Spring Bridal Shower

Truth be said, I had not been to a bridal shower in over 10 years but when I offered to host one for my sweet cousin, I thought “how hard could this be?”  I have done a bunch of kid parties.  I will just do the same thing, minus eye patches and Spider-man.

 

I don’t share too many party planning ideas on the blog but the girls that attended the shower encouraged me to share my tips for creating a beautiful bridal shower on a budget.

Concentrate your decorations

If you don’t have too many decorations, it is better to choose a table to deck out than to spread out decorations throughout the room.  In this case I decorated the main table where we would eat and the cake table in our kitchen.  In the picture below, I used a long piece of fabric instead of a tablecloth.  I don’t have a tablecloth that fits this table when it’s fully extended.  Purchasing fabric by the yard is way less expensive than purchasing tablecloths to match the event.

 

Use small arrangements of flowers.

Flowers can be costly, especially if you are filling up large vases.  Just a few small arrangements can really dress up a table.  Some flowers (like roses) are prettier when they are a little open.  In this case, consider purchasing them a day or two before the event so that they have time to open and fill up your vase.

 

Use pedestals and risers to create visual interest.

In order to create a pretty tablescape, use pedestals and boxes (under the tablecloth) to create different visual levels of interest.  It makes a huge difference!  In the picture below, the cake is on a pedestal and the pedestal is on a large plastic cube.  The lace covers the cube and the small cake is highlighted.

 

Make a signature cocktail or limit the drink options.

Since this shower was more of a brunch, mimosas were perfect!  I added a pretty straw to each cup as a finishing touch.

 

I also had a bottle of pink sangria.  Anything pink made the cut!

 

I added a tray of cut fruit to add to the mimosas which also added a pop of color to the table.

 

Dress up a simple cake.

Cakes can be really beautiful  and really expensive!  I chose a simple white cake (purchased at The Fresh Market) and I dressed it up with a homemade banner with the bride’s name.  It still looked a little plain for the fancy pedestal, so I added a couple of tulips to the pedestal.  I love how it turned out!

 

Buy a few of confections that are fancy and display them on a tier.

I served pink lemonade alongside a small tier full of petit fours and chocolate covered strawberries.   There aren’t that many of either but enough to fill the tier and make it look beautiful.

 

It is possible to put together a bridal shower that is beautiful and stay on a budget.  You just have to choose wisely what items to invest in.

Here are some other ideas for bridal showers on a budget:

Send evites instead of mailing an invitation.

Make the food yourself and keep it simple.

If you put together a sweets table, add white or pink marshmallows to a pretty apothecary jar.  Marshmallows are usually inexpensive and easily fill up a glass jar.

As far as favors for the ladies, a simple bar of soap wrapped in tulle with a bow and a label that says “Shower” is a cute and inexpensive gift.

Print out a pretty picture of the couple on your home printer in black and white and frame it.  This is a great way to decorate and personalize the event.

Re-use decor items from the around the house to decorate.  The silver candlesticks on the table are the same ones I used last Christmas.

These are just a few tips.  What are your favorite shower ideas?