It doesn’t take much to throw a great bridal shower, but if you’ve never thrown one it can seem a little overwhelming! We’ve compiled some guidelines to help you throw the best bridal shower for your bride!

Who

If you’re new to this, the first thing you’ll need to know is who exactly is responsible for this putting together this shindig. Typically the responsibility falls upon the maid of honor. With that being said, nothing is typical these days! If the entire bridal party wants to be involved, or maybe your family member wants to throw it for you, theres no reason to take that pleasure away from them!

The second part to “who” is who to invite. The easiest way to accomplish a guest list is by asking for the wedding guest list. This will eliminate any accidents of inviting those who are not invited to the actual wedding. So make sure you include the close women on BOTH sides. This will let the family and friends to have some interaction and get to know each other before the big day. As I mentioned, nothing is traditional these days so if the bride is open to have her male friends and family there, throw them on the guest list too!

What

What exactly happens at a bridal shower? Think of this kind of like a baby shower. Getting all the important ladies in your life to celebrate this huge moment! Everything associated with a typical celebration is welcomed here. Games like “who knows the couple best” or “he said, she said” are almost always played. Swapping advice from the anyone who’s been married, and opening gifts. And of course no celebration is complete with a little food and drinks! Specifics should revolve around what your brides interests!

When

There are a lot of different factors that go into when you should have a bridal shower. The most common time frame to plan the party is around a 3-8 weeks before the wedding. However if you get too close to the wedding date, it may be harder to work around the couples schedule. On the flip side if you there is a large portion of out of town guests coming in for the wedding, the better decision could be to have it closer to the wedding day!

Where

While the location of the bridal shower is another open ended decision to make based on what works best for your personal situation. So, many times the shower is held in a home out of convenience of the hostess. But if the guest list in larger than your living room, it can be held in a small venue like a park, community center, or salon!

Photos by: Esmeralda Franco