A bridal shower is one of those parties that are both fun and practical. The obvious reason for a shower is to give things to the future married couple that will help them establish a home together.

However the underlying reason for a bridal shower is that it's a great occasion for the close family and friends of the bride to spend relaxed time with her before the big wedding day. It's a time for sharing funny stories, for relatives to give advice to the bride, and for friends to show their support.

As the bride is the princess of the day, be sure that in your planning you don't do anything that will make her feel uncomfortable.

A bridal shower is commonly hosted by the maid-of-honor and bridesmaids.

10 Free Tips for Hosting a Bridal Shower Party

1.) The event is usually held within 2 months of the wedding, up to 2 weeks before the big day.

2.) Don't invite guests to the shower who have not been invited to the wedding.

3.) You should decide whether this will be a traditional 'girls only' event or a couples party, often referred to as a "Jack and Jill" shower.

4.) Any time of day is fine, but most often showers are afternoon events.

5.) Games that can serve as ice breakers for the party are a particularly good idea if a large number of the guests don't already know one another.

6.) Encourage the bride to register for gifts. With so many couples living on their own before getting married, it's difficult for guests to guess which things they still need.

7.) Remind the bride to include a reasonable number of inexpensive items on her registry for guests with limited budgets.

8.) Decide whether the party will be held at a home or in a restaurant or other locale. These days many shower planners now choose activities instead of the traditional finger food/gift opening shower. For example, many bridal parties take the bride out for a day at the spa instead of a shower. Or for an active Jack and Jill shower, the party could be a beach barbecue complete with volleyball, Frisbee, music and dancing.

9.) Unless you feel it's a must to surprise the bride, involve her in the planning. Ask her if there's a particular theme she'd like for her shower. Some popular themes include lingerie showers, kitchen item showers, around-the-clock showers (where everyone is assigned a time of day for which to select a gift) and travel gift showers.

10.) Don't forget to give party favors to all guests. These can be traditional favors such as small boxes of candy. Or they can be something that relates to the theme of the shower, e.g. drawer sachets at a lingerie shower. 

Free Fun Bridal Shower Games

1. ) Bridal Shower Trivia Game

Test your partygoers' knowledge of the bride and groom to be. Ask the guest’s questions like, "Where did the couple go on their first date?" "How did the couple get engaged?", "How did the couple meet?", "When did you have your first kiss?".  The first guest to put their hand up gets to answer.  The person who answers the most questions correctly wins a prize.

2.) Bridal Shower Marriage Tips for the bride

Give each guest a piece of paper and a pen and have them each write down what they feel makes good/happy marriage. When everyone is done, fold each paper in half and place them in a box. Have somebody pull them out one by one and read them out loud. As they are being read, have everyone try to guess who wrote each recipe. Give a lolly or chocolate to each guest who gets it right.

3.) Bridal Shower Hand Bag Game

Have everyone put their hand bags on their laps. Yell out an item and the first person who finds it in her bag gets a prize. Start out with easy things and make them crazier as you go on. For example, start with something like a driver's license and finish with something like safety pins or condoms.

4.) Bridal Shower Word Scramble

First make a list of words with a wedding, shower and a romantic theme.

Then scramble each word up. For example:

Bells - slleb
Rings - singr
Flowers - roseflw
Confetti - notetifc
Shower - wohser
Gift - tifg
Favor - forav
Decorations - creatonoised
Cake - eack
Centerpiece - recipetence
Forever - eveforr
Fun - unf
Finger food - fringe oodf
Friends - sendfir
Family - mylifa
Bridesmaid - dimesbrida
Hostess - shoests

Now write or type a list of just the scrambled words. Make a copy for each of your bridal shower guests.

How to play

1. Give each party guest a copy of the scrambled word list, and a pencil.

2. Ask them to unscramble as many words as they can - in say five minutes or so.

3. The one who can unscramble the most words correctly wins the game, and a small prize too.

5.) Cotton Balls Shower Game 

Cotton balls is a popular wedding shower game that's really easy to organize, but a little tricky to play.

You will need:
2 large bowls
Cotton balls
A large spoon
A Blindfold

Before the party fill one of the bowls with cotton balls - you can use white cotton balls, or a mixture of white and colored; and then give extra points for say the pink ones.

How to play:

1. Blindfold a party guest.

2. Then give them one minute to spoon as many cotton balls as they can from the filled bowl to the empty bowl.

3. Make a note of how many cotton balls they manage to transfer.

4. Then return all the cotton balls to the first bowl before blindfolding the next player.

5. The bridal shower guest who manages to spoon the most cotton balls into the empty bowl is the winner of the game, and a little prize.

6.) Price is Right Shower Games

To play this popular bridal shower game, before the party you'll need to buy ten or so household items - don't forget they'll make a useful shower gift too.

Here's a few ideas for your shopping basket

All purpose cleaner
Cloths
Furniture polish
Feather duster
Dustpan and brush
Laundry detergent
Fabric softener
Gloves
Dishwashing liquid
Sponges
Paper towel
Tea towel

Then make two lists of the things you bought - one with the prices and one without - make one copy of the no-price list for every guest.

How to play

1. Give a copy of the 'no-price' list and a pencil to each of your guests.

2. Then show them each item in turn and ask them to write down next to the corresponding item on their list how much they think it cost - it's a good idea to say which store you bought the item from.

3. The winner of the game is the guest who guesses closest to the right price of the most items. They win a little gift too.

* A variation of this fun shower party game is for guests to guess the price of each item, then add up the numbers to find the total of what's in the 'basket'. Whoever gets closest to the correct total wins the game, and a small prize.

Free Fun Bridal Shower Activities

Charades

Pass The Parcel (gifts could include bottle of perfumes, body lotions & bath products etc)

Twister

Bingo

Pamper Party (Manicures, Pedicures, Massages, Facials, Hair Treatments etc)

Adult Games (fun games that don't offend anyone)             

Traditional Luncheon

Lingerie Party

Bathroon Party

Pamper Party

Favourite Recipe Party

Christmas Ornaments (Great for Winter)

Beauty Products Party

Kitchen Tea

Cellar Party

Linen Party

Garden Party

Tupperware Party

Bridal Shower Themes

Beach Theme

Linen Shower Theme

Colour Theme

Romantic Theme

Kitchen Tea Shower Theme

Queens and Princesses

A Colour Theme

1920s, 1950s, 1960s (hippie) etc.

Witches, Fairies, etc.

Pyjama Party

Medieval

Evening Glamour

Undercover Wear On Top
 

Affordable Bridal Shower Favours

If you would like some ideas for inexpensive bridal shower favours, take a look at the list below. It includes some of the most popular bridal shower party favours, as well as some of the most affordable wedding favours.

Chocolates

Candy

Jordan Almonds

Hershey Kisses

Lollipops

Sugar cookies

Cookie cutters

Tea

Scented Candles

Soaps

Small Potted Plants

Bulbs

Seeds

Potpourri Sachets

Photo frames

Small note pads

Pens

Key chains

Bookmarks

Bath salts

Candy bars with personalized wrappers

Mints

Jars of gourmet or homemade jam

Tea strainers or infusers

Handkerchiefs

Small crystal items

Wind chimes

Mini Picture Frames

Cosmetic Pouches

Bridal Shower Food

Finger Food

Vegetables and Dip

Bagels with a variety of toppings, eg, ham and tomoato, chicken and avocado, etc.

Crustless Sandwiches

Samosas (Indian vegetable triangles)

Sushi (Japanese finger foods)

Mini Quiches

Mini Pies (different varieties)

Selection of chips, nuts and cheeses

Scones

Lamingtons

Fruit Cake

Mini Fruit Flans

Mini Cup Cakes

Fruit and Berry Platter

Pikelets

Chocolates

Note: Ensure that you provide food for vegetarians or any guest with special dietary requirements.

Bridal Shower Drinks

Mimosa (orange juice and champagne)

Punch

Champagne

Red and White Wine

Mineral Water

Soft Drinks

Tea and Coffee

Hot Chocolate

Best Bridal Shower Games

Catherine Rose

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