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One of the most important days of your bride's life will arrive shortly. A range of emotions have taken over her body: excitement, fear, joy, relief, worry and stress. Her bridal shower will be a day for her to escape the pre-wedding emotional roller coaster and have some fun … Lots and lots of fun! Oh yeah, and let's not forget the thoughtful gifts and words of encouragement from friends and family.

Let's face it each bride is unique, therefore each bridal shower should be unique. The bridal shower should reflect the bride's personality. It can vary from a tea party, a formal dinner party, to a Las Vegas themed girls night out. So here goes, Let's get started!

STEP 1

The person that throws the shower has several options. Two of the most popular are (A) Surprise the bride with a bridal shower or (B) Plan the bridal shower with the bride. As her best friend or a close relative, this should be easy to determine. Some brides may even suggest which they prefer. A bride may offer to foot part of the bill if she has a specific up-scale event in mind that is outside of her host's budget. If throwing the surprise party, scheduling is going to be your biggest challenge. The rest of your job is a piece of cake.

STEP 2

Once you have determined the bride's involvement, you will need to set a budget. An inexpensive shower can be thrown together for a mere $ 200 – $ 300, while an up-scale shower can be as much as $ 10,000. Here is an example of a $ 200 bridal shower:

1 – $ 0 = Location; Have the shower at your house instead of renting a room at a hotel or club.

2 – $ 0 = Food / Snacks; Have each guest bring a covered dish.

3 – $ 100 = Drinks; Purchase a 12 bottle case of champagne for as little as $ 100.

4 – $ 0 = Games; Most people have a deck of cards, Pictionary, Charades or other popular games on hand. If not, then you can borrow them from family and friends or invent your own "fun facts" games like Truth or Dare to play with guests.

5 – $ 30 = Party Favors; Favors for guests can be purchased for as little as $ 1.00 each.

6 – $ 50 = Decor; Shop your local party supply store for napkins, cups, table cloth, ribbons and etc.

7 – $ 20 = Miscellaneous items.

STEP 3

Next you will need to pick a theme. Your theme will be determined by two things; your budget and the bride's taste / personality. A theme like "A Day at the Spa" may be harder to accomplish on a shoestring budget. But, an evening of food and games is easily attainable. The theme will determine the location, decoration, entertainment, and sometimes guest list.

STEP 4

Chose a location convenient for most of the guest. Typically a bridal shower consistors of the bride's closest friends and family members sharing an evening with the bride before the big event. However, some showers are much more elaborate and or held at a spa or a hotel. Sometimes they can last for a weekend. For example, a weekend cruise or a visit to a resort. Yes, even in this case the host pays for the expenses of the bridal shower. The Location should be booked no later than 30 days prior to the event. Then, 1 week prior call and confirm booking.

STEP 5

Food / Snacks can be provided by guests if absolutely necessary (unfortunately, not all budgets are created equally). In most cases, However, the host either prepares the spread herself or has the event catered. Food choices depend on your budget and your theme. Try to pick a caterer you are personally familiar with or who has great references. If you use someone you have never worked with, ask to sample some of the dishes they will be providing. Do not wait til the day of the event and be stuck with low quality food.

STEP 6

Some brides may prefer a "dry" party, whereas, other brides may want a full bar. Your budget for drinks depends on the guest list, the theme and the preferences of the bride.

STEP 7

Entertaining your guests can be kind of tricky if you invited the groom's family and they are not familiar with the bride's family. Try to introduce games that will encourage the two groups to get to know each other better. A really simple old school way of doing this is to play familiar games like charades, pictionary or card games. Encourage the guests to introduce a new game they have played before or to invent a new game. At the end of the party, ask guests to pick their favorite game and the person that introduced it receives a prize. For extra small groups, a trip to the spa may be the perfect bridal shower. Since, most spas have bridal packages that sometimes include free champagne as well as keeping guests busy with pampering.

STEP 8

Guest usually brings gifts for the bride as opposed to wedding gifts that are for the bride and groom. As a thank you, the host or the bride (if she helped planned the event) gives each guest a small gift to thank them for attending and for the gift they bought. The bride also needs to follow up with each guest after the shower has passed, by sending personal thank you notes for each gift. The bride will also want to send a special note of gratitude to the host or hosts that organized the event for her.

STEP 9

Party decor can be found at your local party planning store for a reasonable amount of money. More elite party themes may require more expensive decor such as renting a roulette table for a Las Vegas theme. Do not forget your place cards and a center piece for a more formal theme. When decorating your home, you have the convenience of decorating the night before giving you more free time for the day of the event. When using a rented room at a hotel or etc., some hotels will decorate the room for you. Work closely with the hotel staff in making sure that the decor will fit your theme and that they will have it set up on time. Also make sure you understand what exactly is being provided and exactly how much everything is going to cost. Do not be done by surprise when they add a fee for this and a fee for that and those fees add up to a price outside of your budget.

STEP 10

Now let's put it all together. After everything is said and done, the event should be stress free and fun filled. It's a time to express your excitement about the upcoming wedding day. It's time for the bride to get helpful advice about being a wife or motherhood and much much more. So plan, sit back and relax, then have a wonderful time.

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Source by Mona Pigford