This post is brought to you by Kate Aspen–thanks for your support of the brands that make Southern Weddings possible!
When it comes to pre-wedding parties, bridal showers just might be our very favorite. Whether you’re hosting a big celebration with generations of family members or an intimate get-together for the bridal party, a few sweet and simple details go a long way in making a bridal shower memorable, not only for the bride, but for the guests as well. With the help of our friends at Kate Aspen, a fabulous resource for originally designed, chic favors and personalized party décor, we threw this little faux bridal shower to illustrate some of our favorite tips!
Choose a color palette or theme. If you have a location picked out (such as the bride’s parents’ home), use the existing colors and décor as a starting point. We staged this shoot at Lara’s house, which is predominately white with beachy teal accents, so we chose our ice cream shoppe-inspired pastel palette with that in mind. The result was soft and feminine, and since we were working with our venue rather than against it, we didn’t need too many details to create a cohesive look. We pooled our china patterns for the table, and topped it off with a favor that could not have been more perfect for our theme: Kraft Favor Boxes filled with pastel saltwater taffy!
Plan an activity. Bridal shower games can be less than sophisticated, but there are plenty of other ways for guests to interact and get to know each other. An interactive food or beverage station is a wonderful way to get guests moving, so we set up an ice cream buffet featuring our favorite toppings in Blue Glass Tealight Holders (gotta love décor that serves double duty!). Ice cream isn’t the only option–if the bride has a soft spot for sweet tea or a weakness for biscuits, it’s easy to create a buffet out of any food or drink that can use toppings or mix-ins.
Set up a photo booth. There is really no better way to encourage pictures than a photo booth! We especially loved this Woodgrain Personalized Photo Booth Backdrop because it was vinyl instead of paper, so it held up beautifully. P.S. If you’re not planning a photo booth, these backdrops also look great behind gift tables or dessert displays!
We might be biased, but any photo shoot during which we can eat ice cream is an SW favorite :)
If you have a bridal shower, or any other celebration, coming up, we’re delighted to let you know that Kate Aspen is generously giving away a $150 gift card to their website! Along with the favor boxes, tea light holders, and photo booth backdrop that we used, they have fun details and décor to fit a huge variety of party color schemes and themes. The giveaway will end next week, so don’t delay!
What was your favorite part of your bridal shower, or one you’ve attended? We’d love to hear your ideas!
Photographer: Robyn Van Dyke / Personalized Photo Booth Backdrop, Blue Glass Tealight Holders, Kraft Favor Boxes: Kate Aspen / Ice Cream Bowls: World Market / Wrapping Paper: Snow & Graham
The favorite detail from my friend’s bridal shower was each guest sharing a memorable or funny story from their own wedding while the bride opened their gift. This was so much better than playing games. We laughed & sympathized while getting to know each other better!!
Such good ideas! I just got lost in the Kate Aspen shop. So much inspiration!
I see those white lace plates often in the SW photos. Can you please share where their from? Thank you!
They’re from Pier 1 Imports–we love them! :)
Love these fun ideas! I’m currently helping my best friend plan her sisters bridal shower at Wine and Design – we’re going to have canvases and paint set up for everyone and of course lots of good wine :) The theme is sunflowers, because the bride always dreamed of having a spring wedding with sunflower bouquets, but because of her crazy schedule as a med school student the wedding will be in December. We’re trying to give her the next best thing with a bright and sunny bridal shower!
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