Hosting a bridal shower at home is often a great alternative to hiring a specific venue, and regardless of whether it’s budget constraints or the bride-to-be’s personal preference that has made you decide on an at-home bridal shower, these events can provide a more intimate and personalized experience for all of your guests. However, making sure the bridal shower runs smoothly can be a tricky process, especially if you have limited space in your home. Here, we’ll be discussing our top five tips for hosting a bridal shower at home, to make the event run smoothly and create great memories for your guests and the bride-to-be.
Choose the Right Venue
When hosting an at-home bridal shower, it’s important to consider the individual requirements of each potential venue to make sure the space can fit the right number of guests, allow enough space in the kitchen to prepare food and drinks, and provide enough room for present opening. If your home isn’t quite suitable, it would be a good idea to speak with other members of the bridal party to see if they have a better space for the occasion.
Once you’ve decided where you’ll be hosting, try to get organized as soon as possible by communicating this to any external vendors or suppliers – if you’ve hired caterers or a bartender, you’ll need to keep them in the loop and up to speed with any requirements as soon as possible. It’s also never too early to communicate to the rest of the bridal party and your guests where the event will be, just in case anyone needs to make alternative travel arrangements or arrange childcare.
Decorate to Impress
Next, you’ll want to make sure that you’ve aced the decorations. The setting of a bridal shower is crucial to the enjoyment of your guests, so getting this right can really make or break the event. If there is a specific color theme, like pastels, neutrals, or florals, this makes decorating the space much easier, but the main thing to ensure is that the room gives off a positive and welcoming feel.
If you’re working with a specific color theme such as pastels, neutrals, or florals, it simplifies the process, ensuring a cohesive look. Customized elements, ranging from inflatables to the cake are the keys to adding a personal touch. When it comes to inflatables, the possibilities are vast. Imagine customized air-filled products adorned with the couple’s initials, or elegant balloon arrangements tailored to match the chosen colors, that will not only enhance the decor but also serve as unique keepsakes, making the bridal shower truly special.
When it comes to bridal shower decorations, there’s no end of great options that can be found online, which can really help to ramp up your venue. This will leave a great impression on your guests, but also be considerate of the bride-to-be as you make her day extra special through thoughtful additions. If you need more inspiration, there are some great ideas for bridal shower decorations from Greenvelope that can fit any budget or event style. What’s more, Greenvelope offer a whole host of digital stationery items like invitations and other correspondence, so you can be certain that your decorations are unique but also eco-friendly!
Hire a Bartender
A great tip for hosting a bridal shower at home is to try and outsource potential stressors wherever possible, and a good way to do this is to hire a bartender. By hiring a professional bartender, you can rest easy knowing that the drinks are in safe hands, and the bride-to-be can relax and enjoy the event. This approach is always a hit with guests, too, as having someone dedicated to making delicious cocktails is exciting and gives the bridal shower an extra special touch. Extra additions like hiring a bartender or external assistants to help with the set-up of the event is another reason you should start planning early – there are different costs associated with hiring a bartender for a private event, so you should make sure that you have a clear outline of your budget before starting to contract individuals to make the bridal shower extra special. This way, if you need to raise funds from others in the bridal party, you can do this well in advance and reduce the risk of any unexpected surprises.
Keep the Menu Simple
Another great tip for hosting a bridal shower at home is to keep the menu simple! While it’s easy for restaurants to provide a range of dishes for a variety of guests, a smaller in-home kitchen may struggle to keep up with similar demand. It’s better to keep things simple, perhaps by surveying guests before you plan the menu, to see what people prefer and then craft a smaller menu to suit everyone.
To make this easier, you can create a menu that fits with the overall theme of the bridal shower, such as a tea party, with finger food and snacks that everyone can enjoy. Tea parties are a traditional feature of bridal showers and add an elegant touch to the occasion. Do make sure that you take note of any dietary requirements from guests, such as allergies or dietary choices, and try to offer a vegan option right off the bat to make sure no one feels like they’re asking for special treatment.
Make Present Opening Easy
Lastly, it’s important to make present opening as easy as possible if you’re hosting a bridal shower at home, as it’s easy for clutter to build up and things to become disorganized. Having a dedicated area for presents in the venue and having bridesmaids on hand to assist with the organization of the actual present opening is key here. One bridesmaid should be in charge of taking pictures to capture memories for the bride-to-be to treasure, and another bridesmaid should help with making a log of presents received, with a note about what the present is and who it is from. This way, if there are any presents from people who weren’t able to make the event, the bride-to-be can easily write a thank you note with a personalized touch later.
By following these top tips for hosting a bridal shower at home, you can make the event run smoothly and provide an amazing experience for the bride-to-be, leaving guests with special memories to treasure. What’s more, the at-home approach often allows for much more personalization by way of a theme as well as food and drinks, and you can also make sure that the event is budget-friendly to suit the requirements of everyone in the bridal party. By prioritizing the right venue, decorating with consideration to the wishes of the bride-to-be, and crafting a simple yet elegant menu, you can be certain that your bridal shower will run without a hitch!
