Unique Ideas for a Bridal Shower

Every bride dreams of having a wonderful bridal shower and spending time with her female friends and family members. Not only is this a time to “shower” the bride with gifts, but a special time to shower her with love and to toast her new special life as a married woman. Why not give the bride a shower that is as unique as she is?

When planning a bridal shower – you can’t go wrong when you start thinking of the bride herself. Every bride has characteristics that make her unique. Perhaps she’s always loved animals or made a great margarita. Or she has a great sense of humor. Or she’s a nature lover and very into living “green.” Each of these can give you great ideas for bridal showers – from hosting a margarita party to going to a comedy club or donating to an animal shelter as a gift to the bride.

Sometimes one special aspect is what makes a bridal shower unique. You don’t have to add tons of ideas to your bridal shower – remember that the guests are going to want to spend lots of time visiting with the bride and also with each other. Try having one or two special touches that make people go “ooh” and “ahh” and make your shower unique. Too many special touches can throw people off and confuse them.

Even if a bridal shower is “unique” it should still be welcoming. If the bride is a vegetarian – would throwing a vegetarian bridal shower be a great unique idea? It might be…depending on the guests coming. When 80% or more of your guests are also vegetarian, having a vegetarian bridal shower is a thoughtful thing to do. If the majority of your guests are not vegetarian then adding some vegetarian dishes and meat dishes to the menu may be the ideal choice – in order to best welcome guests. Remember that a bridal shower is not completely about the bride – but welcoming her to a new family and making everyone feel comfortable and enjoying time spent together.

Try these ideas for something unique and different!

• A spa bridal shower – have facials, massages or manicures and pedicures
• Get psychic – see a psychic or a tarot card reader as part of your bridal shower
• Get physical – invite a bellydance teacher or pilates instructor to teach everyone some great new moves
• Be thoughtful – give gifts to a charity instead of lots of loot to the bride. Perfect for the bride who has everything and has a big heart.

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Make Writing Your Wedding Thank You Notes Easy as 1-2-3!

Every bride is touched by wedding or bridal shower gifts. Sometimes it can feel overwhelming to see just how many family members, friends and loved ones care enough to give you something special. And then a bride realizes that she must send thank you notes to each person. For some brides this can be 75 to up to 400 thank you notes! This is a lot of thank you notes to write for any single person to do.

But thank you notes should be written and they are an important bridal task to be accomplished. Bridal etiquette says that you actually have a full year to write your thank you notes – but we’d like to think you get them in the mail a bit earlier than that! What brides need is a bit of a system for writing their thank you notes. Try some of our tips to writing your thank you notes and you’ll be writing them as easy as 1-2-3!

Set aside certain times to write thank you notes. Schedule an hour or half hour each week to write your thank you notes. Having a certain time to do this is very useful. Knowing you will do it during this time takes a lot of stress off of you and you’ll know you will get a lot done. Many brides admit they multi-task and write thank you notes while watching television or getting other things done. You could write them on your lunch hour at work if this was convenient for you.

Consider setting a goal to write a certain number of thank you notes each day or time period. This is especially ideal if you are pushing yourself to write these thank you notes and get this task done. Knowing that you need to write at least 10 thank you notes will help you work hard to write them. You’ll get at least 10 completed, if not more.

Take notes as you unwrap gifts of who gives you what. This is an important bridal tip many brides have used for years. To remember their great aunt gave them candlesticks or their old college roommate gave them an espresso maker. Using these notes can help you write personalized thank you notes.

The best thank you note is thoughtful and to the point. A thank you note doesn’t have to be long, it simply needs to be thoughtful. Thank the person or couple for their gift and say how much you’ll enjoy it. If they came to the wedding thank them for coming and that you enjoyed seeing them there and hope they had a good time.

Get your stamps and thank you note supplies all together in one place. A savvy bride knows to stay organized with her thank you note writing she’ll need to keep her thank you note supplies all in one place. Get plenty of stamps, a good pen and lots of thank you notes. You don’t need to be ready to write thank you notes and not have what you need available to you. Keep it all in a box or bag, right on hand.

Have a list or file of thank you notes to write. Cross of the names as you go. This will keep you from writing two thank you notes to the same person. It’s an easy mistake to make, but any bride wants to avoid this.

See! These thank you notes for brides can be as easy as 1-2-3! Happy writing!

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Can’t Get Over the Royal Wedding?

Here’s How to Bring Some Windsor Magic Back Home.

If you’re still burning with Royal Wedding fever, you’re far from alone. And if you’d like a little of that imperial glamour to spark things up your own wedding, then there’s no reason at all not to take some style hints from Britain’s It Couple. After all, as the Bishop of London famously remarked, “all weddings are royal.” Here’s how to make sure yours is exactly that!

Baby Bridesmaids
The European take on bridesmaids tends to involve pint-sized versions of our own. Is there anything cuter than a gaggle of cherubs in curls and formal dresses, tottering down the aisle? Nothing against the grown ladies we see here, but when it comes to the cutest entourage out there, we think the little girls have it.

Nature, Inside and Out
One of Kate’s special requests was to have live potted trees (and we mean trees … they were 20 feet high!) line the aisle of Westminster Abbey. This served to soften an intimidating structure, and brought a cozy “English country garden” feel to some very formal proceedings. Kate’s sisters across the water are just as crazy for tying the knot in natural settings, so if a garden or vineyard wedding is calling your name, just consider that a sign of your high-born taste.

A Demure Dress
Designers everywhere breathed a concerted sigh of relief when they saw Kate’s Grace Kelly-influenced gown. Why the excitement? The hope that brides, at last, will tire of regulation strapless. Kate’s lovely gown has the potential to create a tipping point, as interest in alternatives has been rising. Case in point? The new illusion necklines and tulle sleeves showcased in recent designs by Pronovias, Enzoani, Priscilla of Boston and my personal favorite, Claire Pettibone.

Of course, if you want the closest thing to Kate’s actual dress and not one merely dipping a toe in the same aesthetics, not to worry: you’ve doubtless heard that A.B.S. by Allen Schwartz and JS Collections (look for the “Duchess” dress) are both bringing brazen knockoffs to a department store near you.

Groom’s Cake
Brides went wild for groom’s cakes this year, and we’ll see plenty of them in 2012, too. Similarly, the groom’s cake stole the show at Kate and Wills’ wedding. Sure, the “official” cake was a tour-de-force fruitcake with 17 layers … but it was the death-by-chocolate groom’s cake (involving 35 pounds of chocolate and over 1500 cookies) that Prince William zeroed in on to satisfy his royal sweet tooth.

A Traditional Bouquet
VIPs have been known to be saddled with monstrous bouquets you can barely hold, but by royal standards, Kate’s was a modest mixture of rather unshowy blooms … and yet another homage to the humble English garden. A laid-back mixture of lily of the valley, hyacinth and Sweet William, her fragrant bouquet revealed her refinement all the more … not least when it was finally placed at the Abbey’s sacred Grave of the Unknown Warrior.

Stateside brides are increasingly on board with Kate’s enthusiasm for the traditional all-white bridal bouquet. Former worries about the bouquet blending into the gown in pics have evaporated, now that pro cameras pick up every shade and nuance, and brides are loving the traditional “bridey-ness” of all-white blooms popping against some cool green foliage.

Something Borrowed
As today’s brides strive to embed more personal meaning and DIY touches in their big day, the importance of something borrowed has loomed bigger than ever. Sure, yours might not be a 1936 Cartier “halo” tiara lent by a queen, but almost every bride can pinch something truly meaningful from a sister, friend or mother. The old bit of magic in this tradition is to get a love boost from a happily-married couple that’s gone ahead, so go for it: proudly wear your grandmother’s locket or handkerchief, your sister’s veil, your best friend’s drop earrings, or a scrap of your mother’s wedding dress that’s pinned to your slip or wrapped around your bouquet stems.

About the Author: FavorIdeas.com has connected brides with the perfect favors and wedding themes since 2005. From our silk favor fans to our wide variety of personalized bridal shower and baby favors, FavorIdeas has helped thousands of brides convey this heartfelt message: “thank you for sharing in our special day.”

Popular Winter Wedding Shower Gifts

The winter wedding has become more popular as time goes on. It used to be that the majority of couples married in the summer. But today’s couples marry year-round – with many choosing to marry during the winter. The winter is a magical and very romantic time. Couples often choose to marry in the winter as it holds many holidays and celebrations ideal for gathering families. You can easily have the family gather to celebrate Christmas, Hanukah, Kwanza or New Year’s Eve and also celebrate the couple’s wedding.

There are some wedding shower gifts that are simply more popular in the winter than others. It is ideal to give one of these to the wedding couple as it will always remind them of their wedding season and day. Every year as the time of their wedding approaches, they will use your wedding shower gift and smile as these happy memories come back. Your thoughtful gift can play a special part in evoking those touching memories – and even creating new ones!

Keep in mind that the very best wedding shower gift is one that the couple will enjoy and use. Don’t give kitchen gadgets to the couple that loves to only eat out at restaurants. Don’t give fitness equipment to the couch potato couple. You get the idea. A wedding shower gift should celebrate the couple as they are – and especially give them something that they can enjoy together or do as an entire family or with other company over.

Winter sport lessons are one of the best winter wedding shower gift ideas for today’s couple. Many couples are trying to stay active, and your gift can help them do this. There are many winter sports. Try looking at skiing, ice skating or even long distance hiking. Snowboarding may appeal to especially active couples. Match the sport to the couple’s personality and tastes.

Cooking gadgets are a perfect winter time gift. The classic crock-pot has been making a big comeback in recent year – this gift is a fun one for new couples. There are so many delicious meals you can make with your crock-pot, knowing that your meal will be ready when you come home at the end of the day. A waffle maker is another sweet idea offering an indulgent treat. A fancy espresso maker or very good coffee maker is another great idea. Cooking gadgets are terrific for so many couples, especially those on the go. Couples with children will also appreciate cooking gadgets as they will help them make delicious meals.

Holiday decorations are another excellent choice. Many religions have winter holidays and most couples will want to decorate their homes to celebrate the holidays. Starting a home together means sharing your traditions with each other. New holiday decorations is a wonderful way to enjoy these holidays every day during the season. Remember to keep the couple’s tastes and personalities in mind when choosing holiday decorations. This is especially a season when families create happy memories with each other – and your decorations will help them do so!

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Unusual Bridal Shower Favors for Special Day

Bridal shower favors are supportive crucial factor for your bridal shower. Bridal shower favors are souvenirs provided to the bridal shower guests in case to be thankful for their coming to a bridal shower. If you confuse what to opt for your upcoming bridal shower favors, just check at the.

Bridal Shower Favors on a Budget

Excessive or expensive bridal shower favors isn’t a must. Affordable bridal shower favors are welcomed and wanted as you must consider about your budget. You could buy several fun unusual gifts at the Dollar Store. Perfumed candles are always a welcome favor; almost everyone appreciates the value of aromatherapy. Be careful; guests who are allergic to scents or mostly sensitive may not welcome a bridal shower favor that is scented.

A good-looking notebook with a special new pen – a journal – is another great bridal shower favor idea. You could write a unusual note on the first page of all guest’s journal, telling them how much you appreciated their coming to the party.

Bridal Shower Favors Guests Can Eat

If you want appetizing bridal shower party favors, you could give bridal shower cookies and cupcakes. You are able to make or buy sugar cookie dough and use cookie cutters to form your bridal shower favors based on your bridal themes: cakes, rings, gowns, tuxedos, and umbrellas. You may also embellish cupcakes in the color scheme of the wedding. To reflect your bridal shower theme, you can discover colorful toppers to place on the top of your cupcakes, or get a little bride and groom to top each cupcake, just like on a real wedding cake.

Fun Bridal Shower Favors

You could also design the other fun bridal shower favors. Such as you could also give special old-fashioned statue, traditional fan, or magnet in various shapes as your bridal shower favors. If you are able to make the bridal shower favors by yourself, any idea would be accepted too.

You should give the bridal shower favors to your guests when they are about to depart, on their way out the door. Otherwise, your guests will have to bring their bridal shower favors around with them throughout the whole shower.

Adapted Gifts

To sum up, bridal shower favors is a kind of prominent souvenir given to your guests as the symbol of your gratitude for their coming. You could choose one out of those ideas aforesaid. To prepare your bridal shower elements, you could also ask for advice from a professional. Okay, it is the time to enjoy deciding the most suitable bridal shower favors for your unusual day. Have fun.

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How to Throw a Bridal Shower Surprise Party

Modern technology might have made it more difficult to throw surprises because almost everyone is aware of what is going on around the world. However, that does not mean you cannot throw a good surprise if you wanted to. There are at least a few things you can do when you are planning to surprise someone during a bridal shower surprise party. The following are some ideas.

Making the Lists Ready

You cannot do anything without having a proper guest list first. Send proper invitations to them, with an RSVP so that you know who will actually attend and who won’t. If there are adjustments to be made, such as some of the guests find some other day suitable than what you have chosen, try to make the changes. You also have to take their traveling into consideration.

Make up a guest list of the bride-to-be’s best friends and closest family members, the number of people that you invite is really up to you and how many people you think they would like to have come.

Zeroing in on the Date

The next step in planning the Bridal shower surprise is to actually set the date. This can be somewhat tricky, because more than anything you are going to have to make sure that the bride herself is going to be able to make it on that date, but without letting her know that you are up to anything.

You can speak to her fiancé to see what his opinion is on this, and if you can get a hold of her datebook or calendar, without being overly nosy, you can check to see what dates she has free.

Keep the Bride Occupied

One thing is sure – if the bride has nothing to do, she is going to suspect something about your little surprise. But if she is kept busy, she just won’t have the time to care. Hence, if she ! is not occupied in any other way, you have to ensure that you keep her occupied. That gives room for you to plan things out without worrying that she will come to know. Of course, she must not understand that she is being kept away.

Ensure that No One talks!

This is very important, because even if one person tattletales to the bride, the whole surprise bridal shower is spoiled. Make everyone you speak with, including the ones ! you send invitations to, agree that they will keep this a surprise. It is best that you keep the weaker people out of this secret until the nth hour and that you don’t tell anyone who doesn’t need to know about these plans.

photo by ciboulette

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Five Wedding Planning Mistakes

Just as with any big show, your wedding day will not be perfect – but that’s okay. While you cannot plan ahead for every little detail or problematic situation that may arise, you can arm yourself with some helpful advice to be prepared at all times for any potential wedding mistakes. But before you begin planning your special day, consider these five biggest wedding preparation and planning mistakes that amateur ‘wedding planners’ often make.

1. Not Budgeting Costs

It’s hard to believe, but true – many couples do not create a budget when it comes to wedding preparation and end up in a deep hole of debt. The very first thing you should do to avoid disastrous (and bankrupting) wedding mistakes is devise an itemized budget, allowing for the necessary requirements, such as a venue for both the ceremony and reception, food and drinks, flowers, favors, decorations, etc. If anything is left over, either use this money for your honeymoon or spend it on something a little more frivolous, like a horse drawn carriage for your departure from the reception. Read more

What Not To Do At A Wedding Shower

Wedding showers are all about the bride.  Sometimes you know her really well and the shower is a happy, fun-filled occasion.  Other times, you barely know the girl and you have no idea how to act, what to get her, or what to say.  In each situation and every one in between, here is a cardinal list of rules of what not to do at ANY wedding shower.

Unless it’s ONE OF THOSE Showers, Stay Away from Inappropriate Gifts

Unless the shower is designated for gifts of the *ahem* more intimate nature, stay away from sex toys and risque lingerie.  One famous story is floating around the internet that regards a ninety-year-old grandmother who was so offended at a shower gift that she spit her dentures out and stormed away.  We want to avoid offended grandmothers.

Keep Your History To Yourself

There are countless stories out there about girls who attend the bridal showers of women who are marrying their ex boyfriends.  Maybe that’s not clear, so let’s put it into second person narrative.  You’re at a shower.  The girl who is getting married is getting married to a guy you used to date.  Whatever you do, do not talk about your relationship with this girl’s groom-to-be.  It’s in poor taste and makes everyone feel awkward.

Other Don’ts

Don’t:

tell dirty jokes
get naked
encourage anybody else to get naked
get wasted
get wasted and  naked
be mean to the  bride
be mean to the bride’s mother, grandmother, sister, best friend, etc.

If you follow these simple rules, you should be fine.  If you think of something other than one of these things to do to offend people, PULEASE write to tell me about it.

Wine Theme Bridal Shower

A wine and cheese party can be a great way to get together with friends or for a special bridal or wedding shower, birthday party or other celebration. It be easy to put together with a minimum of work even if you don’t know much about wine or cheese! You can throw together a simple but elegant party without a lot of fuss and have an interesting theme to boot. A wine and cheese party may be the quintessential choice for an elegant bridal shower party. Women love to nibble and graze and putting out a beautiful spread of cheeses, crackers, fruit and wine (along with some bite size desserts) is just perfect. It is the selection and variety of these items that will set your party apart and above the typical wine and cheese bridal theme party.

The Wine:

Like everything else – serve a variety. Two whites and two reds are perfect.   For the white – offer one on the sweeter side (perhaps a Riesling) and one more on the dry and crisp side (a Chardonnay or Sauvignon Blanc).   As for the red choices – try one on the ‘lighter’ side (Pinot Noir or Beaujolais Nouveau are good choices) and a full bodied one (a French Bordeaux or Californian Cab would be perfect). Of course make sure there are non-alcoholic beverages too – whether water, club soda or the like. Read more

Unique Bridal Shower Themes

Whatever your bridal shower theme, you will need bridal shower games; find a book of games – Click Here!

A recent trend in the practice of bridal showers are themes. Themes are a fun, creative way to spice up a traditional event. Bridal showers are most than just a day for bride to help her prepare for the big day, they are also a time to enjoy the company of family and friends. It is important that the bride use the shower as a way to express her personal style and tastes. that’s where bridal shower themes come in. Here are some wonderful theme ideas:

1. Wine Tasting Party

This bridal shower theme is a great idea for wine lovers! It is also a way to include all of your guests in the event. If you have your wine tasting shower at a winery, the staff can choose which wines should be tasted. If you would rather have your party at someones house, you can pick the wines yourself or have guests bring their favorite wines to try.

2. Pajama Bridal Shower

Having an all-girls shower? Why not throw the party in the evening and have all guests come in their pajamas! Instead of traditional games, let your guests relax with facials, manicures and pedicures. These wonderful, relaxing activities will help alleviate the stress that the bride is feeling during this time.

3. Hawaiian Themed Party

Say Aloha to the bride with this fun bridal shower theme! Hawaiian themed parties are great for any bride who loves to go to the beach. Decorate your shower with tiki torches and bright colors and give each guest her own lei as she walks in. You could also hire a professional to teach guests how to hula dance!

4. Pink Bridal Shower

For the more feminine brides, “shower” the entire party with the color pink! Use pink decorations including flowers, tablecloths or dishes. Give guests a pink-colored candle as a favor. Also, no pink bridal shower would be the same without a pink cake!

5. Room of the House Bridal Shower

Another great bridal shower theme is a Room of House shower. Each guest is assigned a particular room of the house, such as kitchen, bathroom or bedroom, and they must buy a present that would be used in that room. For decorations, you could separate the party area into different “rooms” and have the bride move from “room to room”; while she opens her presents!

6. Naughty and Nice Bridal Shower

Have you ever wanted to bring a really naughty gift for the bride-to-be but were too embarrassed about her opening it in front of everybody else? Well, here is your chance. Everyone needs to bring a naughty gift, as well as a nice gift to be opened on the day. The naughty gifts however are put in a black satin pillowcase with a red ribbon and left for the bride to open with her husband on their honeymoon night while they have some more fun.

7. Quiz the Bride Bridal Shower

Put the bride-to-be in the hot seat and see how much she really knows her husband-to-be. In order to use this game you will have needed to ask the groom some questions before the day and got his answers either written down or on video tape. You then ask the bride these same questions and see whether she answers correctly. Find out how good their communication skills really are, or whether they have been too consumed with other things.

8. Honeymoon Panties Bridal Shower

Buy packs of plain white panties so that each guest has a pair to decorate for the honeymoon. The bride-to-be then tried these different panties on over her clothes and decides who is the winner and can take them all home to show to her husband on their wedding night.

Whatever your bridal shower theme, you will need bridal shower games; find a book of games – Click Here!

Written partially by Tamara Ford.  you may be interested in reading another article she wrote about Party Themes and Ideas.

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