A Fab Bridal Shower: Several Ways to Spice up Your Shower

So you are the maid of honor and now have the daunting task of planning the bridal shower. However, the bride wants something a bit different and is not interested in the standard games which typically accompanies your traditional bridal shower. What to do? What to do? Here are a few ideas to create a fab bridal shower without the boredom. So grab the bridesmaids and get ready to start planning

1. Pick a theme or color scheme: In planning a bridal shower, you want to start with a theme or color scheme. This will be your focal point for decor, invitations, gifts and favors. As you are deciding on the theme , you should consider the bride's personality and tastes so that you incorporate them into your theme. Several examples of fun bridal shower themes for brides with various preferences are:

• Tea party- This is perfect for the bride that enjoys a more formal fare. Typically a tea party can be held on a Saturday or Sunday afternoon. Guests may want to dress a little more formal for this event. Tea cups, saucers and porcelain kettles decorate the tables accompanied by delicious tarts and finger sandwiches served on tiered trays. This event can be held at any location from a tea room, garden or home.
• Cocktail Party: A cocktail party is perfect for the bride that wants to chat and mingle with her guests without spending a lot of time doing the typical bridal shower activities i.e playing the traditional shower games. This event can be held almost anywhere. The bride's favorite cocktail can be served on cocktail tables dressed in colored linens that can be spread sporadically throughout the venue. You can even make it more "trendy" by making the cocktail shower a coed event.
• Desserts Shower: Imagine a room full of desserts, cupcakes, brownies, cookies, tarts, fudge etc. Imagine the centerpieces are cupcakes in various fun filled flavors or cakes in the shape of items commonly found at a wedding such as a tiera, chapel etc decorating each table. The decor features candy filled containers to match the linens and color scheme. The bride's favorite dessert is packaged to go and sent home as favors. This can be a fun way to shower the bride that has a sweet tooth. A desserts shower may also be less expensive than a shower with the traditional fare and a fun event to plan.
• Spa Day: I call this one martinis and manicures or mimosas and manicures depending on the time of day. If the bride is genuinely bored of the typical bridal shower and she enjoys the occasional pampering then you may want to book a room at a spa for the shower. The bride will have a blast as she opens her gifts while getting a relaxing facial or a pedicure. This makes for great girl time chatter. Ask your spa if they will supply food or if you can bring your own finger sandwiches and drinks.
• Open House: If you have a bride that does not enjoy being the center of attention and prefers something a bit more low key, an open house maybe just the thing. Invite guests to come and chit chat with the bride. You can specify a specific time frame in which guests can come out and shower the bride. This is a very casual event that does not require a lot of fuss, just a few hor' dourves and the bride.

3. Games: There are a ton of games out there for bridal showers. you may want to select games that focus the attention on the bride and really get the guests to laugh. We have asked several brides to share with us games that were a hit at their shower. Here is what they said:

• Newlywed Game Show: If you are throwing a coed shower you can play a version of the newlywed game. To play the game, you ask the women questions about their partner and vice versa. As each couple enters the shower, each partner is given cards with questions. For example, a question that could be asked is "What would you say your husband is most like: a roaring lion, a cuddly teddy bear, a devoted dog or a funny monkey?" The questions can be funny or serious but have a mixture so it doesn't get repetitious. The partner writes the answer of the question on the card. during the game, the other partner has to guess what the partner wrote. The couple with the most correct answers wins a prize.
• Gifts on Timer: Very simple game but can be a lot of fun. During the opening of gifts, a timer is set. Every time the timer goes off the person whose gift is being opened wins a prize.
  
• Naughty Toys: For mature audiences, buy several pieces of naughty toys such as a teddy, a feather boa or a whip. As guests enter the shower they will each pick a number from a hat. The number is then placed into another hat as the guest has to remember the number they selected. During the shower numbers are picked according to the number of naughty toys purchased. The guests with the selected numbers has to demonstrate with the naughty toy what the bride should do with it on her honeymoon.
• Another suggestion for adult audiences is a pole dance lesson. There are also many other exotic classes that may make for bridal shower fun (strip tease, fellatio lessons etc.). Please consider the bride and the guests prior to planning. However, these will be sure to give the bride and her guests a shower they will never forget.

3. Divide the Tasks: Don't stress yourself with handling all of the details. You may want to divide the tasks between yourself and the bridesmaids. For example, someone should find the venue, another person can be the leader of the games, someone else may want to send out the invitations, etc. You can even get the hostesses involved. It's much easier to have everyone pitch in then all of the responsibilities being placed on one person.
Assure that you keep the bride at the center of your plans. Have fun and I'm sure she will have an awesome shower! For questions about any of these ideas or to provide us with feedback feel free to email us at: askus@lefabuleux.com