Planning a bridal shower can be an exciting event, but it can also be a relatively expensive one.

Between trying to get the invitations out, plan for the food, purchase wedding shower favors, and still pick up a nice gift for the bride, you and your pocket book may feel quite overwhelmed with the whole process.

Fortunately, there are several ways you can save money, when you throw your next bridal shower.

Tips to save money for your bridal shower:

One of the first ways to save money is to hold the shower in your home. With the proper decorations, you can provide the casual, festive feel a bridal shower should have, but hold down the cost of renting a location or paying the long tab at the restaurant where you held the shower.

If you don’t want to have your shower at home, you can still save money with second tip. Hold your shower in a public place. For example, if you are holding a spring or summer shower, and your city has some nice parks, call the local parks and recreation department. You can usually reserve a shelter for no cost, and let nature provide the beautiful backdrop for your shower.

Let’s face it, if you are a woman there is a good chance that at one point or another you have been invited to a bridal shower that left you scratching your head or ready to gnaw off your arm just to get out of the room.

Do you remember the dreaded bridal shower game of dressing up one or more of the ladies in the room with a mock wedding dress made from toilet paper?

Perhaps you are more familiar with the embarrassing questionnaire that the guests were to fill out, only then to have to stand up and read answers to questions you wouldn’t even spell out in the Sunday confessional.

Perhaps it is for this reason that bridal showers have become a bit of a bad reputation, and why so many invitees are sending their regrets and a gift certificate.

Fortunately there is a movement underfoot to breathe some new life into the borderline dead tradition of the bridal shower that has so many women roll their eyes at the thought of actually attending.

The perfect bridal shower is more than just a group of women getting together toasting to the new bride to be. Instead, there is much expenditure to consider. For example, if you are renting a room or banquet facility, you will need to pay for the location.

If you choose to have the event at a restaurant or other location that offers catering services, you will be expected to purchase your food from them, and in addition to the cost of the food, you will also need to pay for the wait staff.

Then, of course, there are the decorations to consider, as well as the party favors, invitations, thank you notes, and any other assorted items, which may be needed. Who is supposed to pay for this extravaganza?

While there is no hard and fast rule to the payment for this party, one rule is set in stone that is the rule that absolutely positively absolves bridal shower guests of any monetary obligations.

In other words, if you choose to host a bridal shower at a restaurant, the attendees should never be expected to pay for their food. Thus it is up to you, the hostess, to find other methods of payment.

Technology today makes so many things possible. Instant messaging keeps us in contact with loved ones, email does the same. Instantly, it all saves us time and money. No stamps to buy, no phone bills, no waiting for a response for days on end.

People have websites for all kinds of reasons, selling stuff, sharing photos, telling stories and just about any other reason out there you can think of. So, why not start a website for your bridal shower?

There are so many possibilities as to what you could include on a personal bridal shower website it is amazing. This article will give you some ideas and tips for creating your very own personal bridal shower website.

Benefits of creating your own personal bridal shower website:

A personal bridal shower website can be very useful and convenient for any bride to be. It could be personalized with just about anything the bride desires.

She could upload pictures of herself and her soon to be husband. If she chose to, she could put pictures of her wedding plans on it, such as, the bridesmaid’s dresses, flower girl dress, and tuxedo choices. The possibilities are endless with pictures.

Hosting a traditional bridal shower can be confusing, when you look at all of the etiquette rules and guidelines. Who should host the shower? Is it appropriate to ask for gifts? Who should be invited to the shower? Most of the time, the maid of honor or bride’s family is expected to host a bridal shower.

Here are some bridal shower guidelines you should know, if you are hosting a bridal shower:

Hosting a bridal shower can be a great way to get together with the bride-to-be and socialize with friends and family. If you are expected to host a bridal shower, you might not understand what responsibilities you have as a hostess. After you understand what your job will be as a hostess, you can plan the shower and sit back and relax as everyone has a good time.

The first step in planning a bridal shower is to talk to the bride. Her preferences will determine what kind of shower you give. She may want a more traditional shower, or might prefer an informal co-ed shower.

Is a second marriage less important than the first one? The answer is no.

There is no reason to forego all of the pre-wedding celebrations just because it is the second marriage.

Engagement parties, bridal showers, bachelor and bachelorette parties are all still perfectly ok to celebrate.

After all, the new couple is starting a new life together.

Marriage is a joyous occasion whether it is the bride or groom’s first, second or otherwise marriage. Why wouldn’t they want to share the occasion with family and friends?

Planning a bridal shower for a second marriage should not be approached much differently than a bridal shower for a first marriage. It is quite possible that the bride-to-be did not have a bridal shower for her first marriage.

The bride should definitely be included in the decision to have a bridal shower for her second marriage, if she insists that she does not one then by all means grant her wishes.

How to plan a bridal shower for a second marriage?

When planning a bridal shower for a second marriage one thing to consider is that the couple probably has all the necessary household items needed. This brings up the consideration of a more themed bridal shower centered on the likes or hobbies of the couple.

After the bridal shower is all over, here comes the wedding stress.

Does the bride to be really have time to send out thank you notes to all of her bridal shower guests?

She probably does not but the guests need to be thanked.

Thank you notes need to be done in a timely matter and it must be done in a way that shows sincerity.

The thank you notes may seem like a huge chore but it is a requirement that must be met. In this article some tips on how to keep bridal shower thank you notes from being such a chore will be given.

These ideas are practical and some are very creative. The thank you note process can be fun and should be made to be fun so as to eliminate the feeling of a chore.

Here are some tips for keeping bridal shower thank you notes form being such a chore:

If the hostess has included you in the plans for the bridal shower, as she should, you could maybe ask her if she could make duplicate envelopes, when writing up the envelopes for the invitations. This would save you time, when the time comes to send out the thank you notes.

Planning games and activities for a bridal shower can be easy and inexpensive, when you use the Internet to find information. There are numerous websites available to help a bridal shower hostess find free and easy to do games to fit into any bridal shower theme. Using the Internet is convenient and better yet, it is free!

When you are responsible for planning a bridal shower, consider using the Internet to help you with your plans. With a quick Internet search, it is possible to find hundreds of tips and ideas for bridal shower games and activities. You can find games and activities to suit a girl’s only shower, a traditional bridal shower and even a co-ed shower that includes both men and women.

Planning games and activities for the bridal shower

Before you start planning games and activities for the bridal shower, you will need to take some time to figure how many guests will be in attendance. Also, think about the type of guests that will attend. If you have a small group, you can plan on games and activities that take more time or have more involved rules. If are inviting a large group of guests, you might want to consider playing bridal shower games that take less time and only need a handful of supplies.

Anyone who has ever hosted a bridal shower within the informal setting of a home or backyard will know that food is a major sticking point. Easily a budget buster, food and drinks will need to be carefully contemplated and planned in order to provide the most bang for the buck.

Of course, the question of food is second only to the question of drinks, and most often the idea of having a bridal shower punch is the answer many a bridal shower hostess will receive, when wondering what to serve.

Soda and water should always be available, but for an awesome centerpiece as well as a drink mixture that will go a long ways, punch is still hands down a perennial favorite. Yet not all punches are created equal, and neither do all kinds of punch fit into every type of bridal shower.

Here are the five favorites that seem to have found a large following amongst the bridal shower set:

At the top of the list is the Citrus Punch. Citrus punch is a favorite in the summertime and many women in citrus producing states love this easy to make recipe simply because it can be made from lemons and oranges that are growing in their own backyards. The ingredients are so easy to come by that even those who do not live in the sun-kissed citrus producing states will be able to enjoy it.

Your bridal shower is meant to be your special time during which you get together with your family and friends to celebrate your upcoming nuptials. But, planning a bridal shower can become somewhat overwhelming, especially if you have never been involved in planning one before. Just remember, a bridal shower is meant to be a fun and enjoyable experience. Don’t get so caught up in the planning that you forget to enjoy yourself!

Create a Guest List

Traditionally, the maid of honor is responsible for throwing the bridal shower. This does not, however, mean that the bride-to-be is not involved in the planning. In fact, the bride-to-be has a great number of responsibilities, when it comes to planning the bridal shower.

The first of these jobs is to sit down with the hostess of the bridal shower and determine a guest list.  This list should always include the bride’s mother, her future mother-in-law, her female siblings, the bridesmaids and, of course, the maid of honor. It should also include other close family members and friends. Co-workers can also be included on the list if the bride desires.