Learning to Delegate

One of the first things you need to learn when looking at how to plan wedding is how to delegate some of the work. I understand that you’re excited about planning your wedding, just like I was, but if you try to do everything yourself you’re going to get overwhelmed and stressed out. I made a big mistake in not enlisting a lot of the help that was offered, and if I had it to do over again I would definitely use them. So ask a mom or other close friend or family to member to help you with such tasks as decorating name cards, addressing envelopes, tying notes onto wedding favors and other legwork that you’re not going to have the time to do. Trust me, you’ll still get plenty of time putting your own flair and personality into your wedding, and the help is much appreciated.

Get Organized!

I know that I harp on this for new brides to get organized before they start planning their weddings, and it’s not just because I like to hear myself talk. The truth of the matter is, planning a wedding is hard and there are tons of details that you need to know and be able to remember at a moment’s notice. So get yourself a binder or however you want to get organized and make a tab for every vendor. Make sure you have all your quotes, contracts, payment details, and even pictures of what you’ve ordered, a guest list, fabric swatches, pictures of your wedding cake, and any other information that presents itself during your wedding. You’ll find that many vendors need to know the exact colors of what you’re doing, such as a tuxedo rental, florist or other decorator and you’re going to need samples.

Have a Game Plan!

One of the first places you should start when tacking how to plan a wedding is to come up with a game plan before you even make that first phone call to a wedding vendor. What I call a game plan is a pretty comprehensive wedding budget and a rough estimate of how many people are going to be in attendance. So call up your parents and see if they are planning to contribute to your wedding and how much, or if you will be paying it all yourself and come up with a definite number on how much you have to spend, and do not go over that number.

Learning how to plan a wedding is tough, but it’s not impossible. Be sure to enlist some help from friends and family if they have planned weddings recently, look on the Internet for great ideas, and be sure to do your research so that you get exactly what you want for your wedding without having to compromise.

Keep Good Notes

In case you didn’t know, one of the duties of the maid of honor is actually to attend many (if not all) of your bridal showers and keep a neat and detailed list of who gave each gift at your showers. If you’ve ever been to a bridal shower, I’m sure you’ve seen someone sitting next to the bride taking notes and whispering with the bride as each gift is being opened - that is exactly what is going on. Taking the time between each gift to make sure your maid of honor has all the information she needs to make your bridal shower thank you notes run more smoothly later is really worth it. It can really solve lots of embarrassment and hurt feelings later on down the line if you forget to send a thank you note, or put the wrong information in the thank you note.

Do Your Bridal Shower Thank You Notes ASAP

This is one area where I failed miserably when I was planning my own wedding, and don’t want  you to make the same mistakes that I did. I would advise every bride out there to get your bridal shower thank you notes done as soon as possible. If not the day after the shower, within the week after the shower is done. That way the gifts and events of the day are kept fresh in your mind. Not only that, but it also saves you a lot of time later when you are working on the thank you notes for all the gifts and money that are brought to your wedding. You may think that your bridal shower thank you notes are something that you can put off until later - but if you choose to do that you’ll find yourself really bogged down by the amount of work that you have to do to get them done.

By taking just a few organizational steps before and after your bridal shower, and really in all of your wedding planning, you can easily save yourself loads of time and stress. The area of bridal shower thank you notes may seem like a small thing - but it really adds up in the end. Trust me - I’ve been there, and I don’t want to see it happen to you!

Sometimes it can be hard finding the perfect bridal shower invitation wording, but you need to come up with something cute that the bride and her guests will cherish and remember. I know how that when you’re trying to think of some kind of witty wedding shower invitation wording that sometimes your mind just sort of hits a brick wall. So if you’re planning a wedding shower and need some help with the perfect invitation wording for your wedding shower, here are some great commonly used verses and rhymes to help you get started. Use them to spur your own creativity, or simply change the names and copy them down, makes no difference to me. I had fun looking them up.

**Rachel is getting married - Who would have thought?/Let’s throw her a party before she ties the knot!

**Thomas and Rachel will soon have their wedding/Down the aisle is where they are heading/Before they become husband and wife/Let’s shower them with love for their new life

**They’ve bought the dress and ordered a cake/And anxious about the vows they will make/To help pass the time and shorten the wait/We’re throwing a shower and here is the date.

**Rachel’s all grown up/And giggling with glee/Please join us to honor/Our sweet bride-to-be!

**Rachel’s wedding is soon on the way/Lets help her relax before the big day!
As with any kind of bridal shower invitation wording, you need to include the location, date and time along with any RSVP information and what to bring. If you’re having a couple shower or shower with a particular theme, you need to indicate any information that all of your guests will need to know to make the wedding shower ultra fun and memorable for the bride.  It seems that coming up with bridal shower invitation wording is something that makes many party planners and wedding shower planners nervous, and that shouldn’t be the case at all. The right invitation wording for a bridal shower should not be the most difficult part of planning  a wedding shower for your friend, so take a deep breath and just have fun with it. If you have any fun examples of bridal shower invitation wording you’d like to share, please write in and let me know!

But with our economy the way it is, it’s important for people throwing a wedding shower for a friend or family member to look for as many ways to save money as they can. While some expenses of a wedding shower are unavoidable, free wedding shower games can provide a bunch of great entertainment without any further expense for the hostess or bride.  So here are some great free wedding shower games that are a little bit different from the rest to help your wedding shower really stand out from the rest of them.

Free Wedding Shower Games

I Want You To:

This free wedding shower game makes me laugh without even having played it before. Have every lady write down on a piece of paper something that they would like the bride to do, such as sing a song, doing jumping jacks, barking like a dog, her best imitation of Tarzan or anything else they can come up with, and make sure that every lady puts her name on their card. Once all the papers are turned in, the bride looks at each card and name. Then, the maid of honor or whoever is in charge should make the announcement that the real purpose of the game had not been previously revealed, and that everyone must perform what they have written down for the bride to do. This free wedding shower game sounds like it would be a lot of fun, especially watching everyone’s faces as they remember what they wrote down.

Notice The Bride:

Of all the free wedding shower games, this one sounds like the easiest to put together, as there isn’t any prior planning needed. All that you need is the bride, some pieces of paper and pens/pencils. At some point during the wedding shower, ask the bride to leave the room for five minutes. Then, pass out the paper and pencils and have the guests name everything that the bride to be was wearing from head to toe. Once the time is up, ask the bride to come back in and watch everyone’s faces when they realize that they got  it wrong.  Whichever guest has all of the attire and accessories correct will win a prize.

A Trip Down Memory Lane:

This is a great game, and a sentimental favorite. When you send out your wedding shower invitations, include a blank note card along with a request to write down her favorite memory of the bride, groom or the couple together. Keep the cards a secret from the bride. At the shower, read each memory out loud and ask the bride to guess what guest wrote it down. You can use childhood memories, milestone moments, or merely something in passing. The person who writes down the memory that the bride can’t guess win’s a prize. Everyone gets to enjoy hearing th memories, and the bride gets a great trip down memory lane, and cards that she can keep and treasure for always.

There are lots of great free wedding shower games you can use to help make your wedding shower something really special. Do your reasearch, and most importantly, don’t choose a wedding shower game that will embarrass or offend anyone in attendance, especially the bride.

The Pajama Wedding Shower Theme

A fun idea for wedding shower themes are pajamas. Sounds crazy, but it also sounds like fun, depending on who is on the invitation list. Ask your guests to show up in their (clean and un-slept in of course!) pajamas. Your snacks can be centered around a sleepover, such as with microwave popcorn, candy and cookies, chips and sodas. Ask your guests to bring gifts that are centered around sleeping, such as pajama sets for the bride and groom, alarm clocks, sheets, comforters, electric blankets, and anything else they can think of. Wedding showers are meant to be a time of relaxation for the bride, and this is a great idea to help her do just that!

The Pampering Wedding Shower Theme

Another great idea for wedding shower themes is to get pampered! Ask around for a local Mary Kay salesperson, or masseuse in training and ask them to come and give demonstrations and pampering to your wedding shower guests. Bring some foot spas for guests, and hire someone you know is good to give pedicures and paint nails. Be sure that all your guests understand if tips need to be given for anyone you’re bringing in. Decorate your space with calming colors and scents, use incense if you like and flowers. You can ask your guests to pitch in to cover a special pampering day for the bride, or to cover her hair and make up wedding day expenses.

The Helper Wedding Shower Theme

Okay, so I made this one up, and named it, so don’t try and find it anywhere else. I was thinking about all the stuff brides have to buy for their wedding and it got me thinking. Why not have a wedding shower theme which helps the bride collect everything she needs for her wedding reception? Instead of gifts from her wedding registry, ask the guests to supply gifts of things she will need for her wedding, such as wedding cake toppers, paper plates and napkins, cake servers, toasting glasses, a unity candle, guest book, gift certificates for the wedding invitations or programs, and even mints or wedding favors. Talk to the maid of honor to see what the bride is looking at purchasing to help you make all the right choices. The bride is sure to appreciate the help on her budget, and what a great way to save her some stress as well!

The Pet Wedding Shower Theme

If the bride has a dog or pet that they love like their own children, then you can always have a pet wedding shower theme. Invite all the guests to bring their pets. Make sure you have a pet friendly area, you can have pet and human snacks and games with pets and their owners. Ask your guests to bring pet related gifts for the bride, new collars or leashes, pet carriers, gift certificates to pet stores, and even outfits for the animals. Any pet loving bride is sure to love it.

Wedding shower themes can really be a lot of fun if you put some thought and imagination into them, and they don’t really have to cost a fortune if you do it right either. Wedding shower themes can focus on the shared interests of the couple, such as sports or hobbies, or even favorite colors. You can also find some great wedding shower themes by looking at what kind of wedding or honeymoon they’re going to have. The bride is sure to appreciate the time and effort you’re putting in, as well as have a great time!

Wedding Shower Themes with Paper

One great idea that I got from a coworker several years ago was a paper wedding shower theme. With a paper wedding shower theme, all of the guests are invited to bring only paper products as gifts for the bride and groom. This really helps the bride and groom stock their pantry with necessary paper products that they won’t need to worry about making those purchases later. Examples of gifts for a paper wedding shower theme includes (but of course isn’t limited to) toilet paper, paper towels, napkins, wrapping paper, shelf liners and more!

The English Tea Wedding Shower Theme

Back in the day, wedding showers used to be a formal tea with close friends and family of the bride and groom, and definitely women only. Wedding showers have gotten much more informal lately, but why not resurrect it with some wedding shower themes around an English Tea? Hold your wedding shower in somone’s backyard or garden, serve fancy finger foods, small gourmet salads, and of course, a large variety of specialty flavored hot and cold teas and coffees.

Wedding Shower Themes for Sports Fans

If the bride has a favorite sports or sports team, why not celebrate her team with your bridal shower! Hang some jersey’s up on the walls, along with some posters of her favorite team. Serve some great snacks related to their sports team, and play some who-knew games about the team and it’s players.

A Chocolate Wedding Shower Theme!!

I love this idea. In fact, I may have just made it up. For the real chocoholics inyour life, a chocolate wedding shower theme may be the perfect wedding shower for them. Have  chocolate covered pretzels, a chocolate fondue with lots of dipping fruit, marshmallows, and graham crackers, and even a  chocolate tasting with the light, milk and dark chocolates, along with special flavors.  Decorations can be classy or formal. What a fun idea for everyone involved!

Wedding shower themes are such a great way to liven up an ordinary party and make it truly all about the bride. Like I’ve said before, wedding shower themes can be as simple as choosing a color to center around, or as extreme as a tropical wedding shower theme which can transport your guests to another country. So keep thinking of great wedding shower theme ideas, and send me some if you have any to share!

Wedding Shower Decorations Should Follow Your Theme

One of the first things you need to do when sitting down to plan your wedding shower and start looking for wedding shower decorations is to choose a theme. It doesn’t have to be focused on the wedding, or the same theme the bride is using for her wedding. Your theme doesn’t have to be big and extravagant, but something as simple as choosing a couple of colors to focus your decorations around. Or, if you want to do something a little more exciting, choose to center your wedding shower decorations around a particular place, such as Paris, Hawaii, Poolside, or even a sports bar. So if your theme is a location, such as Hawaii, put up some beautiful posters of palm trees and ocean views, put out some tiki torches, pineapples, coconuts, put on some Hawaiian music, and pass out grass skirts and coconut bras to everyone in attendance (to put on over their clothes if they wish - this also makes a great favor!). Once you decide on your ideas for a wedding shower theme, ideas for your wedding shower decorations should instantly follow.

Wedding Shower Decorations with Food!

Don’t forget the snacks! Many people don’t realize that they can use their wedding shower snacks as part of their wedding shower decorations as well. There are some great recipes and finger foods that can be made beautifully to match certain colors, chocolate fondue which looks and smells great, and of course, the wedding shower cake. Also, one of my new favorites is changing out the wedding shower cake for colorful cupcakes. A new trend on this is to bake your cupcakes inside of ice cream cones, and then use frosting, sprinkles and cherries to make them look like ice cream cones - and they taste great! So do your research and let your snacks go along with your theme, and of course, add to the overall magic of the shower you’re planning.

You know, it always amazes me just how much a little bit of effort and imagination can go when it comes to planning wedding shower decorations. Most people want to put everything off until the last minute, and then be disappointed when it doesn’t turn out the way that they wanted it to. But if you just put a little bit of effort into planning your wedding shower, and of course, your wedding shower decorations, then everyone will always remember your efforts and the bride will have some wonderful memories the rest of her life.

Bridal Shower Games with Famous Couples

Of all the bridal shower games out there, this one is really simple to put together, and it works as a great icebreaker as well. To get this started, make a list of at least 20 - 25 famous TV couples, such as Fred and Wilma Flintstone, Betty an Barney Rubble. Then, pass out a piece of paper and pencil to each lady, and call out only one of the names of the couple, and have the guests fill in the name of the other person. The lady with the most correct names at the end wins the game. An alternate way to play the game is to put a sticker on the back of each lady with one of the names of the couples, and have her go around asking questions to find out who she is and find her pair.

Touch and Feel Bridal Shower Game

To prepare for this bridal shower game, place several ordinary household items such as a remote control, large fork, light bulb, spatula, and so on, in a small cloth bag, or bag that is not see through. Then, at the bridal shower, pass out a piece of paper and pencil to each lady. Pass each bag around and have each lady feel the bag and guess on their paper what each item is. The lady with the most correct items wins the game.

Bridal Shower Games with Toilet Paper

Yes toilet paper. Split the ladies up into groups with one volunteer to be the model, and be sure to bring lots of rolls of toilet paper so everyone has enough material to work with. Assign each group with the task of creating a beautiful wedding dress from the toilet paper, and putting it on the model. Give them about thirty minutes or so, and then let the model’s show off their team’s fashion choice. The bride gets to choose the winner. This can be a really fun game, and is one of the classics in bridal shower games.

Bridal shower games are great fun, and to me a bridal shower just isn’t the same without some great bridal shower games to go along with it. Bridal shower games are fun for both the bride and her guests alike, and will really help everyone to have a great time at your bridal shower. It only takes a few minutes to put together some of these great bridal shower games, and trust me, your guests will really appreciate it.

A Bible Scavenger Hunt

This is one of the favorites for Christian bridal shower games, it’s one of my favorites, and shows just how well people know their Bibles. Ask everyone to bring a bible, and the split your guests into teams of four.

Then, read off a list of verses or stories for them to find as a team. The first team to find the reference and read it out loud wins a point, and at the end the winners should receive some kind of prize. Some great examples of things to find include any reference about marriage, a description of heaven, any reference to a party, and much more! This game gets really fun, and is a great choice for Christian bridal shower games.

Bible Couples

Another great option for Christian bridal shower games is to test your knowledge about famous biblical couples.  In this game, each lady gets a sheet of paper and a time of anywhere from one to three minutes to write down as many biblical couples as she can. The lady with the most couples wins.  You’ll be surprised by some of the couples people write down!

Pin the Tail…er Bouquet…on the Bride

There are so many variations to do this game, that you can quickly become one of your favorite Christian bridal shower games. In this suggestion of mine, to keep the game clean, I suggest drawing a picture of a giant bride on a piece of paper, or even blowing up a large picture of the bride. Then, create small cutouts of a bouquet, tiara, a ring, big red lips, a veil, wedding dress, earrings, a necklace, and any other number of things that you can think of. Blindfold each lady and have them spin around several times and then try to place their objects  in the right place on the bride. You may need to reuse some items, so create a couple of each, and see who gets the closest. Take a picture of the finished product for the bride as a keepsake, and you’ll find it will be a lot of fun to see where everything ends up.

There are plenty of fun games that you can play that aren’t the least bit dirty of inappropriate for children and grandparent’s who may be attendance. Christian bridal shower games is a great way to have a lot of fun without any kind of embarrassment for the bride or her family members, and will help ensure that everybody has a great time!

Candle Wedding Table Decorations - Whether in the afternoon or evening, a candle centerpiece will cast a romantic glow on your reception. This can be done several ways.

You can get some large glass bowls and float candles at the top, while filling the bottom with either fruit slices, flower petals, goldfish or anything colorful that could compliment your wedding colors. If you don’t like floating candles, buy large vases and fill bottom with coffee beans or colorful rocks and place larger candles inside the vases so that they last longer.

Wedding Table Decorations with Flowers - This is probably the most popular as as well as the most varied. In this category, a simple arrangement can be just as charming and ornate as large ornate flower arrangements. In my opinion, there is nothing more beautiful than simple roses in a crystal vase in water with a clear stones at the bottom. I’ve seen it wedding table decorations done with flowers many times, and each time as elegant as the next. For my own wedding reception I had a small arrangement of flowers attached to a tall silver vase.

Other Reception Table Decorations - If you are having a themed wedding, look for some wedding table decorations that will go along with your theme. If you are having a tropical wedding you’ll want to use wedding table decorations with something like sand, shells and candles done very elegantly. Cowboy hats and bandannas are great for a western table centerpiece, perhaps along with some vintage spurs or cowboy boots. I’ve also seen miniature wedding cakes at the middle of each table. It is a beautiful decoration, and one that your guests can eat.

There are plenty of inexpensive table centerpieces to choose from, all that is required is an imagination and willingness to experiment until you find something is just right for your wedding.