Plan the Perfect Wedding Shower
(ARA) - A wedding shower should be fun for everyone involved: the bride, the guests, and even the hostess. A little advance planning ensures that happens.
First, a bit of etiquette: the shower is usually hosted by the maid or matron of honor, or a close family friend. The guest list should include only people who have been invited to the wedding, unless the shower is hosted by co-workers. Showers are traditionally held a month or two before the wedding; this can be a very stressful and busy time for the bride, so make sure the date fits into her schedule before making all the arrangements.
Showers are supposed to help the bride and groom equip their new home, so theyre often planned around a specific theme: recipe showers, camping showers, linen showers, etc. In choosing a theme, consider things that are important to the bride. Does she love to cook? Consider a recipe party. Does she like to entertain? How about a stock the bar shower? Is the couple moving into a new home after the wedding? A tool shower can help them collect the essentials theyll need. Once you decide on a theme, you can use it to tie in decorations, gifts, even the food and games.
* Invitations
The theme starts here. For a cooking shower, send invitations written on recipe cards, or cut out leaf shapes for a garden shower. Make it clear if guests are expected to bring a certain type of gift.
* Decorations
Your local party supply store is a good place to start, and the Internet is also a great resource. Look for paper goods that carry out your theme -- a floral design for a garden shower, for example. Another good option is to decorate for the shower in the colors the bride has chosen for her wedding.
* Food
Showers usually involve a light lunch or appetizers. Tastefully Simple sells gourmet food products that make it easy to put together an impressive menu. Most of the companys products require only one or two ingredients to prepare, or can be enjoyed right out of the package. For example, the Creamy Wild Rice Soup mix can be used to make a delicious wild rice casserole that can be the main course of your menu. Or spread softened cream cheese on flour tortillas, top with Tastefully Simples Sweet Pepper Jalapeno Jam, roll tortillas, chill and slice into spirals for beautiful hors doeuvres.
The companys Web site has a complete selection of products and more serving and menu ideas. You can even choose Tastefully Simple as your shower theme. A consultant will organize a home taste-testing party, offering samples, easy meal ideas, recipes and serving suggestions. Guests can order for themselves and for the bride.
* Games
People tend to be split into two camps where shower games are concerned -- either they think no shower would be complete without them, or theyd rather visit the dentist than play them. Take your lead from the bride on this one; after all, its her party. Check your local bookstore, library, or the Internet for party game ideas. Chances are youll be able to find a game those ties in with your theme. For example, if youre having a recipe shower, you could play the apron game: attach a variety of kitchen utensils to an apron and have the bride put it on and model it for a couple of minutes, then leave the room. Have guests written down as many items as they can remember; the person with the longest list wins.
* Party favors
While party favors are not essential, they are a nice touch. Choose wisely, and your party favors can double as part of your decorative theme. For example, for a garden party, use small potted plants with guests names painted on the pots as a place card on the table. When the party is over, guests can take the plant home as a memento. You can also use personalized photo frames, champagne flutes or candles in the same way. If youre throwing a kitchen shower, send guests home with a tasty treat such as Tastefully Simples Spinach and Herb Mix, or their Garlic and Bacon dip mixes.
Use these tips to plan the perfect shower. Youll be a relaxed, gracious hostess and the bride will have a very special day to remember.
For more Free Resources www.dishadvice.com
Related Articles:
Wedding Ceremony Decoration
Wedding ceremonies are the most intimate, special part of the wedding. As it goes, wedding decorations are reflective of the couple and their personality. The wedding ceremony is where the attention will first go, and gives a preview of how the reception will look like.
Online Romantic Honeymoon Travel Planning Service for Guys Launches Beta Website
Busy engaged guys faced with planning the ultimate romantic honeymoon will be stoked. Honeymoon travel planning for guys just got a lot easier thanks to Blissport.com www.blissport.com, the experts in honeymoon travel. Blissport, the first company to offer online honeymoon planning tools and services exclusively to engaged guys, announces the beta launch of its new travel site.
Wedding Cake Design Through History
The design of the traditional wedding cake has varied greatly over time. Once a sign of fertility, the wedding cake of the Roman Empire was made of wheat or Barley.
Is Just One Wedding Ceremony Enough?
Not all marriages end up being happily ever after tales. Some, sadly, end in divorce even after the most elaborate and romantic weddings. Take, for example, the interesting weddings actress Pamela Anderson and musician Kid Rock had before their marriage came to a quick end in November.
What Unique Wedding Invitations Say About Your Wedding
It?s that time. Your wedding is just entering the planning stages and you?ve got a ton of work to do. Many things can easily get swept under the rug, including your attention to detail and demands for quality. Aside from the amazing wedding dress and flower arrangements that you envision for your wedding, there is another important item that you absolutely must spend some time on: your personalized wedding stationery and invitations. Below are some quality considerations that you will want to get right so that you can send the most fitting and unique wedding invitations possible for your special day:
Unique Wedding Invitations
Today's tech savvy couples are plugging in and creating unique wedding invitations on CD/DVD. These customized invitations use music and images, photo montage and video, to tell the couple's story and provide a personal invite to their wedding.
Slash Your Wedding Ceremony Bills
When it comes to your wedding services alone, nobody wants to spend an arm and a leg on this and still have to foot the bill for the reception. Really it depends on where you want to your wedding to be and what type of service that you are hoping to have.
Wedding Shower Invitations: An Overview
The purpose of a wedding shower is to celebrate the bride and provide her a moment to share with family and friends before the big day. Traditionally, the bridal shower is hosted by the maid-of-honor or the bridesmaids.
Wedding Shower Gift Idea
Wedding shower is a time for the bride, close family, and friends to get together before the wedding. It is a happy event but can sometimes become very emotional between close friends since as was said, it is the last time for female friends to enjoy each other's company before one of them gets married. Wedding shower is usually hosted by the close friend or the sister of the bride. During this time, all eyes are on the bride. This is her day, prior to the most special day of the wedding.
The Wedding Greenhouse Increases Options For Unique Wedding Favors With Coffee Plants
The Wedding Greenhouse, an online retailer of unique wedding favors, recently announced the addition of a coffee plant to their list of live saplings packaged as personalized party favors.