Plan The Perfect Wedding Shower

A bridal shower is one of the many wonderful "satellite" parties that surround a wedding celebration. It gives family and friends the opportunity to shower the bride, and perhaps the groom, with love, good wishes, and yes, gifts. For the eager host, it's also a great excuse to pull out all the stops and throw a fun theme party.

Planning the Shower

When it comes to bridal showers, there are some basic guidelines to follow. For starters, a bridal shower is often hosted by a friend, relative, or co-worker of the bride or couple. The invitees depend on who's hosting, but generally include the bridal party, family, and others who are important to the honoree(s), such as good friends and work colleagues. These days, the guest list can follow tradition and be restricted to ladies only or can include the bride's male friends and even the groom's favorite guys. 

Three things need to happen at a wedding shower: delightful refreshments must be served, amusing games must be played, and of course, the bride (or couple) must open every single gift. 

A note to the clever hostess — although a wedding invitation should never include registry details (it's considered bad form, as it's issued by the bride or her family), a wedding shower invitation is expected to reference the registry or type of gifts preferred, for the convenience of guests.

Personalize the Party

Choosing a theme or mood for the party makes it personal and special. How do you choose a theme? Think of the person or couple you are honoring and design your party around them. Consider their personalities, hobbies, or interests, or their unique love story — whether they've known each other since kindergarten or met in an exotic locale. Are they sophisticated foodies or the outdoorsy type? Once you have a theme in mind, tailor everything — the menu, decorations, and activities — to match.  Here are four unique inspirations to get you started!

Pick a Theme

• Bed, Bath, and Brunch: Wrap her in a soft robe and serve her a bubbly cocktail. Then, watch while she opens up gift boxes filled with monogrammed bed linens and luxurious towels. Serve your favorite homemade brunch treats or order fancy floral cupcakes and croissants from your local bakery. Play "Bridal Bingo" as she opens presents. Wrap up pretty scented soaps as favors for your guests. Extra points for filling your bathtub with ice and a bottle of champagne that is larger than a magnum.

• Tea and Table: This afternoon celebration can be classic and elegant, Zen-inspired, or vintage fabulous — whatever suits your bride. Serve scones with cream and little tea sandwiches, set up an interactive tea bar and let ladies take home their own blends, infuse your signature vodka cocktail with Earl Grey, and order sugar cubes with the bride-to-be's initials. And for the gifts? Think of what you need for entertaining, including napkin rings, table linens, vases, serving pieces, and other table accents. Extra points for arranging daffodils in teapots from the flea market.

Is the bride-to-be more of a cook than hostess? Click here for a bridal shower idea for food lovers.

• Workshop Shower: A workshop shower gets guests interacting together and is especially good for bigger groups where guests might not know each other well. Hire a local florist to show everyone how to arrange pretty posies (which they then get to take home as guest favors) or enlist a talented baker to teach cupcake decorating techniques. Host a yoga workshop, crafting class, or for a coed option, recruit a ballroom dance instructor to show you some sexy salsa moves. Serve light refreshments first, then have the workshop, then open gifts. Extra points for fixing up a single friend with the dance instructor.

• Love, Sweet Love: This is a decadent dessert or chocolate shower, where the gift theme is lingerie. For the right bride, it's the perfect combination of sin and heaven. Serve parfaits, petits fours and perhaps have a chocolate fountain. Then, decorate the gift table with fluffy high-heeled slippers and write a message on your powder room mirror in red lipstick. And of course, shower her with sexy outfits and accouterments to make her honeymoon all the sweeter! Extra points for making rose centerpieces in red stiletto pumps. 

For more shower ideas and inspiration, buy Bussen's Simple Stunning Wedding Showers, filled with themes, ideas, and tons of recipes.