themes
couple's shower
Invite couple friends of the bride and groom to celebrate the upcoming marriage.
activity ideas: Ask each guest to share stories of their biggest challenges and to give advice for keeping a marriage loving and exciting. Play a dating game for laughs.
menu ideas: Make the menu interactive such as create your own pizzas or submarine sandwiches.
gift ideas: Bring gifts the couple can use together, such as his and hers matching bathrobes and/or towels, outdoor games, indoor board games or books.
decorations: Find old movie posters or prints of famous couples throughout history and display them at the part.
favors: Take snapshots or digital photos of each couple with the bride and groom at the shower and provide the couple with a print of the photo and a frame for displaying it.
around-the-clock shower
The newlyweds will be busy around the clock and this FUN shower theme will provide them with gifts for every hour of the day.
activity ideas: Ask guests to come to the shower with a written tip for the time of day they have been assigned. Compile these tips into a book.
menu ideas: Serve food that guests can assemble themselves, such as tacos, omelettes, subs or individual pizzas and arrange the food as if on a clock face.
gift ideas: Guests should choose gifts that reflect the time of day indicated on their invitation. Examples: 7 a.m.-- waffle iron or coffee mugs, 9 a.m. -- fluffy comforter or a pretty nightgown.
decorations: Clocks and floral arrangements with Evening Primroses and/or Morning Glories.
favors: Give each guest an egg timer or tiny hour glasses as a memento.
bridal tea shower
Elegant brides and guests will love a Bridal Tea.
activity ideas: Invite guests to wear fancy hats and gloves or search flea markets and antique shops for hats guests can wear during the tea. Research how to properly brew tea and the customs of taking tea and share what you have learned with the guests.
menu ideas: Serve properly brewed tea along with fancy tea sandwiches and desserts.
gift ideas: Gifts can be from any general category
decorations: Use lace tablecloths and napkins, crystal vases and silver serving dishes. Use your finest china for serving and rent silver tea services for the tea. Decorate with lacy parasols and bouquets of fresh flowers.
favors: Guests can go home with assorted packets of tea or pretty tea cups or teaspoons.
recipe shower
Help outfit the newlywed's kitchen by notifying guests of the couple's kitchen style and colors.
activity ideas: Have guests bring a copy of their favorite recipe written on recipe cards supplied at the bottom of the invitation (see invitation selection at Studio Invitations) and compile the recipes in a cookbook at the shower.
menu ideas: Ask each guest to bring a dish to pass including the recipe for the dish.
gift ideas: General kitchen supplies, utensils and accents.
decorations: Make garlands of kitchen tools strung on colorful ribbon.
favors: Inexpensive kitchen gadgets for each guest. (Check out Dollar Stores!)
girls' night out shower
Throw a shower for the bride that will make the bachelor party look dull!
activity ideas: Give the bride an unusual list of items she has to collect by the end of the night.
menu ideas: Anything goes! Cocktails and girly drinks are nice!
gift ideas: Ask guests to give the bride things that will remind her of her girlfriends. For instance: daily calendars with quotes on friendship, gift certificates for lunch with a good friend, etc.
decorations: Borrow friends' wedding veils or create inexpensive 'veils' yourself out of white netting and ribbon around the shower venue.
favors: Give each guest a gift certificate for one free soft drink or cocktail from the bar!
co-worker shower
Ask the bride's co-workers to get together at the group's favorite lunch or after work spot before the name on her paycheck changes!
activity ideas: Have guests write their words of wisdom for the bride-to-be on cards (check out cards at Studio Invitations) which can then be assembled into a book for her to keep.
menu ideas: Guests can go dutch and order off the menu. Have a decorated cake for dessert.
gift ideas: Sentimental or funny gifts a married woman may need at work, like a picture frame for the husband's photo or personalized pencils, notepads or coffee mugs with her new name.
decorations: Create a banner for the bride out of work supplies such as computer paper, adding machine tape or anything that represents your work environment. Add touches of bridal motif such as artificial bouquets, veils, wedding bells, etc.
favors: Give each guest a small framed certificate to hang on his or her wall at work. Have it say: "Mrs. ______ On the Job of Marriage for __ Years!" (See Studio Invitations for the perfect card for this idea!)
honeymoon shower
Find out the couple's honeymoon destination and ask guests to bring gifts to make the honeymoon more romantic.
activity ideas: Give guests a list of cities and have them match to a list of countries (the more exotic the better). Have each guest bring a photo or memory of her own honeymoon.
menu ideas: Research the popular foods of the honeymoon destination and serve a menu that matches it. For example: a Hawaiian honeymoon menu could feature tropical fruit salad and grilled swordfish. A Mexican destination could feature a menu of hot-and-spicy enchiladas, refried beans and margaritas.
gift ideas: Ask guests to bring gifts the couple can take on their honeymoon. General gifts could include items to make the wedding night and honeymoon romantic: pretty lingerie, massage oils, candles, satin pillowcases, a CD of romantic music, etc.
decorations: Decorate appropriately for the honeymoon destination. For instance, if the couple is going to Hawaii, decorate with tropical flowers, tablecloths and napkins in bright colors such as fuchsia and purple (see Studio Invitations' samples). See if you can find a grass skirt for the bride to wear during the shower.
favors: Purchase an address book for the bride and have guests write their names and addresses in the book. (Beautiful silver engraved address book available from Studio Invitations) Also provide the bride with money for postage. The guests' favors will be the postcard the bride sends them from the honeymoon!
game show shower
Throw a shower that includes the groom's friends as well as the bride's in a game of friendly competition.
activity ideas: Have the bride's friends ask the groom questions about the bride and vice versa. Award points to the guests whose questions slump the bride and groom.
menu ideas: Provide a fun menu full of game night munchies such as pizza, chips and dips, veggie trays and fruit salads.
gift ideas: Ask guests to bring gifts that involve both the bride and groom such as gift certificates for dinner, coupons to a movie or board games.
decorations: Decorate with playing cards, poker chips, dice and other 'game' pieces.
favors: Hand out decks of cards, books of trivia or other gifts related to competitions.
media shower
Help outfit the newlywed's home entertainment center by inviting guests to a media shower! Supply a list of the couple's favorite actors, musicians and television shows.
activity ideas: Interview the couple and find out their favorite entertainers when they were in high school and formulate a quiz for guests to fill out. Rent a romantic movie. See who can still sing the love ballads they knew in high school or who can quote their favorite movie lines.
menu ideas: Buttered popcorn, huge glasses of soda and theatre style candy in the boxes.
gift ideas: Videos, CDs, personalized popcorn bowls, microwavable popcorn, mugs with hot chocolate mix or a wonderful blanket for snuggling on the couch.
decorations: Unravel the film from old or blank cassette tapes, video tapes or 35mm camera film capsules and string the curly, shiny film around the room as a garland. Find posters from movies or photos of favorite actors and music groups and display them at the party.
favors: Wrap up packets of microwave popcorn and candy for guests. For prizes, give gift certificates from the local theatre to see a movie.
personal shower
Invite guests to a pampering personal shower.
activity ideas: Have a massage therapist provide massages at the shower or invite a makeup artist to give advice on cosmetics and colors.
menu ideas: Buffet of extravagant desserts and gourmet coffees.
gift ideas: Gifts to pamper the bride such as nightshirts, lotions, bubble bath or candles.
decorations: Bouquets of fresh flowers, soft music, dim lighting and lit scented candles.
favors: Guests can leave with an organza bag filled with trial size lotions or relaxing scented lavender.
trim-a-tree shower
A couple just starting out may be looking at a pretty bare Christmas tree their first holiday together. Invite friends to a shower that will outfit the couple with festive holiday decorations. This is a great idea for weddings that will be held around the holiday season as well!
activity ideas: If the shower takes place close to the holidays, the guests can help trim the tree and decorate the home as well as decorate Christmas cookies. However, a "Christmas in July" (or March or August) shower can be just as fun! Play Christmas carols and ask guests to share their favorite holiday memories and family traditions.
menu ideas: Serve decorated cookies, plum pudding and hot cider with cinnamon sticks. For a larger meal, consider making turkey or ham with all the trimmings with apple pie or your favorite holiday treat for dessert.
gift ideas: Ornaments and trimmings can be organized around a theme if the couple prefers their tree to match their decor or can be a potpourri of traditional ornaments, lights, garlands, wreaths, etc.
decorations: Set up an artificial Christmas tree and decorate it with lights, ornaments and garlands. Place a large wreath on the front door.
favors: Give a beautiful little ornament as a keepsake.
second marriage shower
Since this is a second wedding for the bride and/or groom, they no doubt have a fully supplied household and don't need the same items a couple just starting out would need.
activity ideas: Make the shower a night out for couples.
menu ideas: Anything goes!
gift ideas: Go for the unusual in gifts! Have guests pool their money to buy the couple something fun. Give them a gift certificate to dinner at a classy restaurant or register them for ballroom dancing or a couple's massage class.
no-host shower:
This shower is becoming very popular. Each guest pays for her own food/beverage at a nice restaurant or country club. The gift is usually significant and expensive, given cooperatively by the group. The shower organizers usually provide invitations, favors, entertainment and gift selection. TIP: Bridal registry is for more than tabletop these days. Now couples are registered for computers, do-it-yourself supplies, sports equipment, gourmet gadgets and furniture. Finding a shower gift to fit a significant requirement should be no problem.
games
memory game
This is a good game to use if a friend is helping you with the shower. Fill a tray with many items (any items, kitchen gadgets or small trinkets that you can give to the bride-to-be). Have the person who is helping you bring the tray in giving each person 30 seconds to a minute to study the tray to remember as many items as they can. Then have the person holding the tray go into another room. That is when you change the rules! Tell your guests to write down as many things that they can remember about the person holding the tray. (What colors they were wearing, color eyes, jewelry, etc...)
unscramble the words
Make a list of 25-30 things you would find at a wedding. Then scramble the words and make copies. Give each guest a copy and give them 3 minutes to unscramble the words. Whoever has the most correct words unscrambled wins a prize.
songs of love
Make a list of 15-20 words that represent marriage. Pass out copies for each guest, then give them 10 minutes to identify a popular song that has that word in it. The guest with the most songs listed wins. Note: the guest must know some of the words to the song she has listed.
who am i
Prepare index cards with the names of famous people written on them. When the guests arrive, attach a card to each guest's back so that the guest cannot see the name, but someone else can. Each guest must then ask the other guests for clues to the identity of the famous person. To prevent cheating by clever guests trying to read it in a mirror, place a 2 inch index card over the title to hide it.
don't say 'bride' or 'wedding'
Each guest receives a clothes pin as they arrive and it is explained to the guests only once: If you catch someone saying the words 'bride' or 'wedding' you can take their clothes pin. At the end of the shower the guest with the most clothes pins wins a small favor or gift.
who knows the bride and groom
Come up with as many questions about the bride and groom and/or their upcoming wedding you can think of and write about 10-15 questions on a sheet of paper. Photocopy enough for all guests and have them answer the questions in 3-5 minutes. Sit the bride-to-be in the middle of the room and read the questions. Have the bride answer the questions and award a small prize to the guest who gets the most right!
white stuff
Fill sandwich bags with the following cooking items: flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, baking soda, powdered sugar, cornstarch, cream of tartar, powdered milk, unflavored gelatin and Bisquick. Number each bag and keep a list. Guests are allowed to feel and look at the bag, but not open it. They guess what is in each bag. The person with the most correct answers gets the prize.
the wedding alphabet game
The host stars with a sentence using the letter "A" to describe a wedding item or tradition. In the sentence she describes that she went to a wedding and brought an album. The next guest must repeat this sentence and add another item at the end of the sentence and it starts with the letter "B", such as a "I went to a wedding and brought an album and bubbles." The next guest does the same thing and adds an item starting with the letter "C". Anyone unable to add a wedding related item must drop out of the game. The person who stays alive the longest wins the prize.
penny for your thoughts
Introduction Game -- Have two pennies from the same year with a different year for each guest. Example: 15 guests, 30 pennies, 15 different years. When the guests arrive they are given a penny and the other penny is put in a jar. When all the guests have arrived, the bride-to-be selects a penny and the person with the penny with that corresponding year tells a little about herself, how she knows the bride and maybe a little story about the bride. After everyone has spoken the bride-to-be puts her pennies back into the jar and selects one to win a prize.
thank yous
Buy thank you notes (Studio Invitations supplies FREE shower thank you notes with a wedding order!) for the guest of honor. Pass out one envelope to each guest and have them self address it. Collect them all and have a drawing for a gift (a plant works nice for this game). This is a nice timesaver for the bride-to-be because she won't have to look up addresses or buy thank yous!
recipes
simple cheese souffle
8 slices of bread, buttered and cubed (cut off crusts)
2 cups grated cheddar cheese
7 eggs, beaten
1/4 teaspoon salt and pepper (each)
3 cups milk
Generously grease casserole dish with butter. Layer bread cubes and cheese in dish. Combine eggs, milk and seasonings, pour over bread and cheese. Top with extra grated cheese. Let stand for at least 8 hours in the refrigerator. Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 1 1/2 hours.
seafood pasta salad
1 cup Miracle Whip
1/2 cup Zesty Italian dressing
4 Tbsp. grated parmesan cheese
4 cups corkscrew noodles
3 cups imitation crab meat (chopped)
2 cups broccoli flowerets
1 cup green pepper (chopped)
1 cup tomato (chopped)
1/2 cup unions (chopped)
Cook noodles. Combine dressings and cheese. Mix well. Add remaining ingredients. Mix lightly. Chill. Serves 8
cheddar and wild rice
2 cups cooked wild rice
3/4 cup mayonnaise
4 hard cooked eggs (chopped)
1/4 cup pimento olives
1 cup cheddar cheese (diced)
lettuce leaves
1/2 cup chopped nuts
Combine rice, mayo, eggs, olives and cheese. Mix well. Refrigerate until cold. Serve on lettuce leaves and top with chopped nuts.
hot chicken sandwiches
6 cups cut up chicken or turkey
1 1/2 cups finely chopped celery
1 cup mayonnaise
1 can cream of mushroom or cream of celery soup
3 cups grated American cheese
Mix all ingredients together. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes or until bubbly. (Crock pot may also be used. Heat 2-3 hours.)
champagne salad
8 oz package cream cheese
3/4 cup sugar
13 oz can crusted pineapple (drained)
9 oz container frozen whipped topping
1/2 cup chopped nuts
10 oz package of strawberries with juice
2 sliced bananas
1/4 cup champagne (optional)
Soften and blend cream cheese with sugar. Mix together with pineapple, strawberries and juice, bananas, chopped nuts and whipped topping. Combine the 2 mixtures and spoon into a 9x13 pan or 2 loaf pans, filling 2/3 full. Freeze solid. To serve, thaw slightly and slice or cut into squares. Return unused portion to freezer. Lightly drizzle champagne over salad right before serving. (optional)
strawberries 'n cream punch
1 gallon vanilla ice cream
1 2-liter strawberry flavored seltzer or sparkling water
1 package frozen strawberries, thawed
Add ice cream to punch bowl. Next, add soda and strawberries. (Hint: Modify the amount of soda you add depending on how thick you would like your punch.)
citrus shower punch
2 cups cold tea in the flavor of your choice
2 cups orange juice
Juice of two lemons
1 cup sugar
6 cups ginger ale
2 cups seltzer or sparkling water
(you may use flavored soda if preferred)
8 cups crushed ice
2 oranges, sliced horizontally
Combine tea, orange juice, lemon juice, orange slices and sugar. Stir until sugar is dissolved. Chill for about 1-2 hours. Add ginger ale and seltzer just before serving.
pink punch with ice cream ring
Non-stick Cooking Spray
1 qt. strawberry ice cream
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
1 can pineapple juice
1 can frozen pink lemonade concentrate, diluted as instructed on can
1 liter ginger ale
Spray a 5 cup ring mold with non-stick spray. Spoon ice-cream evenly into mold, cover and freeze until firm. In a small saucepan, combine sugar and water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, stirring for about 5 minutes. Let cool completely. At this time, you may remove ice cream mold from freezer and allow to stand at room temperature for 5-10 minutes. Combine sugar and water mixture with pineapple juice and pink lemonade in a large punch bowl. Stir ginger ale into punch just before serving to prevent it from losing its carbonation. Carefully float ice cream ring in punch.
bridal shower checklist
1 to 2 months before the shower
___ set a date
___ decide women only or couples
___ make a guest list/decide number of guests
___ decide formal or informal
___ choose location (home, restaurant, hotel, etc...)
___ decide buffet style, sit down or potluck
___ plan menu
___ decide on a theme (if desired)
___ order invitations*
*invitations available through Studio Invitations
2 to 3 weeks before the shower
___ prepare map or directions to event*
___ prepare and mail invitations with directions*
___ finalize the menu
___ place order for the cake (if applicable)
___ choose and purchase decorations and party favors
___ choose centerpieces
___ order special balloons
___ purchase party cameras*
___ purchase plates/napkins*/utensils, etc.
___ purchase streamers*
___ purchase prizes for games
___ order party rentals (tables, chairs, linens, serving accessories, theme decorations, etc.)
*map cards, direction cards, personalized party cameras, streamers and other party items available through Studio Invitations
1 week before the shower
___ determine an accurate guest count
___ purchase gifts for guest of honor or organize group gift*
___ place order for food platters/sandwiches (if applicable)
___ choose background music
*ask Studio Invitations about bride and groom gift discounts!
1 day before the shower
___ purchase food and prepare platters and/or pick up any special food platters ordered
___ purchase beverages
___ make sure camera has film and/or video camera is loaded and has batteries, etc.*
___ wrap gifts for game winners and review game instructions
___ wrap your gift
___ buy flowers
___ pick up cake
___ pick up any party rentals not being delivered
___ clean house or party area(s)
*personalized party cameras available through Studio Invitations
day of the shower
___ decorate
___ place flowers on tables, buffet tables and/or in restroom
___ buy bread or rolls (if applicable) and any last minute items
___ buy ice (if needed)
___ display foods out on buffet table
___ prepare area for gifts (gift table)
___ pick up or prepare balloons
___ set up tables and place party favors on tables
___ set out beverages, glassware, blender, ice, coffee and condiments
___ have fun!
