Bridal Shower Checklist
Bridal or wedding showers are a great opportunity to spend time with the bride in the special time before her wedding, and to give gifts to help the new couple start out their lives together. While, in the past, showers used to be women-only affairs, nowadays many couples will have coed showers, or even one of both. You might have a traditional bridal shower with women family members and the bridal party, and also a bigger gathering with friends and family of both the bride and groom.
Whatever type of wedding shower you are throwing, here is a checklist for everything you need to remember!
The Planning Stage
- Offer to host.
Find out what kind of shower the bride would like, and tell her what you initially have in mind to start forming a plan. She might be set on a particular place or theme, so it’s a good idea to ask if there’s anything she must have. Otherwise, it’s all up to you! - Pick a date.
First, see when the bride has time for the party. The closer to the wedding it gets, the busier she is likely to be, so aim for a few weeks before the wedding. Obviously, if an important guest can’t make it that far out, then it’s up to the bride whether she’d like to move the date. - Set the location.
Normally, this is at the host’s house, but it could be at another shower guest’s residence or at a restaurant or country club. If you need to reserve a place for the party, make sure to do it early. - Assemble the guest list and send out invites.
By now, you will know whether the bride wants an intimate women-only party or a larger coed one. Make sure to include the URL or information about the couple’s registry so people know what gifts to bring.
The Preparing Stage
- Pick a theme or party style.
The typical shower is an English tea party, but you needn’t’t stick to that. You could go with a Mexican theme with a nacho bar and margaritas, or have a cookout for larger parties. Whatever you decide, start assembling the decorations you need about a month before. - Gather together party materials.
Guests will be sure to offer various essentials like platters, punch bowls, serving utensils, and audio equipment for the shower, so start collecting those a couple weeks before the party if possible. - Put together party favors.
These could be small potted plants, personalized bars of soap, candles, or nail polish for smaller gatherings. If there’s something that relates to your theme, try to tie in the party favor with that. - Organize activities and games.
A bridal shower classic is a version of The Newlywed Game, where the bride is asked questions about her groom-to-be to see how close their answers are. For this, you’ll need to contact the groom ahead of time to receive his answers.When the day arrives, you should have all your plans and preparations in place so all you need to do is enjoy the party with the bride! You can ask a couple other guests to help you facilitate the party throughout the day.
The Ideal Bridal Shower Venue
Host your bridal shower at The Wisconsin Country Club! Contact our Catering Director at catering@thewisconsincountryclub.com to begin planning a bridal shower now.