Weddign ideas

Organising a Bridal Shower

Once being charged with the honour of being a Bridesmaid, it is now your responsibility to come up with special bridal shower ideas. Traditionally a bridal shower was hosted to allow friends and family to give gifts that would ensure that the wedding could and would take place, however modern bridal showers are more to do with showering the bride with gifts for her new, married life and so the bridal shower ideas need to reflect that.  A Bridal shower is usually a very girly gift giving party with friends and family and not to be confused with a night out like a Hen’s or Bachelorette party. The types of Bridal showers is more relaxed now and so you have the option of everything from a traditional afternoon tea to a more contemporary pampering spa day – but remember it must be a day that the guest of honour, the bride, will enjoy and one that will suit her personality and tastes. If you are feeling overwhelmed, the internet is a wonderful resource, allowing you to get great bridal shower ideas, find vendors and source supplies as required.

In times gone by a Bridal Shower was a surprise for the Bride, however since it is expected these days it’s appropriate to discuss the occasion with the Bride to determine the best day and time and the guests that should be invited. The Bride can also fill you in on the type of event she would prefer by letting you know her own bridal shower ideas. Once this is done it is time for the host to take over the planning and leave the bride to relax and concentrate her efforts on organising and preparing for her big day.

Once the approximate number of guests is determined and using the Bride’s bridal shower ideas for inspiration, it is time to decide upon a Bridal Shower theme. The theme of the Bridal Shower will allow all of the elements to be consistent and will pull everything together – the invitations, the decorations, the games, the venue and the all important food and drinks menu.  Some popular themes are Black & White, Parisian and the traditional Afternoon or Kitchen Tea. Your theme will then determine your Bridal Shower Decoration ideas – Black & White candles and napkins, Eiffel tower centrepiece, fresh-cut flowers… The organiser is usually a close acquaintance of the bride to be so finding a suitable theme shouldn’t be onerous. It will also determine your Bridal Shower menu – modern canapés, chocolate éclairs, watercress sandwiches… As long as you keep your theme in mind, making all these decisions will flow and the event will be cohesion and spectacular. Don’t worry if you can’t do it all yourself – delegate some responsibilities to another bridesmaid, or a professional – people will be happy to help since it’s all for the Bride.

The lead up to a wedding is a very busy time for all involved, so remember get working on those bridal shower ideas well in advance and schedule the shower about a month before the big day. Also remember to relax and enjoy the day – after all your hard work – you deserve it too.

Finding your perfect Wedding Invitations Wording

Usually the first indication your guests will have about the style of your wedding and what to expect on the big day will be when their invitation arrives. For this reason it is very important that the wedding invitations wording captures the very essence of your occasion – the tone, the style, the theme, as well as all the important details such as venue, date, time, attire and perhaps even a map or directions should your venue be a little difficult to find. These days the options for your wedding invitations text are endless. Traditionalists will dictate a correct text to follow for your wedding invitations wording which includes the names of the parents, however it is perfectly acceptable to choose your own phrasing. You can decide on the level of formality and how personal the wedding invitations wording will be. Overwhelmed by the seemly endless choice of wording? Don’t despair – with a little time you can easily find wedding invitations wording samples on the internet to help you on your way.

Your invitation and the wedding invitations wording will allow you to add to your chosen theme with your personal choice of size, shape, colours, decorations or embellishment and text. A beach wedding may have less formal wording and be quite brightly coloured, while a black tie wedding may have a formal text, traditional colouring and beautiful, classic calligraphy. As long as you have all the essential details, including how and when to indicate attendance or inability to attend, the choices are limitless and can be as unique and special as your wedding day.

Once you have decided on your wedding invitations wording and regardless of whether you are having your invitations professionally printed or creating them (do-it-yourself or craft-it-yourself),  it is imperative that the invitations be sent out within the timeframe of six to eight weeks prior to the wedding to allow guest to make appropriate arrangements in order to attend. To meet this timeframe and to avoid any errors or stress, it is suggested that you order the printing or the materials, three to four months in advance.

Once the invitations are organised you can move on to other stationery requirements for your wedding such as save the date cards, wedding programs, place cards, menus, and thank you cards. Sometimes not thought of as important or necessary in a modern wedding, a wedding program is a beautiful touch, allowing your guests to follow the order of the ceremony and serving as a memento of this special day. Once again, the wedding program wording is completely up to you – it can be quite formal, with hymns, readings and prayers or modern, perhaps including photos of the bride and groom and the story of your meeting, your life together so far or even your plans for the future.

Your stationery and wedding invitation wording signifies the beginning of your wedding and represent an opportunity to set the overall theme of your day – just another way to make your wedding spectacular and everything you dreamed it would be.