Tips on How To Plan A Bridal Shower With Your Bridesmaids

So excited to share my beautiful bridal shower that took place back in February. Out of all the events leading up to my wedding, this was the one event I was looking forward to most. I loved every aspect of it from compiling a guest list, creating my gift registry, picking a dress and more. I couldn’t wait to spend the afternoon with my best lady (and guy) friends sipping tea, playing games and discussing our upcoming trip to Italy. Sadly, two days after my shower, the pandemic hit Italy hard and we had to officially postpone our 4/18/20 wedding date.

Keep reading as I’m sharing tips below on how to plan the best bridal shower with your bridesmaids.

Compile a Guestlist

This was the first thing my sister had me do so that she could send out invitations. She used Minted to create and print a beautiful floral themed invite that included the day, time and location along with my registry details. Honestly, Minted has the largest collection of invitation designs and I recommend them the most.

Bridal Shower Registry

I started this simultaneously while creating the guest list so that my sister could include the link to my registry on the invitation. I decided to sign up on Zola because you can add links from other retailers that are not on the actual Zola site to include. I had about 2 months at this point before the actual shower so I would add items every week.

Picking a Location

We scouted Madeline Garden in Pasadena the year prior and I fell in love with it instantly. I’m a huge fan of tea houses and frequent them often so I really wanted my shower to be held at one. We picked one of the private rooms that had beautiful Victorian style decor with a long lace tablecloth, detailed purple chairs and beautiful vintage mirrors. They also have other private rooms, an outdoor garden area and the main dining area which is absolutely beautiful. Picking a location is one of the best parts of planning a shower, I think it just comes down to taste, size and budget.

Picking A Dress

I spent hours scouring every online retailer looking for the most perfect white dress to wear. I ended up ordering about 10 from Revolve.com as they have a great return policy. This Lace A Line Midi dress by ASTR the Label was the clear winner for me. I LOVED the detailing, length and fit. I’m only 5 ft 1 and it worked even for my petite frame. I couldn’t beat the $89 price either. So good! Some other websites that I looked for dresses on that have great options are Nordstrom, Bloomingdales, Petal and Pup, Free People, Reformation and Shop Bop.

Decor

I honestly can’t take any credit for all my bridal shower decor, it was all my sister and two of my bridesmaids. I I created a Pinterest board for them a few months prior and told them my preferred color theme and let them run with it. They did incredible, I walked inside and was just in awe. If you’re a bride-to-be, my biggest tip is to research other bridal showers on Pinterest and Instagram to see what color theme/ style you’re looking for. Then you can coordinate with your bridal team and discuss different options with them. I was lucky that my two bridesmaids are amazing at decor so I put all my trust in them and decided that I wanted to be surprised on the day of. If your bridesmaids need some help along the way, I highly suggest a candy table and other interactive tables such as a floral bouquet station and a make your own mimosa bar.

Games

I think games are an absolute must at any bridal shower. Once you finish eating, it gives the party something fun to do as a group. My bridesmaid, Elizabeth was in charge of games for my shower and she planned them so perfectly. She even surprised me and got Raphe to create a video of his answers for one of the games! A few games we played included, creating a dress with toilet paper, the famous couple shoe game, which couple did what first and more. My biggest tip for this is to pick a bridesmaid who isn't shy, loves games and can create excitement among the guests!

Party Favors

Favors aren’t a must but they certainly do add a nice touch and a level of personalization that many people do appreciate. We offered mini champagne bottles and added a personalized tag with mine and Raphe’s name on it with the wedding date. The guests also took home candy, cake and candy pops from the beautiful candy table. I think they were most excited about this! Who doesn’t want candy and cake for later once the party is over?!

Sharing more pics below from the shower:

Huge thank you to my bridal crew for an amazing bridal shower and thank you to everyone who came to celebrate with me. I hope to celebrate with you all in Italy one day soon.

As always, if you have any questions, feel free to message me.

Thanks for stopping by!