Last week, I was given the task of throwing a bridal shower for my roommate/bride-to-be. I suppose my experience of throwing several showers in the past made me the top candidate to tackle a shower on such short notice. I have two weeks.
Admittedly, despite my experience and wedding and party ideas, I still have the occasional moment of panic. After tossing around nearly a dozen ideas with coworkers, bridesmaids and even the bride herself, I am still at square one. It's getting serious.
I know I can't be the only one who has been in this situation. Weddings can be a hectic time for everyone. Therefore, I have devised a simple plan to get together a last-minute bridal shower that won't feel last-minute at all!
I'm going to follow the famous five W's: Who, What, When, Where and How (the invisible W). This will ensure I cover all the bases and not leave anything out, and maybe I can have a a bit of time to add a little pizazz.
Who:
As in, who to invite? I know this sounds like a silly question, but who is on the guest list can change the theme of a shower rather quickly.
For example, I threw a lingerie party for a good friend a few years ago and only invited her closest girlfriends. However, through a miscommunication her mother-in-law arrived in the middle of my poor friend opening some rather racy gifts. Needless to say, it was uncomfortable. Make sure you have the guest list nailed down. It's step one.
What:
What kind of shower? Kitchen? Stock the bar? Lingere? I think this time I'm going to go with a traditional bridal shower and invite the bride's entire family, along with the groom and his family.
Given that guests will be receiving invitations the minimum of two weeks prior to the event, I want as little confusion as possible. All items on their registry are appropriate to bring, and I can more easily plan for a general gathering. I don't have to prepare anything too specific. Perfect!
When:
The wedding is quickly approaching, and most weekends have been booked for other showers, bachelor parties, etc. This leaves me with a weeknight. I chose Thursday, because some of the bridal party attend church on Wednesday, and the end of the week is slightly less stressful.
What time? I'm going to choose 7:00. That gives everyone enough time to get home from work, change clothes if they need to and arrive without feeling rushed. (It also will keep the shower on the short side, so I won't have to prepare a great deal of food.)
Where:
Here come the difficult part. Where? If I reserve a local clubhouse, I will have to bring in several items to create the desired atmosphere. Flowers, catering and drinks will have to be delivered to the room and set up. I don't think I can make it. I'm going to go with a local restaurant that has a piano room available that night, taking care of the ambiance, food and dress code.
It's a somewhat upscale establishment, so guests will know that the dress code is business casual, and the shower will feel more like an event. I plan to order a few appetizers, including the restaurant's famous spinach and artichoke dip.
The restaurant has agreed to let me bring in a cake and a few cupcakes to set up next to the gifts. I"ll review the menu in the upcoming weeks and add a few other appetizers to the mix and try to come up with a signature drink with the bartender to make the shower at little more special.
How:
First off, I'm calling in reinforcements. I have a meeting set up with the other bridesmaids to iron out the last of the details and assign a few responsibilities. I need help gathering the address to send invitations, and I'm sure someone will need to get their early to set up the cake and gift tables.
Most importantly, I'm going to stay calm. I have to, considering I live with the bride, but freaking out will do me no good. With the help of my fellow bridesmaids and a little planning, I'll be able to pull this off!
Wedding and Party Network is a proud sponsor of this bridal shower suggestion.
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