5 Essential Wedding-Shower Supplies

Everything You Need For A Wedding-Shower Party

By Beeb Ashcroft

If you've been given the honor of throwing a bridal shower for your sister, daughter, or friend, you are probably wondering what wedding-shower supplies you will need for the task. Balloons? Cake? Gifts?

There are many aspects to a bridal shower, and the better you organize these elements now, the easier your job will be in throwing the shower. The following steps will show you how simple it can be to plan a fun and memorable party. So grab a pen and paper, and start your list with these five essential wedding-shower supplies.

Bridal Shower Essential #1: Identify a Theme
The first step in planning a bridal shower is deciding on a theme. Once you have a concept for your party, you will be able to choose décor, invitations and other wedding-shower supplies accordingly. One good choice is to base your theme around one of the bride's hobbies or interests, such as gardening or movies. Or you could also consider one of these themes, shared by Winnie Ying of an online bridal-shower favor store:

"Stock The Pantry" - For a "stock the pantry" shower, guests are asked to bring a favorite recipe along with the non-perishables needed to prepare the dish. Guests will enjoy being involved and sharing their "secret recipes," and the new bride will appreciate these items when she gets back from her honeymoon.

"Pamper The Bride" - A fun theme that provides a day of pampering for the bride and guests alike. Recreate a spa atmosphere by lighting candles and playing relaxing music.

"For any shower, I would recommend letting guests know what types of gifts are appropriate in the invitation," Ying said. "For pamper the bride, it might be a spa gift certificate or a pair of fuzzy slippers."

"Afternoon Tea" - Break out your china tea set and serve scones and petit fours. If the weather is on your side, you could even host it in your backyard.

"Tea parties are huge this year," said Ying. She suggests taking the wedding-shower guests to a tea house that offers an afternoon service for those who like a change of scenery.

And remember, your theme doesn't have to be too specific. A unique color scheme like turquoise and pink can create a common thread throughout the decor and invitations. Black and white is also a nice choice for a tastefully elegant event.

Bridal Shower Essential #2: Fun and Games
Planning a few activities or games is a nice touch, and keeps your wedding-shower party from having any lulls. Gift opening is a focal point at a bridal shower, so consider having a game to accompany this activity. Ying suggests Bridal Shower Bingo. For this game, guests are provided with Bingo cards (either store-bought or made by the hostess). They are then asked to guess what presents the bride will receive. Whoever gets "Bingo" first wins a small prize.

Make sure the future bride can be seen by all the guests while she opens her gifts. Judith Cheney of 4Showers.com suggests seating the guest of honor in a tall chair so she can announce each gift and who it is from.

Bridal Shower Essential #3: Fabulous Food
One of the most vital wedding-shower supplies is refreshments.

"Whether it's hors d'oeuvres, afternoon tea or a full meal, it's important to have food," said Ying.

Depending on your time and resources, you may wish to have the party catered. But cooking for the event yourself doesn't have to be time consuming. Finger-food buffets are easy to prepare and offer guests the opportunity to mingle. Deviled eggs, pretzels, small quiches and lady finger sandwiches are a few possibilities.

And don't forget sweets! Jane Jedlick, event planner with Simply Exquisite Events and owner of Simply-Exquisite.com, suggests using tiered serving dishes to enhance the presentation of goodies such as chocolates, mints and cookies. A beautiful cake makes a great focal point for your dessert table, and can be frosted in a coordinating shade with the party's colors, to further continue your theme.

Or for something a little different, substitute cake with smaller cupcakes. These can be decorated with the names of your guests, to help everyone feel included.

"Cupcakes are big this year instead of a traditional wedding-shower cake," said Cheney.

Bridal Shower Essential #4: Charming Mementos
Traditionally, the hostess gives a small favor to each guest, thanking her for her attendance. The type of favor you give will depend on your theme and budget.

"Practical favors are the most popular for bridal showers," said Ying. "Traditional favors include votive candles, picture frames and sachets."

But don't be afraid to have fun with it. Ying said the most unusual favor she ever received was a rice scooper. "It was unusual because it had nothing to do with the shower, but the bride wanted to give practical favors, so everyone got some sort of kitchen utensil. I still use the rice scooper today."

Bridal Shower Essential #5: Ask for Help
Planning a bridal shower can be fun - and exhausting. Don't let yourself become overwhelmed by the task. Employ the assistance of others.

"Every hostess needs to have some help," said Cheney. "Consider hiring a couple of high school girls to make sure that food is being replenished and clean up as needed. It frees up the hostess to be a hostess."

She also recommends having someone in charge of checking on the guests, to attend to any needs they may have.

If your budget leaves no room to hire help, enlist friends and family to contribute. Having an extra hand cooking, decorating, buying the wedding-shower party supplies or even addressing invitations will help ease your workload.

And don't forget to assign someone camera duty. You'll be so busy that you may not have time to get many snaps. Cheney says that a thoughtful idea is to have them take a picture of the bride-to-be with each guest, and then include a copy later in the "thank you" notes. This personal touch will makes guests feel special.

A bridal shower is a special event that unifies important figures from every aspect of the bride's life. For the hostess who has the honor of throwing this event, it can be both exciting and a little intimidating. But with the right tools, planning a shower can be enjoyable and rewarding. The steps we've just outlined will help you easily organize your wedding-shower supplies, and throw a party that will make both the bride-to-be and guests feel appreciated. Enjoy the party!