How to Throw the Perfect Bridal Shower

In case your wondering about these invites, my sister calls her baby Peanut and her husband's nickname was Pigpen. So I searched the web for a Peanut's character in wedding attire. For Regina, I drew a cartoon version of her and wrote the RSVP info on her hand and the other information below.

So, you want to invite anybody and everybody she can think of, without offending people who weren't invited to the wedding itself. When it comes to those people, it's the Bride's call. If she wants them at the shower, have her chat a little with those people before you send out the invitations for the shower.

The first thing to do is get out the invitations. Directly left and above are the two that I used this summer for my sister and Regina respectively. Now, you can just go the route of buying packaged invites, but I think creating them with the bride in mind is just more personal. Plus, this can save you money. In both cases, I didn't need envelopes. The top invite was copied four per sheet on cardstock and mailed as postcards. The bottom invite was copied two per sheet and folded in half with a sticker closing it.

When making the invitations, these are the things to remember. They have to be mailed out two weeks prior to the shower to ensure time for RSVP's and for guests to adjust their schedule. I find that getting the invite list from the Bride is the hardest part of throwing the shower. So as soon as you and she have set a date, get on her to start writing! If there are other bridesmaids living locally, get them in on the planning and the addressing of the invitations. The information to include is the Bride's full name, the date and time of the party, the address, where she is registered, if there is a theme to the gifts being given, and finally, who is the hostess of the party with an RSVP phone number.

If you are low on dough, (let's face it, that dress she picked out for you to only wear once in your life wasn't cheap!) don't be afraid to either tell people when they call that you would like them to bring something or on the invitations, go ahead and write "pot luck style food is appreciated". Something else to take into consideration is alcohol. Are you throwing a party where drinks would be unacceptable to the Bride? Or is your Bride such a party animal that you could never provide enough beverages for the guests? In the first case, it's as simple as writing on the invitations, "Thank you for respecting the Bride's wishes in keeping this a sober event." Any words along those lines will work. In the second case, write on the invitation that you will provide wine, but the guests are welcome to bring other spirits. And don't be afraid to ask a couple of the key guests to pitch in with the wine.

Decorations I will leave up to you, but I do suggested starting two hours before the shower and do invite the other bridesmaids to help. Keep them included throughout this process. There may be one or two other close friends who aren't in the wedding party but really want to help. Let them. You will find on the day of the shower you will have forgotten a ton of things, or that the small stuff takes longer than expected. An army helps the preparation go smoother.

Games are the most important part of the shower. Not only do you have a room chock full of people who have never met; Bride's family, Groom's family, work friends, social friends, etc., but games also keep the timing of the party. The first thing you want to do is assign someone to be the official greeter. I don't suggest that you do it as hostess only because I have found that people tend to get into conversations with you (like thanks for inviting me is this your home, blah blah blah), or the dip needs a bowl, or there's not enough chairs, and you end up missing people.

The greeter's job is simple. Hand each person who enters the party a ring. I have used those little gold/silver rings they sell in every wedding section for favors (they come something like sixty in a bag), or from the children's section adjustable jeweled rings, or even spider and bat rings leftover from Halloween. Tell them that the ring will be explained later.

After you have waited long enough for most of the guests to arrive, have the Bride, no one else, hand out an 8 1/2 by 11" piece of paper and pen to each guest. I like to find some kind of theme for the pens and get them specifically for the shower so guests may take them home. When the Bride has finished, she is to walk directly to a bedroom or any other room and shut herself in.

Here's were you have to be boisterous. You need to have the attention on you and depending on the size of the party, this could be hard. So take control! First introduce yourself and welcome everyone to the party. Next, introduce any other members of the Bridal Party, as well as Mothers of the Bride and Groom.

Hold up your ring and explain the rules of "The Ring Game". Make sure you don't forget to mention that you, as M.C. of the gaming activities are exempt while performing those duties. Any other time, your ring is up for grabs too. I don't suggest trying to win though. You will have too much on your mind and the purpose of you participating is just to get the others going. Before starting the next game, instruct the guests to fold their paper in half and then in half again. This will give them a surface for each game, except Bridal Bingo which will have game boards you will have copied off for them looking like the one below.. (Get the PDF.)

Next, ask if they noticed the Bride has gone? This will lead you into "What Was She Wearing?" Try to figure out ahead of time things that people will question. For example our Bride to the left had her hair "up in a clip" as one guest pointed out to dispute my saying she was wearing her hair "down". Basically, you're the judge and the judges rule is final. But avoiding arguments is part of keeping the party fun and lively, so I suggest catching those moments before they happen and being able to think quick on your feet.

"What happens if there's a tie?" Quite simply, you can either give all winners a prize if it's a small number such as two, or have the bride write down a number between 1-100 and the person who comes closest without going over wins. My favorite is to bring a Magic 8-Ball and let it decide the game player's destiny.

After this gaming session, let everyone graze the food table again and refill on beverages. When everyone has had time to fill their bellies, the Bride can open her gifts while the guests play one final game, "Bridal Bingo". Presents can be one of the most time consuming portions of the party and can really bring the mood down. I've found that playing Bingo keeps the guests interested.

While the bride is opening her gifts, make sure you collect all of the ribbons and bows and tape them to a plate creating her bouquet for the rehearsal. If there are children at the party, have them kneel at the Bride's feet and deliver presents. If the Bride has a child, restrict this task just to her.

Finally, let them eat cake! Find the how-to for the man on the left in the Kitchen section of Bad Things!

If you're lucky, the Bride will be so happy with her shower, that she will give you an appropriate Thank You Gift.

Make sure that after the shower you mail out Thank You Cards to anyone who brought food, or went above and beyond in helping you put this shindig together.