First, get a friend that no one, not even the bride knows…if you can get someone you work with that the bride doesn’t know, that would be great. Once you have someone, get as many different items you possibly can…a pen, toilet paper, scotch tape, anything and everything and put these items in a bag. Give your friend an invitation, but one that’s different than everyone else’s.

A day or two before the shower, let you friend know what time you plan on starting the games…you don’t want her showing up too early or too late and remind her to act like she does not know you, as that will throw the game off. The day of the shower, have everything you will need (pen/pencils and paper) and wait. The game goes like this…the “lady” will show up and will have the bag with the items in it, including the different invitation. She’ll come up with some type of speech where she got lost, couldn’t find the place, car broke down, anything that won’t seem suspicious to everyone. As she is looking for her invitation, she’ll pull out the items one at a time so everyone can see them (but of course don’t tell them)…once she has the invitation, she should give a false address (one preferably on the same street or in the vicinity of the shower) so everyone thinks she just went to the wrong house. Put all the items back in the bag and leave…but don’t leave the shower, just sit in the car. The hostess will get up and will see the “lady” still there….the hostess will go outside and bring her back in (and then you can tell everyone about the ruse and the game).

This is a great way to have fun, make everyone laugh, and to see who was paying attention.

Flower Petals

Who hasn’t seen “Gone with the Wind” and wished to see Scarlett and Rhett marry at the end? Do you know someone who loves the movie and would like to be in that time period? Well bring that time closer to home with a “Gone with the Wind” theme!

Of course, the theme is based off of the movie, so have everything you can think of relating to the movie and/or that time period, from the decorations to the games. Invitations could be a picture of a southern mansion with an opening door and details on the inside or if you’re lucky, a picture of the mansion from the movie.

If possible, have your shower in a nice sized place, such as a banquet hall, and decorate it towards the movie…white pillars made from corrugated cardboard, inexpensive muslin draped over windows, potted ferns and gardenias in corners, anything that will go with the theme.

You could serve Southern-style type of food, such as fried chicken, cornbread or corn sticks, and greens. Lemonade or mint juleps could be served for drinks and for dessert, you could have little pecan torts.

Although Scarlett and Rhett never had a chance to marry, you can make it happen with this theme…if you loved the movie, you’ll definitely love this!

“Circle of Friendship” Personalized Bracelet with Swarovski Crystals

Do you remember when you were a child and you dreamt about your wedding day? What you would wear? What your prince charming would look like? Do you remember the games you played as a child? Bridal showers are a time when friends and family get together to celebrate the bride-to-be’s upcoming marriage…everyone has a chance to reflect on the past and prepare for the future of the big day. Although you can’t be a child again, you can enjoy the fun and games of a child by having a “circle of children” theme.

This shower works for a woman with lots of friends who have children or younger siblings. The invitations for the party could read something like this:  “Come one, come all, and bring all the children you know.  Children are the VIPs of this party, and only their gifts will be opened.  We look forward to seeing you, playing games, singing songs, and opening gifts.”

If possible, have your shower outside at a park, in the backyard, somewhere where there is a lot of space, especially if you know there will be a lot of children. Make a circle and have each child enter the “circle” holding a beautifully wrapped gift.  Only children holding gifts can be part of the circle and only gifts presented by children can actually be opened by the bride to be. Music is played for a game of musical chairs or whatever game you would like; whichever child is left then gives his gift to the bride to be and she opens it. This continues until all the children have won and presented their gifts and all gifts have been opened.

Food could be little sandwiches on trays, along with cookies and milk, fruit, veggie, or meat trays or anything that you would like.

Try this theme if you would like to do something different that includes the “little people” in your life.

Personalized Broadway Mint Tin (Multiple Colors Available)

Preparing for a wedding can be a stressful time for the bride to be…making sure that the colors are correct, the cake, the dress, everything has to be perfect for this special day. Bridal showers are no exception, because the person throwing the shower, whether it be the maid of honor or the mother of the bride to be, wants to make sure that everything is perfect, from the invitations to the end of the party and everything in between. Why not have a shower where everyone attending can relax, laugh, and enjoy the company of each other? A movie theme is the perfect way to achieve this…

For this theme, you can have simple invitations describing the event, where it will be held, etc. If you’d like to have something that will set the mood, you could have your invitations look like a movie billboard or a “clapper”, and have something like, “Friends, Popcorn, and Movies…what else do you need? Come enjoy the company of everyone at the movies!” In the invitations, have the guest bring a movie for everyone to watch (if you’re planning a slumber party along with this, make sure to let the guest know and to bring their belongings).

There’s not a need for decorations as this theme is simply about relaxing, having fun, and enjoying the company of everyone around you…but if you’d like to have decorations, go ahead and let your imagination go. You can have any type of food you want…pizza, burgers, Chinese food, anything you can imagine. Also, if you want to really get into the theme, buy some extra goodies…Baby Ruth’s, chocolate covered raisins, Gummi worms, anything that you would enjoy at the movie theater.

If you’re looking for a good way to de-stress and have fun, then try this theme!

Have some questions about the bride and/or groom ready…questions like, how they met, what was the first job that the bride held, what color are the groom’s eyes, etc. Try to have a decent amount of questions for the game. Guest can play as individuals or in teams and you can have a gift for the winner/team of the game, such as a gift certificate.

This is a fun way to get everyone involved and see who knows the bride/groom/couple the best.

Silver Plated Heart Box with Black Velvet Lining

There are many types of bridal shower themes…Asian themes, garden themes, traditional themes, and everything in between. How about a theme that the bride to be doesn’t know about, a high tech treasure hunt? Using the technology of today, this will be a great way to surprise the bride to be!

Send out invitations to the guest letting them know about the shower but not to tell the bride to be, as she will have to find the ‘treasure’, which is the party itself. Find a place to have the shower, big enough for all attending, and preferably, some place that the bride to be would never think of. As this will probably be an all day thing, start early by sending clues to the bride to be via letters, phone calls, cell phones, anything you can think of…this works better if a friend of the bride to be, who of course is in on this, can keep her busy while things are being set up. Make sure the messages are short and only tell bits of where the shower will be held.

Decorations can be simple or extravagant…you can have the colors of the wedding, you could have the place of the shower look like a party, or anything that will look fun and enjoyable. Food could be catered, guest could bring food, like pot luck, or if the shower is outside, barbeque…music could be provided by a band or disk jockey. Have the guest there 15-30 minutes before the bride to be so that everyone can surprise her.

There are many games that could be played at this shower…bingo, trivia games based on the bride and groom, or anything that’s fun and will get everyone involved. Party favors for the guest could be miniature treasure chest with the names of the bride and groom.

If you’d like treasure hunts, like using today’s technology, and want to give the bride to be something she will never forget, definitely try this theme!

Play Ball! -  Placecard Holders (Set of 3)

You’re sitting down, on the edge of your seat, waiting, and then you hear it…”he’s at the 50, the 40, the 20, the 10, TOUCHDOWN!!!” and you scream. Are you someone who loves sports? Do you watch every game of your favorite team or have decals of your team on your vehicle? If you do, then this theme is definitely for you…a sports theme!

This theme works best if the shower will be co-ed, as men love sports, but it doesn’t have to be. If the bride and groom to be both enjoy the same sport and team, everything will be based off that…if they enjoy two different sports or teams, then planning may take a slight bit longer. Invitations for this theme can be creative…use the colors of the couple’s favorite team(s) and have little pictures of players with the invitation. Also, you could have a generic invitation and decorate it with a border of different sport equipment (football, baseball, hockey stick or puck, etc).

Again, decorations will be based off of the couple’s team(s) or sport…if the groom likes baseball and the bride likes football, you could have footballs and baseballs as decorations along with their team’s colors. If they like the same sport but two different teams, then you could have just the colors of their favorite teams together (i.e. Eagles (green, white, and black) and Redskins (red, yellow, and white)).

As this theme is pretty casual, for food, you could have a tailgate party/cookout with all the works…hamburgers, hot dogs, chips and dip, anything you’d like. For games, you could play all types of sports games such as flag football and volleyball or you could play sports trivia games in groups (men vs. women, teams vs. teams, etc.). For guest gifts, you could have sports cards made (think baseball card) with the statistics of the bride and groom.

If you want a shower theme that will be a ‘hit out of the park’, then try this theme!

Personalized Terrycloth Spa Robe

Imagine a day full of relaxation…lying back with the sun on your face, a cool drink in your hand, and a cute male masseuse massaging your feet. What else could one ask for? Want to give the bride to be a relaxing day like this one? Then have a spa theme!

Invitations for this theme can be very creative…you could have personalized bath and body products sent as invitations to reflect the theme. Decorations for this theme are not needed as it is a day of relaxation…but if you want to have decorations, you could decorate with flower petals or with different types of soaps, bath salts, etc.

If you know your shower will not have a lot of guest, try to have your shower at an actual spa, but if there will be a lot of guest, try hiring a massage therapist and manicurist/pedicurist.

For food, you could have a brunch with non-heavy items, such as waffles, omelets, toast with jam, etc. All types of games could be played…gift bingo, trivia about the groom, anything that will be fun for all involved.

To play this game, first you need to find out personal information about the groom (his favorite colors, shoe size, favorite sports team, etc.)…try to have a decent amount of questions to ask the bride to be (20 questions or more are great!). At the shower, ask the bride one question at a time about her soon-to-be husband…for every question she gets wrong, she has to put a piece of bubble gum in her mouth and chew it and she can’t take the gum out of her mouth as she is answering questions. Depending on how well the bride to be knows her soon-to-be husband, this can be simple or very messy.

If you want to liven up the next shower you’re attending, then try this game!

Personalized Par-Tea Bagâ„¢ Bridal Shower Favor Bags

There are many different types of themes for a bridal shower, from classic themes, such as a bachlorette party theme to more outrageous themes, such as a 1980’s theme and everything in between. If you’d like to have a shower theme that is simple, classic, and elegant all in one, then try an afternoon tea theme.

If you can host the shower at a nice bed and breakfast or a luxurious hotel that serves formal tea would be great; if not, then create your own. Decorate with soft colors, such as pastel and white, crisp, white tablecloths, and fresh flowers in elegant vases…think refinement and sophistication. For food, you could have tiny sandwiches, scones, crumpets with jam, etc. to serve with your tea and you can have cold tea, for those who don’t like hot tea.

You could have guest bring antique tea cups and saucers, silver teaspoons, silver serving tray, anything that could incorporate into the theme. Games of your choosing could be played and party favors for the guest could be incorporated into the theme…different flavored teas could be given as gifts for guest.

This theme is for those who would like something simple, yet elegant at the same time.