Shower them with love! Throwing a bridal shower is a fun and warm way to celebrate a friend or family member’s upcoming marriage. But it can also be somewhat overwhelming. Fortunately, with a little preparation and a bit of creativity, you can put together a party that’s truly memorable without spending a fortune.

Think Themes

Picking a theme for the shower will actually make the rest of your planning easier. The theme will set the tone for the invitation, favors and decorations. There are lots of traditional themes: kitchen and tea party, romance and lingerie are always popular. Or, you could theme the party around the bride’s particular passion. If she loves the outdoors, make it a beach party or garden party. If she loves wine, consider wine-tasting shower.

Create Your Invitations

Your theme will determine the look of your invitation. It might have flowers or beach balls, wine bottles or teapots. Fortunately, you can create fabulous, personalized invitations with matching address labels right from your computer. All you need are Avery Note Cards, Avery Easy Peel Clear Mailing Labels, Avery Templates and some graphics that you can find on our web site or other sites online. Send the invitation out at least two weeks before the actual date of the shower.

Create Personalized Name Tags

Some people might think that using name tags at a bridal shower is too formal. But the truth is, it’s all in how it’s done. A personalized name tag can be fun. It can help break the ice and get the conversation flowing…especially if it’s done with flair. For instance, don’t just create a name badge that says “Kathy Richards.” Add a note explaining how each person knows the bride. For example, “I was Jenifer’s first baby sitter.”

Seat Assignments & Party Favors

If your theme is “stocking the bar” consider using small, half-bottle splits of wine as the party favour and place card for each guest. Create a label for each guest with a note from the bride, for example, “Cheers to Paula from Cindy.” Then apply the labels to the wine bottles and put one at each place setting. If you’re hosting a garden party, create a cone out of construction paper or foil. Tuck in a bouquet of silk flowers. Add a label with your guests’ name and place it at their table setting for a lovely memento.

Don’t Forget the Thank-You’s

Whether it’s a big, formal shower or a casual get-together, a thank-you from the bride is always appreciated. So make it easy for her. Create custom thank-you notes for the bride that match the theme of the party. All you need are Avery Note Cards, free Avery Templates and the same graphics you used on the invitations. To help the bride even more, print out a set of address labels for all the guests that were invited to the shower and a set of return address labels too. It will save her time when sending out her thank-you notes. The bride will appreciate your thoughtfulness and so will everyone else at the shower!