Planning a Bridal Shower?

Throwing a bridal shower doesn't have to be a "I'm going to pull all of my hair out" experience. Pre-planning and organization will be your best friend when faced with this task. Follow some of the tips below to pull of a successful bridal shower and to allow the bride-to-be to be filled with wonderful memories of her shower in the future.

It is typically the maid of honor who is in charge of planning and hosting a bridal shower. The other bridesmaids are expected to help with planning and monetary costs as well. As the hostess, hand out duties to the bridal party to keep things flowing smoothly. Recruit everyone to help with things like invitations, food preparation and designing games for the party.

Discuss a guest list with the bride early. Have her give you a list of people she wants to invite - don't forget their addresses. Once you have her list, be sure that you add the entire bridal party along with their mothers and the mothers of the bride and groom. Invitations can be easily made on a computer these days, but if you'd like to take a more traditional route, you can always go to card store or order invitations online.

Talk with your bridal party and come up with a "theme" for your shower. Instead of doing the traditional gift exchange, come up with something clever like "Our New Kitchen" and have everyone buy gifts specifically for that room. Just be sure your bride will in-fact need the types of things in your theme. Once you decide on a theme you can incorporate it into the decorations, invitations, party games and favors.

Discuss a perfect time and place for the shower with the bride - have her offer a couple ideal places to choose from. Typically showers are held a month or two prior to the wedding, so be sure to inform your bridal party so they can be available on the specified date. If the others are helping you with the budget, be sure you discuss that with them as well.

Discuss with the bride before hand and find out what type of shower she is expecting. Does she want the formal or traditional shower with a sit-down lunch? Or is she open to the idea of a laid back party type of shower? Once you know this, you can decide where to host the party - your home, a restaurant, a community center or club house, a park, or even some type of club.

Choose your location for the shower - remember to consider how many people will be attending and how much you have allowed in your budget.

Keep in mind things that the bride likes when you decide what types of food and drinks to serve at the party. Are you serving a full lunch or just "finger food" snacks? Make yourself a menu (cheat sheet) so you know exactly what is being served and what you will need to buy. Request help from the bridal party if you're going to be cooking, or if you need them to chip in on snacks. And always consider your budget when deciding what you will be serving.

Games a great way to break the ice at a bridal shower. If you know there will be a lot of people at the party who do not know each other, use some games to get everyone introduced and talking. If you cant come up with any games on your own, ask around or check the internet. There are a variety of games you can play at a shower, some traditional, some very wild and crazy. Choose games that suit your bride as well.

Be sure one of the girls in the bridal party records all gifts the bride opens. You must match the gift to the giver. This is important for the bride to be able to write her thank you cards after the wedding.

Relax, have fun and make your bride has a great time.