Gossip Girl themed that was something I had never seen before.
Check out all of Style Me Pretty's inspiration boards too if you need some ideas, there are tons.
do you have a theme yet, and are any ideas absolutely out, i.e. no games? tell us about the bride, too.
ReplyDeleteI'll make these favors if you'd like. I thing they are darling!
ReplyDeletehttp://www.marthastewartweddings.com/recipe/sugar-cookie-cakes
http://www.bridalshowergamesatoz.com/bridal-shower-themes.asp
ReplyDeleteGood Luck! :)
Okay, so this may sound silly...but I think it would be a blast. Make the shower into a "Minute to Win It theme. Have you seen that show? Take ordinary things the new bride will have to do as a wife and form minute games around them!
ReplyDeleteI LOVE The How To Gal's idea. How funny! Sarah would think it was hysterical.
ReplyDelete*vaccuum a room in a minute
*Unload the dishwasher
*iron a shirt
*sweep the kitchen floor
*fold a pile of towels
If you work it just right, your whole house could be cleaned before everyone leaves! Hmm....do you want to have it at my house??
We just got done throwing a Woodland Critter themed baby shower for my sister in law (she's pretty outdoorsy. Here's my blog post about it, complete with some photos:
ReplyDeletehttp://thelabunskis.blogspot.com/2010/03/baby.html
One of the highlights was a game called Back and Forth. You have a prize that gets passed back and forth each time you say the words "left" or "right" in the story. Very cute, and it was a big hit. Here's the link, it's at the very bottom of the page:
http://www.babycenter.com/0_baby-shower-games-action-games_10300203.bc#articlesection9
We also had a "decorate your own cookies" station with cookies in woodland critter shapes, swamp punch, and...brilliant idea, not sure why I haven't heard of it sooner...having guests put their own names and address on thank you note envelopes which are then used for a drawing! Then Mommy doens't have to fill out all of those envelopes!
Aaaand...I just realized you said "bridal shower", not "baby shower"! Sorry, must have baby on the brain!
ReplyDeleteHi, I am one of your many blog followers who is finally coming out of hiding! My sister threw my bridal shower a few months ago and I just LOVED it! She did a 50's kitchy housewife theme. The colors were red and turquoise, for the favors we sewed everyone a red polka dot apron with tulle at the bottom! She found some books from the 50's about being a good housewife and she printed out a guide that was in high school back then on how to be a housewife! Everyone loved the shower! It wasn't traditional and I loved every second of it! Good luck planning!
ReplyDeleteFigure out what style she likes, if it's 50's Vintage or Sex and the City, English Garden, LA or New York, Fancy Spa Day. My personal favorite is President's Wives.
ReplyDeleteI know Baby Showers are supposed to be about baby, but since the next 18 years or so are going to be all about this little one, why not make it her big opportunity to have a grown up girl party? :)
I made custom invitations for a client who was throwing a "Mad Men" themed shower.
ReplyDeleteFrom what I hear it was quite adorable..
I love the idea of a mod 1960's party! The invitations that I made were a rather shapely silhouette wearing an apron, and the party details were on the apron. It was finished off with a ribbon.
I can show photos if you like!
My most fun Bridal Shower was the one I threw for my SIL. I came up with the theme "Prisoner of Love". I made her a shirt with her prisoner number on the back (the day of her wedding 08042004) and the front said Prisoner of Love. She was actually coming home from CO so we literally "kidnapped" her from the airport, blindfolded and cuffed her and drove her to the party! The invites I made were wanted posters with her face, and I blew those up to create posters to hang at the party. I also had a "confessional" room where people could go to videotape messages to the bride. They sat in a wooden chair and behind them was a height chart like at jails. I had a police light set on the gift table and hand cuffs hung from the ceiling. It was a lot of fun and she totally was confused as to what we were doing! ;) I LOVE planning!
ReplyDeletedoes she like to cook? if so maybe a kitchen theme? I threw one for my best friend, and I had all sorts of kitchen utensils as decorations on the tables.
ReplyDeleteI heard of a shower that I thought was incredible... It was a "Time of the day" shower.
ReplyDeleteEach guest was given a certain time of the day and had to buy a gift that went with that time of the day.
IE: Towels for morning shower
bowls/spoons for breakfast
wine glasses for evening glass of wine..
etc.. I am sure people could be more creative then that. Everyone wrote the time on their presents, and the bride opened them accordingly.
I thought it was kind of cute! ;)
How about an "around the clock" shower. Give every guest a time of day, they have to bring a gift for that specific time of day that the newlywed woud need. If you're feeling adventurous- give some midnight, 1 am times and guests would need to bring something for the bedroom! you can always expand w/ the clock theme on invites and cake.
ReplyDeleteYou have amazing blog readers!
ReplyDeleteTake a peek at this site:
ReplyDeletehttp://onecharmingparty.com/
She's amazing and it might give you some ideas!
My cousin did a baby shower and for her theme she found five robot cards and themed the shower after that. It was so adorable. Maybe you could do something like that for the bridal shower. Find cards and frame them for the brides new house? Or theme it after ruffles and lace and everything feminine. That's what bridal showers are about right?
ReplyDeleteWhen I was getting married my husband's family did a "Date Night" themed shower. We had been single long enough that we didn't need the "necessaties" a new house needs. Instead they asked that all the gifts be centered around date night. I LOVED IT! We got a picnic basket, golfing gift certificates, camping stuff, movies with popcorn and treats, beach towels with sunscreen... etc. There were so many fun things, and it helped us to be able to do fun things together and not have to worry about the money.
ReplyDeletethe women from my office just threw me an A-Z shower last night. each guest brought a gift that began with the letter of their first name or last name. everyone was able to get as creative as they wanted to and opening the gifts was a lot of fun!
ReplyDeleteIf you are making the food for the shower, print off the recipes, glue them to scrapbook paper, bundle them up with a pretty ribbon and hand them out to all the guests. This was a big hit at the last shower I hosted.
ReplyDeleteAlice and Wonderland would be really fun! Everyone can dress up and wear big tea party hats! You could make little treats that say "Eat me" and wine glass tags that say "Drink Me". I would probably stay away from the Tim Burton colors but the bright Disney colors would be fun!!
ReplyDeleteAn Alice in Wonderland theme would be really cute! You could have edibles that say "Eat Me" and wine glass jewelry that says "Drink Me". Everyone could wear big and fun tea party hats. You could have a game where everyone did their own Mad Hatter "Futterwacking" dance! I would probably stick to the Walt Disney color scheme instead of the darker Tim Burton version!
ReplyDeleteWhat about a school or classroom themed shower? You could use vintage classroom decorations like the old chalk board green and red plaid. "Rules of marriage" could be an advice game. Give the bride a "test" (contact groom ahead of time and ask him personal questions then see how many the bride gets right). I am sure you could think of lots of fun favors or decorations using chalkboard paint. "Art time" putting together a wedding dress made of TP. "Science" could be something to do with giving the bride recipes or food stuffs. I'll probably think of more ideas later.
ReplyDeleteI threw a tea-party bridal shower last year and it was a huge hit. Invites were teacups with the tea bag inserted that had all of the details on it. Favors were beautiful little teacups found at thrift stores, garage sales, etc. Little tea sandwiches, flavored teas and beautiful flowers in teapots. Guests were asked to wear their favorite dresses and hats (we had it outside). Pretty easy and very cost effective.
ReplyDeleteI threw a couple's shower since those seem to be more and more popular. It didn't really have theme. But boy was it fun! We asked that each person bring something for the bride and something for the groom, gift-wise. We served beans, beer and brats for the guys and finger sandwiches, fruit kabobs, and frou-frou cocktails for the girls. We played gender wars. I still have the questions for it. It was so much fun. The groom even said he never had so much fun at a party technically for women before!
ReplyDeleteIf your bride likes wine, you could do a wine tasting shower. All of the guests bring 2 bottles of wine and some cheese. One bottle will go to the bride and groom, and the other will be used for the actual shower to have a wine tasting with cheese to go with it :)
ReplyDeleteI don't know where you are and if this is even a possibility there, but I had a great shower. My shower started at a small independent lingerie store. It was after hours, we had some appetizers and wine. People helped me pick some items..I then tried them all on and modeled them for my friends, who then helped me pick the best outfits. Instead of traditional gifts, everyone donated money to the buying spree. We then went and had dinner....
ReplyDeleteI really wish I would have seen this idea for my bridal shower. Hope this may help, super cute DYI.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.marthastewart.com/how-to/tissue-paper-pom-poms-how-to
At least this is a decorating idea for you and it just shouts spring. I love it.
Lacey
My bridemaids thre me an 80's wedding shower. Everyone had to come gressed in like 80's bridemaids dresses. They were terrible but it was soooo much fun!
ReplyDeleteI read on one of those party planning blogs the other day, that someone did a "Something Old, Something New" kind of party, but made it pretty classy. The bride-to-be wore something old, something new, something borrowed, and something blue. One of the games had people filling out cards (that were pre-printed) with their guess of which they thought was which.
ReplyDelete