Unique Bridal Shower Ideas
By Christine H.
A bridal shower is the perfect way to send off your friend in style before her wedding. However, let’s admit it, bridal showers can also be repetitive and once you’ve been to your 5th one this year, you can be a little tired of the same old thing. Additionally, bridal showers often include a hodgepodge mix of friends and family of the bride–great-aunt Myrtle rubbing shoulders with the bride’s college roommate.
So, in order to unite this diverse group, show appreciation and support for the bride, and make sure that everyone has a great time, here are some fun and unique ideas for the blessed individual planning the event (that’s you!)
Date Night Ideas
Encourage the couple to continue to nurture their relationship by giving them great ideas for date night–enough to last them the first year of their marriage! This is also a great way to get people talking together and sharing fun ideas. Either you can have everyone share an idea as you sit around talking, or you can have everyone plan ahead of time and think up an idea that can go with the gift they bring. You’ll be amazed at what creative plans the bride and groom end up with when you put together the heads of all their friends. Store the date night ideas in a fun little box that they can use later when they need ideas for new things to do together.
Branded Tees
Now, I know that themed t-shirts can be an annoying and kitschy tradition from wild bachelorette parties, but they can also be really fun. Especially when you make them branded, but not too specific. I mean, no one is going to wear a t-shirt with the bride’s face on it for years to come. However, if you can think of a fun design or saying that refers to the couple without being too obvious, it might just become a favorite t-shirt. For example, you might have a silhouette of two lovebirds together on a wire, or “Love conquers all” or some such thing, depending on the story and personalities of the bride and groom. And it doesn’t have to be on a t-shirt! Browse for a moment here for more ideas for blank materials you can brand with your cute image.
Share the Story
Speaking of the story, find a way to feature it at the bridal shower. It might be old news for you, as a member of the wedding party, but a
lot of people haven’t heard it yet. One of the coolest things about a bridal shower, I think, is the chance to share background stories about the couple so that (1) people who were there get the chance to reminisce, tease, and reinforce, and (2) people who don’t know the story get to catch up and then be more invested in the wedding. So have the guests say what they like about the bride and groom as a couple, or encourage someone to tell the story of how they met, etc.
Make Wacky Mad Libs of Their Future
Got some writing chops? Envision a beautiful sketch of the couple’s future lives together, consisting of jobs, challenges, kids’ names, and where they’ll live. Then cross out a bunch of words and see what people will make of the story when they fill in the blanks.
Do an Activity
Who says that a bridal shower has to be a chill soiree at someone’s house? Instead, you can incorporate the best element of a bachelorette party and go out together somewhere, or do an activity. Bake together, or do chores for the wedding that will help (i.e. tying flowers, stuffing envelopes, you know–those busy-work things that need many hands in order to be light work.)
Henna Tattoos
Did you know that the biggest use of henna in Indian tradition is meant to be before a wedding? The bride’s family and friends inscribe patterns and pictures that act as blessings and protection on the bride’s skin. Then, the bride doesn’t have to do any work in her new household until the ink wears off–a nice 2-4 weeks. Just remember, if you don’t have a professional artist there, you might want to relegate the henna to areas that aren’t as visible for the wedding party so that they don’t have something awkward and oh-too-visible on the wedding day pictures.
Interview the Groom
It’s always fun for the bride to get information from the groom that she didn’t have to obtain herself. You might want to put the couple to the test with the newlywed game, using answers that you obtained from the groom ahead of time. Other times, it’s more fun to just run a video of the groom where you ask him a few questions about the relationship.
Majenica
"Time spent with cats is never wasted." ~ Sigmund Freud
