Guest Blog by Rochester Indie Weddings
Planning an unforgettable bridal shower can be a challenge—you're tasked with selecting the venue, decorations, and food in hopes to create a special memory, congratulating your friend on their big day.
To help you get started, Honey Dew Events teamed up with Rochester Indie Weddings to come up with some key tips for planning a bridal shower, along with a downloadable bridal shower checklist!
1. Ask The Bride For Her Opinion
Part of the excitement of a shower is to see the bride’s face when she walks through the door, right? Make sure the experience is a good one by checking in with her wants and wishes. Though the plans may seem great to you, she might not be thrilled when the bride finds out she has to play six wedding-themed games. It’s important to set some ground rules with the guest of honor to make sure that her experience isn't a total surprise.
2. Establish A Comfortable Budget
With any event, it’s important to know what you want to spend. Bridal showers can become costly depending on the type of venue, guest count, and design aspirations. Choose a budget and stick to it—recruit other people to give their time and ideas to make the day special, unique, and within budget.
3. Choose A Realistic Venue For Your Budget
After you establish your budget, your next step will be to choose a venue that fits within your budget and your vision. A community center that allows you to bring homemade food is a great option for a modest budget. Renting out a private room at a restaurant with a catered lunch and bar package makes life a little less complicated, but will require more cash.
4. Get The Wedding Party Involved
As they say, “many hands make light work.” When you have the wedding party on board, it not only takes the responsibility off of one person, but it allows for more creative juices to flow. Delegate tasks early on and get on the same page for expectations.
5. Go Easy On Favors
This isn’t the big day, so don’t go overboard. Not everyone wants yet another tchotchke. Instead, consumable gifts such as edible favors or reusable goods are a good bet. A dessert or candy will get you more bang for your buck and will be enjoyed by all. Besides, no one wants to painstakingly search for party favors that won't be appreciated.
6. Download The RIW Checklist
Rochester Indie Weddings (RIW) connects modern couples to Rochester's wedding artisans through unique bridal shows, online directory, and blog. At their bridal shows, vendors from RIW collaborate to create vignettes—a styled shoot, where brides can interact with the staged set up to experience an aspect of the wedding. These vignettes are a way for people to experience the types of products and services accessible with RIW's wedding planning process. On February 10th, RIW vendors are bringing a bridal shower vignette to Rochester Brainery so brides can experience how their bridal shower could look (and how they could pull it off with vendors like Honey Dew Events, McCarthy Tents and Events, Revival Vintage Rentals, B In A Bonnet, The Botanist, MoonRise Floral Design, and Peerless Events of Rochester). Purchase your pre-sale tickets until Saturday 2/9 for $8, or at the door the day of for $10.