How to Decorate for a Bridal Shower

If the bride has a theme for her wedding try to have a bridal shower that compliments that theme. Once you have decided the theme of your bridal shower, it is fairly easy to decide what colors you want to use for your party. When in doubt, stick with more traditional wedding shower colors such as pink, white, and ivory. Since our theme was "Pretty in Pink," it was obvious that the main color for this bridal shower would be pink. Amy (my co-host) and I also decided to add brown and white to our color palette.

Think pink table cloths, pink and white flowers, pink lace, and pink and white balloons.

We used cylinder bud vases filled with water and then added white orchids submerged in water to add a touch of bridal elegance to the shower.

If you have a galvanized (stainless steel) drink bin you can easily dress it up by tying pink lace in a bow around each of the handles.

When deciding upon a cost effective favor try cute bridal napkins and mints.

We had a simple cylinder vase and used some of the leftover pink lace to wrap around the vase and made it that much more graceful.

Remember to arrange a table for the bridal shower gifts. We just covered the table with a pink shimmer table cloth, and added pink lace, pink bells, and a balloon bouquet.

Since this is the time for the bride to shine we decided to decorate a chair specifically for her. We positioned it so she would be near the present table making it easier for her when the time comes to open her gifts.

What Allison mentioned in her "7 Lucky Tips" post is so true. Be sure to layout the table prior to the party to ensure all of the food is placed exactly where you envisioned it to be. This will save you time and the stress when trying to plate the food as the guests are about to arrive.

You can be like us and leave the cake decorating and baking to the professionals. We used a local bakery to create a design that would fit with our bridal theme and colors. Isn't this perfect!?

When deciding on something memorable for the bride to take with her after the shower, we recommend 'Advice for the Bride...' cards. Let the guests know they may each write advice for the couple on these cards. At the end of the party you can tie them up nicely and present them to the guest of honor. Everyone will have a blast coming up with funny, thought filled, and amusing comments for the bride-to-be.

If you decide to play the toilet paper bride game and are not sure what to do with all of the toilet paper this is just an idea. We created a wedding cake out of toilet paper. It served as a center piece and was conveniently located for the start of the game. Do you need other ideas for games? For those of you less experienced with bridal shower traditions click here for a link to several how-to videos.

If you have one room assigned for all of the food you may want to include some appetizers in the kitchen as well. It will help spread out the crowd and add some color to other areas of the shower. For some reason, people always end up gathering in the kitchen!

Here is a picture of the final spread for the featured bridal shower.

I hope this helps as a guide when you are planning or hosting your next bridal shower.

XOXO,

Esra