Of course, the main focus during this joyous occasion is mostly on the bride. The bride plans her dream wedding, gets the showers and plans everything down to the tiniest details. Rightly so, they should get most of the attention. However, we can't forget about the groom, it's his day too. So, when planning a gift for the shower, don't forget about the groom. Wedding and Party Network has our top picks for what to get the groom for this special occasion that he'll truly enjoy.

Kitchen – What can you get that guys will like using in the kitchen? There are plenty of things that they will enjoy. Who doesn't love unique kitchen

tools like a griddle pan for those nice sear lines when he's cooking meat in the kitchen. Also, a nice knife block set, personalized beer glasses, whiskey glasses or even a unique corkscrew are all great gift ideas with the groom in mind. Guys like to spend time in the kitchen when they have something fun to play with when creating their food.

Outdoors – Of course, what guy doesn't enjoy spending some time outdoors? This is where there are lots of ideas for the guys, because some brides just like to stay indoors better. A grill, grilling supplies, hammocks, outdoor games, sports equipment, fire pits, pool accessories and even a lawn mower.

Electronics -Guys love playing around with the latest technologies. Keeping up-to-date is a must for them. Whether it is a gaming device, television or computer, these make great groom's gift ideas. The bride may even benefit from it too.

Vacation – We can't forget about an amazing trip! If you truly want to blow them away and are looking for a great gift, a trip is just what they need. This is a great time for both of them to relax and enjoy one another, which is both beneficial to the bride & groom!

So, don't forget about the groom! It's his wedding too and he deserves something special, even though we're sure his wonderful bride is enough!

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Have you had close friends or family members recently become engaged over the summer? Is it time to start planning her bridal shower? Well, what type of bridal shower will you host? There are so many themes out there that you may not know where to begin. Well, Wedding and Party Network is here to bring you our 5 favorite bridal shower themes!

Spa Shower – Yes, wedding planning is a little stressful at times. If not a lot stressful at times. Therefore, taking time to relax is a must. So, why not host a spa bridal shower? It's the perfect stress reliever! Now, you can either go to a spa or bring the spa to you. Set up different stations if you're having it at home like, manicure, pedicure, facials & massages.

Guests can choose which one they would rather do. Create a soap bar that resembles a food table. You see soaps that come in various shapes, sizes & replicas and they're all so adorable. If you're hosting this shower at home, guests can bring presents. However, if it's at a spa, let everyone pitch in on a spa gift certificate, embroidered robe & slippers. This is truly a relaxing treat.

Vintage Bridal Shower – Throwing vintage into any party theme is a huge trend. However, it's perfect for a bridal shower. How do you incorporate this into a bridal shower? It's all how you decorate your bridal shower. This is the key to incorporating it into a bridal shower.

When decorating, choose vintage mason jars and glasses for centerpieces. Line them down the center of the table with a few flowers in each one. Use pastels, delicate flowers, chevron print, vintage suitcases, fun straws and texture.

Five Senses -This bridal shower is truly unique. When finding inspiration, consider the five senses. For sight think about how you can draw eyes to unique shower decor. Think of having art for centerpieces or unique floral arrangements to draw guest's attention. Have mellow music playing in the background for sound. Touch is represented by incorporating different textures. Of course, taste will represent through the menu. Lastly, smell is achieved by placing various candles and fragrances out. All of these elements combined will create an amazing setting for any bridal shower.

Breakfast At Tiffany's -This is ab absolute classic, which is exactly what you're going for with this bridal shower theme. Think Tiffany blue & white, diamonds, bows and black. Of course, having that little blue box that girls all over love is a must. Use them for centerpieces or for your party favors.

Create cupcakes with in the Tiffany blue with a ribbon on top. Also, for centerpieces, use white carnations, create flower balls with them and sprinkle some diamonds on each table. For event food, serve up breakfast! Fresh fruit, casseroles, breads & scones are all great items to serve for this shower. A shower theme that everyone will love!

Sweet Love - It's all in the name with this bridal shower. Of course, your main focus is to serve sweet items. Think colorful when choosing your shower decorations and floral arrangements. Don't forget about the candy bar for this theme. Use various candies, like jelly beans, lollipops, taffy, chocolate and the bride's favorite candy for your candy bar. This is a fun bridal shower that is a must for a colorful bride!

So, when planning your next wedding shower, choose these fun themes to help make it a success. Showers are a great time for the bride to take a break from planning and to kick back with great friends and family.

This post is brought to you by Miami Party Decoration Providers.
Not in Miami, FL? No worries, use Wedding and Party Network's handy wedding planning directory to help you find a wedding planner near you!

Shower centerpiece, cupcakes photo provided by Eloise Claire, clarescupcakes.co.uk via flickr.

With all the wedding planning going on and my wedding being less than 2 months away, it was time for my bridal shower. A nice break from all the stressful wedding planning. Plus, it was an amazing shower, thanks to the two best maid of honors ever! Abby and Anna did a great job and I was so excited for the shower, even surprised me with a gift that I'd been wanting for a while now. So, I thought I'd share all the great details of the shower with everyone!

All The Pretty Details

The shower was hosted at a local bank board room, which was a great space to use since they had a kitchen and it held everyone comfortably. They chose to go with my colors, pink and black with hints of cream.Pink table cloth with a beautiful floral centerpiece that featured my flowers accented the food table.

We also had a variety of delicious party food, like sausage pinwheels, chicken rollups, fruits, veggies, cheeseball, dip and spinach dip. To finish it off, we had strawberry and coconut cake. They were both extremely good!

I'm not much on bridal shower games, and neither were they, so we opted out on having games at the shower. Instead, they did advice cards, had guests sign a picture frame and sent out a recipe card with the invitation.

Guests brought back their recipe card filled out with their favorite recipes and they put them in a cute recipe book for me. Which was a great idea since I love to try new recipes and am always searching for some to try.

The advice cards were great to read after. Some people wrote, "Never go to bed mad at each other" while others said, "Keep your own bank account". I loved seeing what people had to say. Another great detail that I loved was a bouquet holder for my bows. Perfect, since I plan on doing bow bouquets for our wedding rehearsal!

To say thank you for coming, they set up a little candy bar with all of mine and Bart's favorite candy. Tootsie rolls, Mr. Goodbars, M&M's and chocolate covered raisins were set out for guests to fill up a favor box to take home with them. Don't worry, we have a ton of candy leftover!  All the little details were great and I appreciate all the hard work they put into it!

With Most Of My Bridesmaids

Showering With Gifts

Of course, I got some great gifts as well! Me and Bart went and registered together at 3 out of 4 places together. However, he says he doesn't remember registering for some of the stuff. I mean, I might have scanned a cupcake maker while he wasn't looking, but he definitely knew about the rest!

We got everything from a toaster, blender, serving dishes, towels and even to a "Happy Everything" platter. Abby and Anna got me an item I have wanted for a while, a cricut! Which is great for me since I love doing crafts and will have time to put together a wedding scrapbook maybe! Everything was exactly what we wanted!

So, my wedding shower was a nice break from all the stress of wedding planning. It was a nice break to just relax and breathe, since the wedding is so close now! I truly appreciate everything that Abby and Anna did with this shower. They did a great job!!!

This wedding story was brought to your by Wedding and Party Network. Want to share your wedding story? Contact social@weddingandpartynetwork.com.

Today we had the pleasure of celebrating a wedding shower for Samantha, who works in Flower Shop Network's order transfer department. We had lots of great food, a delicious cake and she was showered with great gifts that she'll be able to use in her home! There was yummy cheeseball, fruit and vegetable platters, chips and dip and some yummy salads paired with a raspberry and ginger ale punch! Everything was great and she was "showered" with lots of amazing gifts she loved!  So, check out the pictures from her wedding shower!

The shower was a great success with great bridal shower decorations, yummy food and a sweet cake! We wish Samantha all the best!!!

Do you have the honor of being a lovely bridesmaid in your friend's wedding? Are you ready for the beautiful bridesmaid dress and the responsibilities of what comes along with it? One of the duties that comes with being a bridesmaid is hosting a fabulous bridal shower. However, are you tired of just a traditional theme and want something different? Let Wedding And Party Network help plan your next bridal shower with a fun theme the bride and her guests will truly enjoy.

When you think of bridal showers, do you think of the traditional gathering of friends, food and watching the bride open presents in a big circle? Yes, that's still the focus on the shower, but putting a fun and unusual twist on it will make it truly unique. Here are a few themes that you may want to do for your next shower to make it fun and unique.

Around The Clock: You can still host the traditional luncheon or tea party with this shower, however, add a twist to it with an around the clock theme. The main idea behind this theme is guests should bring gifts that will relate to different "times" in the bride & groom's life. Either different occasions that they might have in their life, like dinner parties, picnics or travel. It can also pertain to different times of the day for the bride & groom.

Maybe the guests will bring luggage for the honeymoon, dishes for breakfast time or a picnic basket full of goodies. Guests will be able to get creative with their gifts and so will you. Base your food around the time of days, set up 3 tables and serve items for breakfast, lunch and dinner or focus on a particular meal of the day. It's a fun bridal shower theme where everyone can get creative!

"Mood" Shower: A bridal shower based on the bride's mood. Go with the traditional bridal shower, except this time, include a card that says, "The bride is in the mood to clean" or "The bride is in the mood to cook". So, the guests can get a gift based around their mood card. Cleaning products, cooking gifts or spa gifts are great gifts given at this shower.

Pound Shower: For the bride & groom who have all they need, throw a pound shower. It's related to a stock the pantry shower, which is bringing kitchen items for their home. Spices, baking tools or a gourmet food basket would be great. However, take it a step further and let guests bring one pound of a household product. Flour, sugar, detergent, eggs, baking soda or whatever the guests can find that comes in a pound. Also, have the guests bring a recipe to go with it and a kitchen gadget that helps create the finishing dish. Maybe a pound of flour, chocolate chip cookie recipe and a baking sheet would be a great idea.

Shower Of Firsts: For the brand new couple, a shower of firsts would be a great start to their happy marriage. Inform guests to bring gifts that will go along with their first year of marriage. A Christmas ornament for their first Christmas, a gift to go along with the first time they burn dinner or their first night apart are just a few of the ideas that guests can get creative with.

Honey-Do Shower:A bridal shower that is catered for both the bride and groom. Couple showers are becoming increasingly popular. This way, the groom gets to have a little fun too. Honey do shower based around the phrase, "Honey, do this" or "Honey, do that". For example, Honey, take out the garbage or honey, that lawn needs to be mowed. Maybe the groom might want to skip out on this shower, it sounds like he'll have a lot of work on his hands.

These are just a few shower ideas that you could do for the bride, however, there are so many more! Stock the bar, room of the house, alphabet shower, spa theme, wine and cheese party, travel theme or the game of life shower are more ideas that you can use for a bridal shower theme. Each one is so unique and extremely fun! The bride will be one happy girl with these fun shower themes.

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We all love the holidays, each and every one of them. We all love to decorate and share in the festivities through decorations. However, when people first get married they don't always have a lot of stuff, like dishes, furniture or decorations, let along holiday decorations. Therefore, throwing a holiday bridal shower is the perfect idea. It's a fun holiday party where guests can shower the bride with lots of holiday goodies. Here are a few tips, ideas and variations that you can do to throw a unique bridal shower!

A Festive Christmas Shower

If the bride is getting married around the holiday season or will share her engagement around Christmas, this is a great time to throw one of these fun bridal showers. There are lots of ideas out there that will be great for this shower.

Color Combo: First off, ask your bride what colors she wants to use for her Christmas decorations. Is it the traditional red and green or a unique color, such as green and silver. This is the key since all your party decorations can be catered towards the bride's color combo. Color coordinate the bridal shower invitations with the colors and include what holiday colors the bride will be using in her decor. That way guests can cater to her wants and needs.

Party Decorations: Since this shower will be around Christmas time, more than likely you have someone who has their Christmas decorations out. Therefore, you won't need a lot of party decorations. You want to focus more on the table.

Do you have Christmas tableware that you are planning to get the bride? Well set it out on the table, she'll love to see how she can use it. It plays up the party food table too. If someone plans on getting her a small Christmas tree or even a wreath, use it! She'll be excited when she finds out that she gets to take that home too. Decorating is a cinch around the holidays, so make sure you plan and especially around this time of the year.

Party Food: There are lots of variations that you can do when deciding on what type of party foods you will serve. Does the bride have a sweet tooth? Throw an all dessert bridal shower. You can do a white powdered doughnut tree, which can resemble a snowy covered tree. Unique cake pops are always a hit. You could also do chocolate covered strawberries, brownies, wedding cupcakes, gingerbread men, Christmas themed sugar cookies and all the holiday favorites, such as fudge and divinity. So yummy!

However, if the bride isn't much on sweets, you can do appetizers. Place broccoli on a Styrofoam tree and accent it with cherry tomatoes. It'll look like a Christmas tree with red ornaments. Super cute! You can do veggie trays, dips, cute ornament shaped sandwiches, pine cone or Christmas wreath shaped cheese ball and an adorable themed cake to go with it.

One example, I had my bridal shower this past weekend. My colors are chocolate-brown and blue, therefore, they created a cake with chocolate icing and accented it with adorable blue ornaments. It was absolutely darling.

However, if you're not up for stressing over the food; hire a party caterer! There are lots of appetizers that can be catered towards Christmas. Plus, they're all tasty and extremely delicious!

However, the holiday season is ideal to throw this event, you can do it year round too. Just throw a general holiday shower, where guests can bring her items to decorate for spring, Easter, St. Patrick's Day, Thanksgiving and Halloween. You can host a holiday bridal shower however you would like to.

Ask the bride, what does she want most. What are her colors? Just remember to style it towards the bride and your shower will be a hit!

This post is brought to you by St Louis Wedding Decoration Providers.
Not in St Louis, MO? No worries, use Wedding and Party Network's handy party planning directory to help you find wedding decoration suppliers near you!

Bridal showers are always fun. They are filled with delicious food, good times and playing a game or two can make them even more fun, especially when the bride-to-be is a little nervous. In some instances, the bride doesn't know many of the  guests and can feel awkward, so playing a fun or meaningful game can help ease the awkwardness. Some commonly used games are crude and embarrassing, so here are some other ideas that will actually be fun for all and will briefly take the focus off the bride-to-be:

1. Don't Say It! -  Each guest is given five small heart-shaped pieces of red paper upon arrival. The rule is that no one can say the word "wedding" during the shower. If someone slips, the first person who hears it gets one of their hearts. At the end of the shower, the person with the most hearts wins a prize.

2. Getting to Know You – In this game, each guest may ask the bride-to-be one question to get to know her better. This is best done as she is opening their present. The question can be about her childhood, who gave her, her first kiss, how she met the groom, the wedding or anything!

3. Pearls of Wisdom – Each guest is given a "pearl" (from a craft store) upon arrival. When the bride-to-be announces who a gift is from, the giver gives one piece of marital wisdom or advice. Someone records each pearl of wisdom in a journal so the bride can keep it and refer back to all the wisdom she was given. The pearls are collected and woven into the bridal bouquet made from the gift bows.

These games will be great fun for your next bridal shower. They'll provide fun memories and take the bride's stress away, while planning her wedding.

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Most of the time it's easy for the person throwing a baby shower or wedding shower to run around like a chicken with their head cut off. After all, there's tons to do in preparation! Truth be told, that's probably why you're reading this blog in the first place. That's awesome because this checklist will make your life a little easier.

If you're like me, you could double check or check 50 times and you'd still forget something. It doesn't matter if it's a hotel stay or planning a party, I'm going to forget something. That's why these checklists help me and this one will help you! When planning a baby shower or a wedding shower, don't forget this essential checklist!

Things To Remember When Planning A Baby or Wedding Shower

• The party food is essential!!! Who doesn't want to at least snack at a shower? Hor d'ouevres are great. Finger foods are fine. Don't feel like taking on the hassle of food preparation for a large group? Hire a party caterer. They have to be good at it. It's what they do! Plus it saves you a lot of time. Party caterers are a win-win here.
• Don't forget the photographer or videographer! Whether it's Suzie Q with a digital camera or you hire an actual party photographer, don't forget the person that will preserve these memories forever. Besides, "toilet paper bridal gown" just isn't as funny in stories.
• Remember the party decorations! I know. It seems silly that the host would forget something as huge as decorations but you never know. Do you have the streamers? Are the tablecloths ready? How about napkins, drinking and eating utensils, balloons, trash bags a plenty? Trust me, it's too easy to forget at least one of these things. If you go to a party supply store, let the clerk know exactly what you're planning. They'll make sure you get everything you need!
• Remember to get rid of the guys! Or the girls. The same rules apply for bachelor parties and bachelorette parties. While there are exceptions to the rule, many of these parties are typically not mixed-company events. Some are. Just remember to give them plenty of time to plan an alternate location if you want it to be a girls-only party.
• Remember the music! Throwing a bridal shower? Get the couples' favorite music on a mixed cd and have a ball. Throwing a baby shower? Classical music in the background is a great addition. Whatever your tastes, whatever suits the occasion–don't forget the musical entertainment!!!
• Remember the party invitations! By now the invitations are probably already in the mail or on the guests' doorsteps. If you're still early on in the planning stages, don't forget the party invitations! Be as kitschy or as elegant as you want. Just make sure to have fun!

Ready to have a great time? Just print out this shower checklist and have fun at your party!! Don't forget to return to the Celebration Advisor and let us know how everything went.

Ask The Celebration Advisor: Help. I am not a traditional bride. I am 50 years old and getting married for the first time. Something I just never dreamed would happen. I'm very happy and excited. I have only lived and worked in Charleston for 2 years. We are have a very small & private reception at a private home on the water. We both agreed very early on to not include our co-works as both of us have only worked with them for a very short time.

I work in an office of 30 women. This has caused much discussion among my staff. I don't want to hurt their feelings, but I also do not want an office bridal shower. The best gift my office staff can give is to just be happy for me. I am well educated, a very private person and very professional when it comes to my position. I do not want to be the center of attention and I don't mix my personal life with business. I don't know how to tell my office staff this. Any suggestions.

Reply:
There is a fine line between not mixing personal business and being gracious to those whom you work with who want to honor your upcoming nuptials. Since showers are hosted by someone who wants to honor the bride, you can't very well forbid an office shower. However, there are ways in which you can come to a compromise that will be acceptable to everyone.

First, you will need the help of someone in your office. If you know who is pushing the office shower or who is in charge of the shower, go to them and explain what you have told me – although you appreciate their thoughtfulness, you don't like being the center of attention and the only present you need is their happiness for you. Then suggest a different kind of celebration. Perhaps a cake and special pastries during coffee hour where you visit with your staff but without a gift exchange. Or, an office lunch where everyone can visit. If your work schedule doesn't permit these types of celebrations, try an after-hours celebration like an hors d'oeuvre get-together without presents. You could even have drinks with your staff after-hours. All of these suggestions will allow you to keep the mixing of personal and professional to a minimum.

Although you don't want a shower, your staff cares enough to want to throw you one. Whatever you decide, it is important to respect their feelings. Hopefully they will do the same for you.

Congratulations and Good Luck.

It’s coming up on wedding season once again. Just like years in the past, I am frantically scrambling to come up with creative ideas for my friends’ bridal showers. I feel like every wedding shower is the same: table full of gifts, assortment of finger foods with punch, and lots of females in fancy pastel dresses. This year, I wanted to do something different. This year, I want to host an exciting wedding shower!

I came to the conclusion that to be able to shake things up a bit we needed to do three things:

1) Have the shower in the evening.

2) Invite the boys.

3) Serve amazing food (and drinks of course).

By having the wedding shower in the evening, the atmosphere will be more like that of a dinner party; a relaxed atmosphere where people can have great conversations instead of a stuffy "Sunday shower" environment.

Bringing the boys along allows the groom to be in on some of the special catering the bride gets so much of in the months leading up to the big day. It also gives the guys and gals a chance to mingle.  ( Tip: It is a good idea to let guests know that this is a good shower for "manly gifts" like  Bar-b-que tools).

When hosting a party in the evening, the food must be a little more extensive than hors d'oeuvres. As you probably know, I am a fan of the caterer. If you aren’t a multi-tasker who can cook and host at the same time, have the party catered or do restaurant carry out. However if you are brave enough, you could pull it together on your own. Nothing fancy required, just enough to get those stomachs full and maybe a signature dish or two. In fact, a great idea for a spring wedding shower is to serve ribs with slaw, beans and rolls and for dessert – "bridal shower" cupcakes. Many bar-b-que places will customize your order based on how many guests you are expecting. All you have to do is take it home and set it out to serve. It’s always a great hit with the male guests too!  To really take the party to new heights, add a little spirits with a beer and wine bar.

So, be on the cutting edge in your circle of friends and host a couple's wedding shower.  It is a great way to have a dinner party and honor your firends at the same time.