Congratulations! You’ve been asked to throw a bridal shower. That means YOU get to pick the bridal shower theme, location, venue and more, which either has you
- a) super pumped – you were BORN to throw a good party!
- b) overwhelmed, or
- c) both of the above
Often, one of the biggest challenges bridal shower hostesses have is choosing a theme for the bridal shower. Sometimes, the bride knows exactly what she has in mind, so always consult with the bride-to-be first. However, if she isn’t set on anything in particular and you’re stumped for ideas, we’ve compiled a list of some of our top five favourite bridal shower themes:
Aloha/Tropical/Luau bridal shower theme
There’s so much fun you can have with throwing a tropical aloha or luau themed bridal shower! If you live somewhere warm, plan the shower in a backyard to really let the theme come through. However, if you live somewhere like I do where you get four months of summer, you can still bring the tropical beachy feel inside! There are limitless ideas when it comes to throwing a tropical/aloha/luau shower (my Pinterest board is a good place to begin!) You can start out with a fun, tropical bridal shower invitation and tie in the theme using pineapples, palm trees and flamingo-themed decor. Have a fun signature tropical drink with some fun drink sticks and bring the theme in with some BBQ and other tropical-themed dishes.
Kate Spade-inspired elegant garden party bridal shower theme
We’ve seen a huge demand for our black and white striped, floral invitations inspired by Kate Spade this year, and we have to say that this
is one way to throw a chic and elegant bridal shower for the bride-to-be. Decorate with lots of striped, black and white decor, colourful florals, pops of bright pinks and corals, and hints of glittery gold and sequins everywhere. If you’re hosting the shower during the summer, consider hosting the shower in the backyard for a classy garden party feel. Set up long, rectangular, family-style seating throughout the backyard to encourage guests to mingle and eat. Food can be a fun, high-tea style spread – think mini sandwiches, pastries and macarons. A fruity signature cocktail can be served up to offer a punch of colour and vibrancy, and gold rimmed glasses could be the finishing touch for your ultra-chic theme.
Brunch and bubbly bridal shower theme
Champagne is always a good idea! And what better way to go off-the-beaten path and offer a bubbly bar and brunch with the bride? Host the shower later in the morning to change things up from a traditional shower. There are a lot of possibilities for this type of theme in terms of food and drink, and we have the perfect invitation and sign package to help you pull this theme together. A waffle bar is a fun way to do a main dish without too much fuss – purchase an affordable waffle iron and make a large batch of Belgian waffles to freeze a week prior to the shower. Then simply prepare some toppings a couple days before the shower, and you’re set! Mini quiches are always fun, and you can offer a variety of different flavours to mix things up. Fruit is always a huge hit with guests – you could even do a build-your-own-parfait spread in conjunction with the waffle bar. Feature different flavours of yogurt, fruit and toppings, like coconut flakes, granola and chia seeds, and let your guests make their own concoctions! Last, but not least, top off your spread with a bubbly bar – simply put out some elegant champagne flutes, put bottle of champagne in a cute galvanized bucket with lots of ice, have different types and colours of juice in some old-style milk bottles and chop up some fresh fruit to add into champagne flutes.
Honeymoon/Travel bridal shower theme
Between couples either living in their own place and having their own household items these days, or the many couples who choose to live together before getting married and accumulating household items, the traditional sense of needing to “shower” the bride with household goods is slowly beginning to decline. So, what do you do for the couple that already has everything they need? Throw a honeymoon or travel themed bridal shower!
This theme can be a bit tricky to pull off because it’s still considered in poor taste to give/ask for money for the bridal shower. So, here are some ideas on how you can still shower the couple while not breaking any etiquette rules:
- Get a copy of the couples’ travel itinerary and collect money before the shower to “purchase” outings they can do together on the honeymoon. Print off a voucher/picture/gift certificate of the activity and wrap it up for the shower.
- Send around a list of honeymoon-themed gifts that guests can sign up for (use Google forms – so easy, and you can add the shower guests’ emails to the document so that everyone can input their items and see what has been bought and what’s still available).
- If the bride is up for it, have the couple register for honeymoon-related items on their registry so you can encourage guests to buy related items from their list (luggage, beach towels, backpack, snorkel gear, etc.)
- Get everyone to pitch in for a more expensive group gift. Collect money from guests to buy the couple a really good camera they can take with them. Or, collect money and arrange to upgrade the couples to a honeymoon suite wherever they’re travelling to.
- If the bride is up for it, do a bridal lingerie shower as part of the honeymoon theme. Hey, it IS a honeymoon theme, after all 😉
For the rest of the shower, this is a super fun theme to pull together! Start with a travel themed invitation. Decor can be fun and simple – globes, maps, hot air balloons, travel posters, and vintage suitcases all make for fun decor. If the couple has a travel itinerary nailed down, try to match your food and drink to the country (or countries) they are visiting – for example, if they’re going to Hawaii, create some tropical drinks and a luau-style menu. For more travel/honeymoon theme shower ideas, check out our Pinterest board for some inspiration.
Tiffany and Co./Breakfast at Tiffany’s shower theme
There’s nothing much classier than throwing a Tiffany & Co. bridal shower, dahling. Encourage your guests to wear their favourite little black dress and pearls and enjoy an afternoon showering the bride-to-be. This theme is a fun and elegant way to shower the classiest bride-to-be around. The iconic “Tiffany blue” can be tied in with classic black and white decorations. And don’t forget the bling! Think rhinestone accents, fun engagement ring decor like napkin rings and ring cupcake toppers, and lots and lots of glitter. We have the perfect Bride and Co bridal shower bundle for you – you’ll get our printable invitation, decorative printable signs, advice cards and several fun printable games so that you’re all set.
Need an invitation? We have you covered!
Our printable invitations are the perfect way to invite your guests. We have many on-trend invitations available in our bridal shower section, and we have lots of classic invitations as well! We do all the customizing for you – all you have to do is supply us with the details and we’ll send you the files! Simply print on white cardstock at a print centre like Staples and trim out the invitations (Staples can even cut them for you for a small additional fee).