• Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Facebook

Dreamery Events

Weddings, Events, Styling, Florals & Lifestyle

  • About
  • Gallery
  • Services
    • Event Services
    • Speciality Dessert Menu
  • Journal
    • Entertaining
      • Events
      • Holidays
      • Special Occasions
    • How To
      • Decor
      • How To
      • Flowers
      • Gardening
    • Weddings
      • Weddings
      • Wedding Planning Essentials
    • Travel
      • Portugal
      • Ireland
      • the U.S.
      • Mexico + the Caribbean
    • Inspiring BIPOC
      • Environmentalists || Gardeners
      • Writers || Poets || NonProfits
      • Lifestyle || Wellness || Travel
      • Artists || Photographers || Creators
      • Interior Designers || Home Decor+Design
      • Wedding/Event Professionals || Floral Designers 
      • Food || Nutritionists
      • Fashion
      • Beauty
      • Entertainment || Music || Movies+TV
  • Recipes
    • Breakfast & Brunch
    • Pies & Tarts
    • Ice Cream
    • Cakes & Cupcakes
    • Cookies & Other Sweet Treats
    • Drinks
    • Savory
  • Shop
  • Contact

The Ultimate Bridal Shower Checklist

January 28, 2015 · 7 Comments

The Perfect Bridal Shower Checklist

If you’re a maid of honor, bridesmaid or special person for a bride-to-be, you may be enlisted to help plan a bridal shower this wedding season. But where to start? Last week I shared my ultimate wedding planning timeline, which can be a great resource for just about any party, but for the non-event planner minds, a more detailed checklist could be useful. So I’ve made planning a bridal shower a “piece of cake” with a checklist that breaks down dates tasks should be completed and important details to make a beautiful pre-wedding gathering. You can download the pretty checklist print below in a printable pdf here.

The Perfect Bridal Shower Checklist It’s a special gift to give one of your family members or best friends an afternoon with her favorite people, but it doesn’t happen by magic and there are a few things to consider first. I decided to answer a few basic questions I’ve been asked and seem to be the most popular questions when planning a bridal shower.

“Who should throw the bridal shower?” There isn’t a definite person who has to organize it, but most times the Maid of Honor, along with the bridesmaids take control of all major duties. In cases where there isn’t a bridal party, a sibling or close friend willing to take on the responsibility and work can do it. Mothers and mothers-in-law often get involved, and often a work colleague can throw a mini-shower for the bride at work. There isn’t a rule that says the bride can’t plan her own shower, which can happen most times when she has a vision for her day or her bridal party lives out-of-town. Whoever the lead host is, remember to involve friends and family who are interested in helping.

“Who will be attending?” The first thing to do is to run through the couple’s wedding guest list, and the women on it, with the bride, because only she knows who should definitely be there. The bride knows she’s getting a shower, so confirming the guests with her won’t be ruining the surprise. The one GOLDEN RULE you should follow is to not invite anyone who isn’t invited to the wedding, unless it’s someone whose been invited but can’t make it the day of the wedding.

“When should we hold the bridal shower?” Bridal showers should be thrown within a month to two months before the wedding. There are cases where a shower may need to be held closer to the wedding date, say the MOD or important person needs to be there and they are traveling from a different country and can only be present days before the wedding. In these cases, it’s important to work with the bride, so she can plan around any pre-wedding week things she has planned.

“What type of shower should we plan?” Your starting point here again will be the bride. Keep in mind any vision or ideas she’s already had, then consider her likes, hobbies…the more personal, the better. Choosing a theme is an easy way to make the planning easier, it can be as simple as choosing an inspirational color or a full-out Gatsby themed brunch. Remember the wedding is the important day and where the money will be spent mostly, so consider the venue and budget when planning the shower. Be creative, and think about ways that you can save money by either having it at a home, an outdoor picnic or even a cooking class. You don’t have to, but planning a few fun games keeps things interesting and allows guests to interact while getting to know each other a bit better.

“What about gifts?” If the couple has a registry, then gifts will be expected no matter the location of the shower. If there isn’t a registry, then depending on the type of shower you’ve organized, as well as who is throwing it {from an etiquette perspective, it’s never considered good for someone to ask for gifts for their own family member or themselves}, the issue of gifts can be confusing, as most guests will more often just bring their gift to the wedding. But you don’t want to show up and be the only one without a present either. A creative and  personal way to overcome this, is with themed gifts – like having everyone bring a family recipe to build into a book for the bride, wine to stock her cellar, or better yet, you could ask for pictures and memories to be used to create a scrapbook. These don’t cost a lot of money, but they make sure everyone is involved and allow the bride to connect with each guest.

More Helpful Tips

  • Check with guests about food preferences and allergies, especially when hosting at a home. To appeal to all tastes, make sure you offer at least one completely vegetarian option.
  • If a lot of the guests don’t know each other, including the bridal party of them, name tags can be quite helpful. Guests can write their first name, and on the bottom write their relation to the bride. The bonus: it helps guests get over their shyness and start conversations.
  • If the bride chooses to open her gifts during her shower, don’t forget to keep track and  write down a list of gifts and givers. She will definitely not remember who gave her what, so designate someone in the bridal party, or another planner to take on this task.
  • Consider giving your guests favors, but it’s not an obligation. Instead of a cha-chi, gift something geared specifically towards women that they’ll use, say a body scrub, pretty candle, lovely quote print or single wrapped flower.
  • If the bridal party, other family members or friends are fronting the bill for the shower, make sure to hash out how much each person owes and payments before the day of the shower. The bride doesn’t need to see the hosts discussing money at her shower.

Remember bridal showers are fun, and a sweet and simple way for the women in the bride’s life to spend more time together during this exciting time leading up to the wedding day. Hope these helpful planning tips and checklist help!

Download PDF here!

top photo via HWTM

You Might Also Enjoy

  • Favorites from 2015Favorites from 2015
  • Wedding Planning Essentials :: How to Have an Intimate & Intentionally Meaningful WeddingWedding Planning Essentials :: How to Have an Intimate & Intentionally Meaningful Wedding
  • Bringing Together Family Cultures & Memories…Vanessa & Al’s Classic Romantic WeddingBringing Together Family Cultures & Memories…Vanessa & Al’s Classic Romantic Wedding

Share this:

  • Facebook
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • Print
  • LinkedIn

Related

   

Filed In: Entertaining, Events, How To, Inspiration, Special Occasions, Weddings / Tagged: bridal shower, bridal shower planning, bridal shower planning checklist, bridal shower planning timeline, event planning, perfect bridal shower checklist, wedding planning, weddings

Comments

  1. Lapaka K says

    February 2, 2015 at 10:02 am

    Wow needed this, organizing my sister’s bridal shower

    Reply
    • Diana says

      February 2, 2015 at 10:55 am

      You’re welcome! I’m glad it’s coming into good use for you. Good luck with the planning 🙂

      Reply
  2. Ashley Thomas says

    January 4, 2017 at 4:17 pm

    I am trying to get the printable, but I am not seeing the pdf download. Is it not available anymore?

    Reply
    • Ashley Thomas says

      January 4, 2017 at 4:29 pm

      Nevermind. I got it! I absolutly LOVE this! I am way too scatterbrained not to have a nice list for just about every task.

      Reply
      • Diana says

        January 4, 2017 at 4:31 pm

        Sorry about Ashley! Glad you were able to get it, & informing me too because somehow my formatting get messed up. Thanks, now it’s all fixed 🙂 And agreed, every task needs a pretty list. Happy planning!

        Reply

Trackbacks

  1. I’m Loving… | The Dreamery says:
    February 6, 2015 at 6:01 am

    […] gold and pink dessert display can work perfectly for a Valentine’s Day get-together or a Bridal Shower. image via Polka Dot […]

    Reply
  2. 2015’s Favorite Recipes | The Dreamery says:
    December 28, 2015 at 12:01 pm

    […] […]

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Browse

  • Home
  • About
  • Services
  • Gallery
  • Journal
  • Contact

LET'S CONNECT! hello@thedreameryevents.com

INSTAGRAM @dreameryevents

Thinking of Christie & Mario’s romantic wedding Thinking of Christie & Mario’s romantic wedding in Portugal, because I have travel on my mind & I'm feeling very inspired to explore, connect & make some magic happen in real beautiful places with creatives who inspire me🌿✨

.
.
.

Planning, Custom Calligraphy : @dreameryevents 
Venue, Florals, Styling : @cristinfrancis_aqueduto 
Photographer : @leandro_da_silva_photography 
Videography : @theamazingrabbit 
DJ, Cocktail Musicians & Photobooth : @nproducoesguimaraes 
Hair & Makeup : @redcarpetfaces
Invitations : @rebeccagreendesign
Not one to be led by trends, but seems there’s a Not one to be led by trends, but seems there’s a little something we’re all looking forward to … Color! But there in lies the complex beauty of color. We connect & interpret it in so many personal ways — some of us are drawn to the beauty in the soft muted tones, while others it’s the bright rich hues. Each view & approach, a special way of embracing color✨🌿🌈And I am here for all it!
.
.
.
#dreameryevents #flowers #color #weddingstylist #eventstylist #weddingdecor #eventdecor #weddingtrends #colorfulideas #weddinginspo #weddingcolors #partydecor #colorfulideas #weddingflowers #colorfulflowers #floraldesign
Sharing some calming Ikebana inspired “Winter Bl Sharing some calming Ikebana inspired “Winter Blues” — not the sadness of the bitter season, but the emotion of a fresh clean slate where Nature is bare, minimal & calm, yet open to all the possibilities of the unknown …
.
.
.
#dreameryevents #ikebana #ikebanainspired
#flowers #fineartflowers #fineartstyling #flowerarrangement #bluethistle #minimalistdetails #ikebanadetails
#ikebanainspired #modernflowers
#driedflowers #weddinginspo #winterblues #createforyourself #designisinthedetails
“Ikebana; the Japanese art of flower arranging t “Ikebana; the Japanese art of flower arranging that emphasizes form & balance — symbolizing the beauty & essence of all components in Nature working in harmony. Ikebana expresses strong emotions through its four principles of a fresh approach, movement, balance & harmony, while highlighting its three elements; line, color & mass. 

Ikebana designs use fewer stems that are intentionally arranged to reflect the balance of opposing elements. Ikebana floral art is a reflection of the person creating it & its evolving story.”
……
This year I’m challenging myself each month to create a design. Whether it be a centerpiece or tablescape, I want to expand & challenge my creativity, skills & ever-flowing ideas. It’s a perfect way for me to create for the sake of creating while inspiring you with joyful pieces & help others see unlikely designs with a new perspective. 

I was naturally drawn to the traditional artform of Ikebana, for it takes the simplest elements & transforms them into designs that evoke an immense emotion. For me there is so much power & beauty in that, but also why I think it’s not as understood or appreciated as elaborate floral designs. 

I stumbled upon this forgotten small blue & white dish, thought how perfect it would be to capture the story of “Winter Blues” — not the sadness of the bitter season, but the emotion of a fresh clean slate where Nature is bare, minimal & calm, yet open to all the possibilities of the unknown … using a few sprigs of Blue Thistle & the inspiration of Ikebana intentions, this tiny delight was made💙

Dreamery is a bespoke event and floral design brand focusing on gatherings of all sizes, stylings, home, decor and the limitless creative projects yet to be envisioned. Nature, travel, old world treasures & slow living are my constant inspiration.

Theme by 17th Avenue · Powered by WordPress & Genesis

 

Loading Comments...