Home » Home & Style » Party Planning » A Beautiful Bridal Shower

A Beautiful Bridal Shower

© Becky Doland

Bridal showers: traditionally a gathering of the female friends and family of the bride to celebrate her upcoming wedding and "shower" her with gifts. This is the happiest time of a bride's life, and a shower honoring her should reflect her personality.

If you're throwing the shower, chances are you know the bride pretty well. If she has a passion for cooking, you might want to create a kitchen-themed shower. For a centerpiece, place a container of kitchen utensils on the table. The container can be many things: a ceramic pitcher, a large mason jar (if you can one of the old-fashioned ones colored blue, so much the better), or a utensil holder made just for that purpose. Put a bit of floral foam in the bottom, then insert a wire whisk and some wooden spoons. Fill in with long-stemmed daisies and a few sprigs of greenery, and tie a pretty fabric ribbon around the container or it's handle. For party favors, buy some pretty recipe cards, write them up with yummy recipes, and fill a basket with them. You can even punch a hole in the top, left corner and tie a little ribbon through it. Trim the basket with a ribbon, too. Everyone gets a recipe to take home. Small kitchen gadgets (measuring spoons, coffee scoops, tea strainers, etc.) also make nice favors.

Maybe the bride likes to entertain and throws a lot of parties. You can set up a cocktail-themed shower. Find a small box or block, approximately 3 inches across by 4 inches tall, and pretty sturdy. Wrap it in pretty floral or wedding wrapping paper or fabric. Set it on the table, and set a martini glass on top of it. Surround it with more martini glasses. They don't have to be a matched set, in fact, different designs and sizes might look more interesting. Pour a little water in each glass, and then float either a floral bloom or a floating candle in each one. Or mix - some with flowers, some with candles. Tie ribbons around the stem of each glass. Party favors can be drink recipes on cards, similar to those described above, as well as packages of pretty beverage napkins, glass stir sticks, etc. Use your imagination, and I'm sure you'll come up with a theme that will complement your bride.

Food for a bridal shower should be simple, but elegant. Make easy finger sandwiches using a small to medium sized, heart-shaped cookie cutter. Cut out heart-shapes from slices of bread, using both white and wheat bread. Spread filling between two hearts to make the sandwich, using a variety of spreads: ham salad, chicken salad, egg salad, etc.