Bridal showers are a very common wedding tradition that has been around for centuries. This daytime event celebrates the upcoming marriage, and gives the bride’s friends and family an opportunity to provide gifts for the future couple’s home and new life together.

Since this tradition has obviously evolved over the years, it can leave you wondering: who plans the bridal shower? There’s no right or wrong way to plan a bridal shower, it truly is up to the bride and whoever is hosting, but let’s dig in to bridal shower etiquette, who plans one and how for some general, helpful guidelines!

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In This Article:

Who To Invite to the Bridal Shower
When to Throw a Bridal Shower
Who Pays for the Bridal Shower?
What Happens at the Bridal Shower?
How Do You Plan a Bridal Shower?

Who To Invite to the Bridal Shower

Typically you’ll invite the bridal party and close female friends & family members of the bride that are on the wedding guest list.

It is also becoming popular to have a wedding shower, rather than a bridal shower, that includes the groom and male friends & family. Whether or not you’d like to keep it classic with an all-female event is up to the couple!

When to Throw a Bridal Shower

Most people throw the bridal shower between 1-4 months before the wedding date. You’ll want to space it out with a bachelorette party and any other wedding events you may be planning.

Who Pays for the Bridal Shower?

While there isn’t a true rule for who pays, typically the bridal shower is hosted by the bridal party and the cost is split amongst the bridesmaids, or a close female relative may opt to host the celebration. It has even become trendy for the future mother-in-law to host the party to welcome the bride into the family.

The bridal shower is sometimes a surprise, but more often than not the bride will be included in the planning of the event.

What Happens at the Bridal Shower?

At the bridal shower you can expect food, drinks, fun bride-related games, gift opening and cute pictures to be taken. You could also plan an activity-centric shower like a spa day or an at-home sip & paint class, it’s completely up to the bride and her preferences!

How Do You Plan a Bridal Shower?

Planning a bridal shower doesn’t have to be overwhelming! Follow these easy steps to make it an unforgettable event and keep the host’s stress levels low.

Create a Budget

Just like with planning the actual wedding, you’ll want to start with a budget first. The budget should include all food, drinks, decor, venue, rentals, photography, event planning services and any other vendors or expenses you may incur. A bridal shower can cost anywhere from $10 to $100 per person, so make sure you’re keeping the budget in mind before you start pinning ideas on Pinterest.

These costs are covered by the host of the bridal shower, however sometimes bridesmaids or family members may offer to chip in.

Pick a Date

You’ll want to speak to the bride to choose a date that works for them and makes sense for their wedding timeline. It’s common to plan a bridal shower 1-4 months before the wedding, with most people opting for the longer end of that timeline as the couple will be busier the closer you get to the wedding date.

Create the Guest List

You’ll want the bride to create this invite list based on who she deems close & important, and who is already invited to the wedding.

Choose a Theme

While not necessarily a required part of the bridal shower planning process, many bridal showers these days have a theme. You can see our 27 favorite ideas here!

Find a Venue

Usually the host will hold the bridal shower in their own home. But if this isn’t an option or the host doesn’t have enough space, you’ll want to look for nearby venues.

Some popular options are wineries, spas, a private room in a hotel or restaurant, nearby rentable event space, or even an Airbnb.

Send Out the Invitations

It’s always best to give guests as much notice as possible so they’ll be able to attend the shower, purchase gifts, and make any necessary travel arrangements if they live out of town. Invites should be sent out about four to six weeks before the shower date. This means you should start looking for and purchasing invitations at least a couple of weeks prior to then as custom invitations can sometimes take a couple of weeks to get fulfilled and mailed to you or your guests.

Decide on the Menu

The food will depend on the shower’s theme and time of day. You’ll also need to decide if you’ll be cooking for the crowd or hiring catering.

Pick Out Shower Decor

If you haven’t hired an event planner, you’ll be designing the decor scheme yourself. Keep with the theme and think of personal touches you can include for the bride so she feels extra special on this day. You’ll also want to consider a pretty photo backdrop for the bride to take pictures with her guests.

Plan Games & Activities

While some hosts choose not to include games in the bridal shower, this can be a fun way to break the ice with people that do not already know each other. Search online and on Etsy for new & traditional shower games.