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 times of embarrassing games and activities are coming to an end and instead new and improved activities ensure that the bride still receives her shower, guests still bring lots of presents to help the new couple start out their life together in style, and games are still being played – but with new twists!

Follow these easy tips and you too will be able to throw a bridal shower for a young or more seasoned bride with easy boredom-free ideas!

Free ideas for throwing a bridal shower:

Decide on a theme and run with it

Just because presents are involved, this should not make everything else about the occasion melt into the background.

Instead, you may wish to contact your local jewelry sales lady, candle gal, or make up aficionado and see if their companies offer some kind of party package.

Most of them do, and this will go a long way to allow the girls to sample some make up, try on some jewelry, and sniff the soothing smells of sweet candle wax.

You may want to serve some finger foods, so that nobody will be stuck in the kitchen, and everyone will be able to participate. Maybe a student masseuse could be hired for a couple of hours to give foot massages or a student cosmetologist for manicures and pedicures.

Food should be kept simple if at all possible

Nobody should be in the kitchen cooking, heating up, or assembling, while at the same time a mess for the hostess should be avoided altogether. A good idea is the potluck, or if you have the funds, have some finger foods catered.

Gourmet cheeses and crackers, some wine, canapés, petit fours, crab cakes and grilled vegetable foccacias make for a wonderful spread that is easily put together and does not require much in terms of reheating.

Advice is a big part of the bridal shower party

Especially if the bride is walking down the isle for the first time, many well-meaning ladies have oodles of ideas and tips on how to keep the marriage blissful. Usually a book is sent around to capture those pearls of wisdom, but how about trying a new twist?

Instead of putting together a book, why not all each guest to write out their advice on a piece of parchment paper and then affix it to a bottle of wine.

Both the wine and the advice can then be enjoyed together by the married couple and make for great conversation starters. If the bride or groom happens to be teetotalers, the paper can easily be affixed to chocolate bars or any other food or drink item the couple will be able to enjoy together.

So, go ahead and allow yourself to enjoy the celebration of the bridal shower again. Revel in the changes, and allow your ideas to roam free, and no longer feel the obligation to follow in the footsteps of boring old games that are long past their prime.

Have fun with the bridal shower and during the bridal shower! The bride will thank you for years to come for the thoughtful afternoon or evening you put together for her.

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.

Generally speaking, the bridesmaids and maid or matron of honor will collect money amongst themselves to host that bridal shower for the bride. While the bride’s mother should never be in the hostess’ seat herself, it is entirely acceptable for her to help out with the bridal shower budget.

Of course, if a restaurant party is a strain on the bridesmaids’ purses, it is an acceptable alternative to hold the bridal shower at someone’s home, backyard, or clubhouse. Food may be catered, or if finances again are too tight to manage, it is entirely acceptable to simply have some easy to prepare finger foods available.

Now that the money questions has been answered, you may be wondering if there are other pitfalls in the realm of proper bridal shower etiquette that need to be weathered. As a matter of fact, there is a list of a few dos and don’ts the clever hostess, bride, and guest will know to commit to memory.

Dos and don’ts:

-Do not expect your guests to pay for anything at the bridal shower; the food, tip, room rental, and any other expenses are the responsibility of the hostess and bridesmaids.

-If you are the bride’s mom, leave the hosting of the shower to someone else. Traditionally, it is the job of the maid or matron of honor to see to it that the bride will receive a shower.

-If you know that there are a number of showers planned, please consider combining them into one bigger event.

-If you do hold a number of parties, please be sure not to invite the same guest twice in the course of the parties.

-If you are the recipient of a bridal shower, please be sure not to use any presents you received until after the wedding. If for some reason the wedding falls through or the marriage is annulled before you and your new husband had a chance to live together, the gifts need to be returned.

-When opening presents, it is the bridesmaids’ responsibility to record the gift’s giver, so that the bride may later on send a note of thanks to the giver.

-Co-ed bridal showers are becoming more and more the norm, and hence it is acceptable for the groom to attend, if indeed a co-ed shower is planned. If, however, the bridal shower party is not expressly co-ed, it will be awkward to have him attend, thus please be sure to specify if a shower is co-ed or not.

-If the groom does happen to be present at the location where the bridal shower is held, but will not be an actual part of the shower itself, it is considered good form to present the bride with a bouquet of flowers, and the attending ladies with handshakes, hugs, and a few words of appreciation before retiring to another room. Simply dashing for the living room with the big screen TV in time for the football game would not be appropriate and is downright rude.

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.

She could also put up pictures of the chosen wedding party or the parents of the bride and groom.

The engagement announcement may be placed on a bridal shower website for distribution to family located around the world. To direct the website more towards a bridal shower, the bride could post the invitation and she then could send it out to anyone with access to the internet.

The bride to be can also place lists of stores or even better links to the store’s website where she has registered for gifts. The theme of the bridal shower could be described on the website along with a link to a website giving directions to the location of the bridal shower.

Bridal shower websites are not only convenient for the bride to be but also for the hostess of the bridal shower. The bridal shower website could be set up with a link to the hostess’ email and potential guests could ask questions, get gift suggestions, and ask about the theme of the bridal shower. The hostess could also request on the website that guests RSVP by email.

Bridal shower websites can be set up to accommodate a message board format and that may also be a great addition where the guests could interact with each other regarding the bride to be and the bridal shower.

Of course if this were something the hostess would want to do it would be best to keep it separate from a site that the bride to be can use.

Another asset to using a personal bridal shower website is that it is a great way to get the information out to potential guests without the worry of lost mail. If the guests miss it, you can just refer them back to the site address and they can review the invitation again.

If a change to the party agenda or theme is made you can instantly post the change to the website and send out a mass email letting everyone know that the site has been updated.

There are so many websites that offer free website hosting for people that have little to no experience in web design. A bride to be or hostess of a bridal shower could easily create a beautiful and useful website in no time. The internet is full of resources that assist people in creating professional looking websites for free using website templates that you simply upload pictures too and input the desired text.

Of course if you want a truly professional site you can also pay a professional to design one for you. When you are done using the website for your bridal shower needs you can easily convert it to your personal wedding website and then into your honeymoon website, the possibilities are endless!

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.

You will also need to work around her schedule, when planning a date and time. She will be very busy as the date of her wedding approaches. Find out what day works best for her and plan on using that date. If she has guests that will need to travel to attend the shower, make sure they are aware of the date in plenty of time.

Also, you will need to get a guest list for the shower. As a general rule, you will not invite someone to the shower that has not been invited to the wedding. Talk to the bride and find out who will get a wedding invitation. Also, find out whom she wants included in her shower. If she has a large family, it might not be possible to invite all of her family and friends. Most bridal showers have no more than about 30 guests.

After you have determined the guest list and the time and date, you can start planning the shower. The number of people she invites will help you determine where the shower will take place.

If she only wants to include a small circle of friends, you can think about hosting a bridal shower at a private home or an intimate restaurant. For larger guest lists, it might be necessary to rent a space.

Also, selecting a theme for the shower might help you stay on track, when planning a shower. You might want to have a barbeque, a brunch or host a pampering spa bridal shower. Select a theme that interests you and the bride before making other plans.

As you plan the guest list, you will need to think about the budget. Most of the time, the maid of honor is expected to host a shower, but things are changing and this is not a hard and fast rule. The bride’s family can also help pay for the shower or help provide food and decorations. The budget is the amount you are able or willing to spend on a shower.

If you have a limited budget, you might be able to get others to help pitch in to pay for the shower. Your budget will also determine what kinds of decorations you will use, the food you will serve and activities you will provide to the bridal shower guests.

As the hostess, you might choose to splurge on food while keeping activities or decorations to a minimum.

Sending out the invitations is the next step in getting ready to host a bridal shower. Make sure that all of the information is included on the invitation, such as the time, date and location.

If you are going with a theme, incorporate the theme onto your invitation. For more casual showers, you can even make phone calls or send out email invitations instead of mailing invitations.

Generally, bridal shower invitations are sent out two to three weeks prior to the shower. This gives guests enough time to plan ahead. If you need an accurate count on the number of guests that will be attending, be sure to include contact information for RSVPs. In addition, bridal showers are usually given about eight weeks before the wedding. This will help you plan when the bridal shower will be held.

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.

For a couple that likes gourmet food you could host a formal dinner party at a gourmet restaurant and suggest that the guests bring gourmet kitchen items, foods or gift certificates for gourmet delis.

Maybe the couple love wine, you could host a wine tasting trip or organize a tour of a vineyard. After the tour you could have alight lunch at the vineyard or go elsewhere and have lunch or dinner.

If the bride enjoys reading you could host a bridal shower at a local bookstore that serves coffee and tea. There are endless possibilities to the bridal shower themes. Maybe you could use a garden theme for the gardening enthusiast.

For the make up lover you could host a makeover party or even have an old-fashioned girl’s only slumber party. A day at the spa is another great idea for the bride to take her mind off of the busy schedule of planning second marriage.

Gift ideas for a bridal shower for a second marriage:

Gift ideas for a bridal shower for a second marriage can be somewhat hard to choose. As mentioned before the bride and groom-to-be probably have all the necessary household items that seem to popular gifts at bridal showers. If you have a theme for the bridal shower there is nothing wrong with making a suggestion as to what the guests should bring.

Gift certificates for stores, restaurants, and even movie theatres would be a great idea. If the couple has children, together or from previous marriages, you may want to suggest family board games or movies as gifts for the new family to share time together.

Another gift idea for a couple blending families with children is to ask that the guest pool monies together for a family day trip to a zoo or other local attraction. The hostess could even plan a family oriented bridal shower at a water park or local activity center, a roller-skating rink, for example.

A blended family will need support from everyone in their lives and why not have it start off right with some quality family activities! Be sure to ask the bride for her input as she may not want any gifts at all or may choose to have her guests donate to a selected charity. Sometimes it is just the thought of the guests coming to spend time with the bride at the bridal shower that is a gift in itself.

In conclusion there really is not right or wrong way to throw a bridal shower for a second marriage. The only differences are that the bride should be involved and that the shower should probably be themed towards a hobby or the likes of the bride and/or the new couple.

Be considerate of the bride and groom-to-be, if the do have children involve them if possible as well. Make the day of the bridal shower a day centered on the bride. And above all remember that a second marriage is just as important as a first marriage, love should be celebrated not ignored.

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.

You would only have to write a little note in the thank you card and put it in the pre-addressed envelopes. If you do not want to impose on the wonderful person throwing the bridal shower then offer to help with the invitations and do the duplicate envelopes yourself.

If you have a home computer or know someone who does, you could also print up mailing labels for the guests who will be attending the shower; the labels can be saved on your computer and may come in handy with the wedding gift thank you notes.

If you do not have access to a computer then you could order return address labels and it would save half the time by allowing you to only add the recipient’s address. The envelopes are probably the most tedious part of the thank you note and invitation process.

Another option if you have a home computer is to use a template or greeting card program and design your own thank you notes. You could then save time and energy by typing a custom message to each person you need to thank and print the thank you note out and mail it away! There are many free templates out on the internet that are quite easy to use.

Investing in a card design computer program may be a wise investment if you have not done so already as you could use it for the wedding thank you notes too. The convenience of a computer also offers up the opportunity to send electronic thank you notes via email. Of course this would require the guests to give you an email address and the email method of delivery is less personal.

At the wedding shower you could use a game to make the thank you note process less of a chore. For example, you could hold a drawing for a prize or two. As the guests arrive ask them to write their name and address on the thank you note envelopes.

Let them know that you will be drawing one or two of the envelopes at the end of the party and the names drawn will receive a special surprise. Not only does it save you time addressing envelopes but the guests have fun with it as well. This method will also assure you that you have your guests addresses correct since they are the one providing the information.

If you have a large bridal shower with a lot of guests you may want to consider creating general thank you notes. A general thank you note could simply thank the guest for attending the bridal shower and state that any gift received was more than you could have ever wanted.

These general thank you notes can be made creative by making them into place cards for the guests it you are having a meal. You could also have the thank you note printed on candy bar wrappers and hand them out as the guests leave the bridal shower.

So, as you can see writing out your bridal shower thank you notes will not be a chore if you get creative and use your imagination. Make it fun and enjoy your day with your guests!

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.

Next, think about who will attend the shower. It is easy to plan bridal shower games for a variety of guests. If you are only inviting the bride’s closest friends, they might enjoy more “risky” games and activities. However, if you will have a mixed group of women, you might think about bridal shower games that are not offensive. For co-ed showers, consider planning a few games that will help the men and women work together or those that pit the two against each other. Trivia games are great for co-ed showers.

Also, when you start planning bridal shower games, you will need to think about the amount of room you have available. If you have limited space, you might not want to play games that need a lot of floor or table space. It will be more difficult for a large group to move around with games that require that. Look for bridal shower games that can be done seated and with only paper and pencils.

Now that you have decided the basics of the bridal shower, you will need to come up with ideas for bridal shower games and activities. It is not necessary to spend a lot of money, when you are planning bridal shower games. Most ideas that you will want to use are right there on the Internet. You can search websites for free and use game ideas for your next shower.

Search for bridal shower games on the internet

When you get ready to search for bridal shower games, use a search engine website, such as Yahoo! or Google. Both of these sites will help you pull up many ideas for bridal shower games. In the search engine box, you will type in what you are looking for. You might want to use a variety of keywords to find exactly what you are trying to find.

For example, simply typing in “bridal shower” will result in hundreds of websites with information about bridal showers. There might be information about how to give showers, food to serve at bridal showers and bridal shower themes. It will take time to sort through those sites to find the games.

Try to be specific when you are using a search engine. If you type in “bridal shower games”, you will find that you have much more specific information that is available. You might get results from websites about party planning or bridal magazines. Better yet still, you can even be a little more specific in your search for free bridal shower games.

If you are hosting a co-ed bridal shower, try typing in “co-ed bridal shower” or “co-ed shower”. The results will be websites that offer specific games that are suitable for showers with men and women in attendance. Also, by typing in “bridal shower activities”, you may get results other than games.

If you are planning a certain theme for your shower, try to type in the theme for game results. When you use the Internet, you can find fun and free games to use for bridal showers. You will appreciate saving the money and can spend those resources somewhere else, such as for food or decorations.

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.

Visit your local mega mart and purchase two cans of frozen lemonade and two cans of frozen orange juice. Mix them together. Add eight cans of water, two cups of grenadine syrup, and three quarts of ginger ale. Be sure that the ingredients are mixed together well!  If you have fresh lemons in your backyard, go ahead and add the juice of three fresh lemons. After mixing the punch more time, go ahead and garnish it with fresh lemon or orange slices. This is a favorite especially for the kids!

Of course, for those who live in the coldest climates or are looking forward to a wedding in the middle of winter, a Citrus Punch is perhaps not the best way to go. Instead, how about a Hot and Spicy Punch?  The ingredients are surprisingly simple: you simply need two cups of cider and two cups of 7-Up.

Mix these ingredients together. Then combine this mixture with one cup of orange juice, the juice of one big lemon, half a cup of brown sugar, and a pinch of salt. Next, prepare a large tea bag to hold one tablespoon of whole cloves, half a teaspoon of allspice, and three to four sticks of cinnamon. This kind of teabag may be fashioned from a couple of coffee filters, or from a discarded cheese cloth.  Put the cheese cloth into the mixture and boil it for about five minutes.  After the cooking time go ahead and remove the spices and enjoy the punch warm.

If you are pressed for time or money, then the Hawaiian Punch will be a great alternative, and you can be sure that even the younger guests will love it!  Simply visit your local mega mart and purchase two one-liter bottles of red punch commercially mixed.  This can be found in the soda isle. Next, add a forty-six ounce bottle of pineapple juice. Last but not least, go ahead and add a can of pineapple bits.

Voila!  You will have a punch that nobody will be able to resist. Of course, there will be times that the party will be adults only, and at that time it is entirely appropriate to serve alcohol laced punches. For a Hawaiian Punch with a twist, simply combine one gallon of pineapple juice with one quart of vodka, 7-Up, and brandy. Add some lime juice to taste, and serve the concoction chilled.

For a more traditional Champagne Punch, simply choose a gallon of white wine as your base; add four bottles of champagne, two bottles of ginger ale, and some ice cubes.  Of course, whenever serving alcoholic beverages, it is imperative that no children are present, that someone will ensure that no inebriated guests get behind the wheel of their cars, and that plenty of non-alcoholic choices are available for the teetotalers of the crowd.

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.

Before making the list, determine the budget for the bridal shower. This should help you decide how many guests you can invite.  Also, keep in mind that those you invite to your bridal shower should also be invited to the wedding itself.

If you are planning a bridal shower for someone and you want the shower to be a surprise, you will have to consult with the groom-to-be and with the bride’s mother to make sure you create an accurate guest list.

Set a Date

After you have created your bridal shower guest list, it is time to set a date for the celebration. Typically, the bridal shower should be as long as two months, before the wedding date and no less than two weeks. If the bridal shower is to be a surprise, discuss possible dates with the groom (you will likely need his help in more ways than one to ensure the shower is a surprise, anyway!).

Otherwise, the bride-to-be should work closely with the bridal shower hostess to determine the best date. Sundays are a popular choice for bridal showers because most people are off from work on this day.

Choose a Theme

Picking a theme for your shower can help make it more fun for both the bride-to-be and the guests. In addition, a bridal shower theme often makes the rest of the shower planning easier because invitations, decorations, and favors can all be coordinated to fit the theme. Some popular bridal shower themes include household gifts, wine, lingerie, and romantic gifts.

Select and Send Invitations

Now that you have set a date and determined a theme for the bridal shower, it should be much easier to find the perfect invitations. If you can’t find the right invitations, however, you can make your own.  No matter which way you choose to go, be sure to mail out your bridal shower invitations at least two weeks before the shower. This will give your guests plenty of time to make arrangements to attend.

Unless you are sending invitations to guests who will need to travel a long distance to attend the bridal shower, you shouldn’t send the invitations out more than a month in advance. Otherwise, you risk having your guests forget about the celebration.

When sending out bridal shower invitations, be sure to include all of the vital information. This information includes the shower theme, the time and date of the shower, the location of the shower, and where the couple is registered. With both a theme and a registry to guide them, your bridal shower guests should have no problem finding the right gift. You should also include an RSVP date to help you with making the final plans for the bridal shower.

Purchase Decorations and Favors

The decorations at a bridal shower are very important, particularly if it will be themed. The favors, which serve as small mementos for each of your party guests, should also fit the theme. In fact, every part of the bridal shower should follow the theme as much as possible – even the food! A nicely decorated bridal shower will help set the tone for the rest of the shower.

Create a Menu

It is traditional to feed the guests who attend a bridal shower. Exactly what you decide to serve may vary depending on your theme. It is acceptable to serve either a full lunch or dinner or to provide light snacks. In either case, there should be a cake and it should certainly match the theme.

Select the Entertainment

Usually, the entertainment at bridal showers consists of games. You can have music at a bridal shower, but it should serve as background music rather than music for your guests to dance to. Games help get everyone talking and getting to know each other. Be sure to include prizes for those who win at the games. If possible, the prizes should match the theme as well. Otherwise, prizes such as candy, candles, and journals make good substitutes.

Many of the guests at a bridal shower may not have any connection to each other besides knowing the bride.

As a result, as hostess, part of your job is to break the ice, to help those people get together and make friends with each other.

There are a number of different ways to do this from name tags to simply introducing two people, but one of the best, quickest ways to do this is to do some ice breakers in place of or in addition to the standard bridal shower games.

Here are some great ice breakers at bridal shower:

One great ice breaker is bridal bingo. Your first steps in converting this great game to an ice breaker is to pair guests up whom you think don’t know each other.

You want know more than fifteen bingo cards out at any one time. You will also need a list of the words on the bingo cards.

Be sure to cut them up, so you can pull them out of a hat or some similar container. All of the bingo cards should have words on them that are associated with weddings, wedding gifts, or romance.

In the center of the card should be a free space that can work with any type of line.

The hostess should act as the bingo caller. She should pull the small pieces of paper out of the hat and call out each word. When the guest pair has a word on their card, they should mark through it with their pencil. If a guest pair can mark through a complete line of words in a vertical, horizontal, or diagonal method, they should shout “Bingo.”

The host should check their card, and if, indeed, they have gotten all of the words, they will be deemed the winner of that game.

The winners should receive some sort of wedding favor prize. There are a number of free printable cards on the internet along with word lists to help you in planning for this great game.

Another great ice breaker is the toilet paper wedding dress game. You will want to divide your guests into groups of three or four. Try to divide the guests into groups where they do not know the other members.

Each group gets one roll or toilet paper and fifteen minutes to make a wedding dress on the group member that they deem to be the bride. At then end of the game, the team who has the best wedding dress, judged by the real bride, wins.

A third idea for an ice breaker is the classic clothespin game. Each guest wears a clothes pin attached to their clothing. The guests are informed that there are three words that they cannot say.

Words like “bride,” “groom,” and “wedding” work well. If any guest hears another guest say these words, that guest can demand their clothes pin. At the end of the game, which is typically the end of the wedding shower, the guest who has managed to obtain the most clothes pins wins.

An additional idea for an ice breaker is two truths and a lie. As each guest introduces herself, she should tell two things about herself that are true and one that is a lie.

As she is speaking, each other guest should be writing down which things she thinks are true and which are a lie. The guest who has guessed the most correct answers after everyone has been introduced wins the game.

Another fun ice breaker at bridal showers is the “Who Am I?” game. Before the wedding shower begins, you will want to make a list of famous couples. These can be real or fictional couples. You want to choose people that your guests are likely to know.

Write down the name of each member of the couple on a name tag, and put it on the guest’s back as they arrive without showing them. They have to go around the party and ask yes or no questions about their identity. The couple who gets together the fastest wins the game.

One final fun ice breaker at bridal showers is a variation of the purse scavenger hunt. Divide guests into teams of three. Try to pair them with people they may not know.

Give them a list of items, and the number of points each item is worth. They should try to find those items in their purses as a team. The team with the most points wins. For example, a can opener may be worth 10 points, and a tissue may be worth 2 points.

It can be a great idea to try to get your guests to make friends at the bridal shower, as you may create some life long relationships.