********** GIVEAWAY GOING ON NOW THROUGH JULY 2nd!!! ***********
Don’t forget your chance to enter to win! Clay Bouquet is giving away a $25 gift certificate to her store! Just check out Clay Bouquet‘s shop and report back by leaving a comment here and sharing what you would choose if you won the prize!
Entries will be accepted through Monday, July 2nd at 11:59 p.m. PST. Winner is selected at random and announced on Facebook on July 3rd. Good luck!
******************************************
Roni Borenstein of Celebrationista Events is a professional bridal shower and bachelorette party coordinator and your expert source for all pre-wedding planning! Roni is originally from Long Island, NY and now lives in Manhattan. While earning her Masters in Social Work from Columbia University, she began planning bridal showers and bachelorette parties for close friends who were getting married. After realizing her passion for event planning and a knack for putting together flawless celebrations, she began to transition from the field of social work into party planning. Her extensive experience includes planning bachelorette parties all over the country, birthday soirees for clients of every age from 25 to 90, baby showers, and bridal showers. She is a pre-wedding party guru whose creativity and skills ensure that each affair reflects the bride being honored. Combining budget-friendly event design with DIY extras, she can create a memorable shindig from start to finish. Roni prides herself in great attention to detail and up-to-date industry expertise. For more tips, photos, inspiration, and planning updates follow/contact her on Pinterest, Facebook, Twitter, and her blog!
Bridesmaids Get Busy
Bridal showers came about many moons ago as a way for the betrothed to receive all necessary items for the newlywed home to provide for her husband. The bride-to-be was showered with household items that could prepare her for her new role as a wife. Although we still give kitchen items and registry gifts to the bride at her shower, modern-day brides are often a little older and living away from home before they’re engaged. Also, the “wife” role has changed from the time bridal showers began, and so have the traditions.
Bridesmaids: depending on the situation you may or may not be responsible for hosting or paying for the shower, but structuring the event is in your hands. The activities and presentations you organize at the shower are what really make it exceptional. Delegating and Do-It-Yourself are the two D’s to live by here.
You won’t be able to throw things together at the last minute so get the conversation going early and listen to everyone’s ideas. Before the invitations go out you should set up a maids meeting for the girls who are close and able to attend because no matter how busy everyone is, you need to be on the same page. Expect to have email chains that seem endless when trying to plan each detail, and if the maid of honor is a little sister who has never been to a shower, it’s okay for another girl to help her out and take charge; someone has to.
Picking two or three activities should be enough. No matter what, make sure to keep the bride in mind. For example, if she hates pictures of herself don’t do a video montage and if she gets embarrassed easily don’t do a lingerie line.
Some ideas I love that have proven successful:
- The Scrapbook (my personal favorite) — Get the guest list in advance and mail out blank scrapbook page refills like these from a craft store to all the bride’s friends. Ask people to make a collage of pictures, stickers, poems, inside jokes, or other memories and bring it to the shower. Anyone who can’t attend can still mail it back and participate. Assemble the scrapbook there and present it to her and pass it around.
- Notes of Advice — Have “notes of advice” and some pens at each table and then put them all in a personalized box. If you think the advice cards are too played out, ask guests to write where they think the couple will be in 10 years from now. After you collect them have her read some out loud.
- Recipes/Baking Basket — Send out blank recipe cards with the invitations and collect them at the shower. Put them in a personalized recipe box and throw in other kitchen supplies like an apron, personalized spatulas, cookie cutters, measuring spoons, and a wedding cupcake kit. If you want a book instead of cards, tastebook.com is a really cool way to collect recipes from everyone and have them professionally printed before the shower. Anyone can do it online and add pictures and a note to the bride, plus the bride has the option of adding to the book later on by ordering recipes or printing her own from the website. If you want to DIY and cut costs, collect recipes and some pictures from just the bridesmaids and have one girl put the book together.
- Wine for Each Milestone — Have each bridesmaid decorate a bottle of wine, Champagne, or other liquor for future milestones in the couple’s married life.
If the bridesmaids want to present the bride with their own gift that’s thoughtful and entertaining, consider this:
- Honeymoon Kit — Give her “just married” flip flops, monogrammed travel cosmetic bags, passport covers, and luggage tags for the honeymoon. If you know where she’s going get some travel books for the location and put it all in a monogrammed beach tote with cute travel toiletries and snacks for the plane. For a friend who was going to Hawaii, we all wore leis when she opened it at the shower.
- Lingerie Line — Have each bridesmaid buy a negligee or lacy thongs for future occasions and then to end on a fantastic laugh, the final presentation should be giant granny panties! Great for a bride and guests who have a sharp sense of humor!
