Unique Bridal Shower Location Ideas

The bridal shower location is one of your first planning decisions. Where to have it, is usually answered by some basic questions. You must decide:

? How many guests will be attending?
Small groups generally have more choices, but many showers need to accomodate a large number.

? What season is it?
The time of year will affect your area. Is it usually rainy, too hot, too cold? It may be great to have it outside. Take your weather into consideration.

*** Have a unique bridal shower location idea? Share it!

? What type of food will there be... appetizers, sit-down meal, buffet, dessert only, etc.?
What you want to serve, often influences the location.

? What will the budget allow?
Don't spend on a place you, or others, can't afford. You'll all be stressed, and it will show.

Based on the above, the following are some options:

Large crowds
? Beach area
? Country club
? Hotel banquet room
? Large patio or garden area
? Large private home
? Park
? Rented hall
? Restaurant with banquet room

Small Group
? Beach
? Gazebo
? Individual's home
? Intimate restaurant
? Neighborhood bar
? Patio, deck, or garden area
? Poolside
? Small rented room

If your bridal shower is catered, answering these questions will help.

If your bridal shower location is a restaurant, be sure to ask these questions.

Lately, some bridal shower locations have become less typical. So, if you?re wondering where to have a bridal shower with an ?out of the ordinary location", take a look at some other ideas that have been used:
? Aquarium
? Art Gallery
? Bowling alley
? Casino
? Dance studio
? Europe
? Las Vegas
? Mansion
? Miami
? Mini Golf
? Mountain Top
? Movie theater
? Murder mystery dinner theater
? Museum
? New York
? Night club
? Private club
? Rooftop of a highrise building
? Spa
? Theme park
? Winery
? Yacht
? Zoo

*** Want to combine more than one location?

Do you have any ideas for bridal shower locations? Did you host a great party, where the site added to the event? Was a bridal shower thrown for you at a place you never expected? Share it!

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Funky, Fun and Unique Bridal Shower Gifts

Weddings are undoubtedly a joyous occasion, but while starting a new life together is really exciting, it can also be very expensive for the bride and groom, which is why the tradition of the bridal shower began. Whether you're the maid of honor organizing the wedding shower and looking for ideas, or you're shopping for bridal shower gifts to help the blushing bride set up her future home, here are some ideas to help you find fun, creative and unique bridal shower gift ideas that won't hurt your budget!

HISTORY AND TRADITIONS OF THE BRIDAL SHOWER

There are many different stories about the early origins of the tradition of throwing a pre-wedding party for the bride to be and "showering" her with gifts for her new home, although most agree that the custom began as something of an alternative to providing a monetary gift or dowry to the bride, especially for poor families.

The most widely circulated legend about the beginnings of the wedding shower is the story of a young Dutch girl in the 16th or 17th century who fell in love with a miller whose generosity towards the poor meant that he himself was never able to save up a fortune. The girl's father disapproved of the miller's poverty and so refused to give his daughter a dowry, but the young girl's friends in her village, wanting to help her with the marriage, brought her many household goods to contribute towards her dowry.

The giving of wedding shower gifts also has some similarities with the hope chest or trousseau tradition, where special household things such as linens, clothing and sometimes dishware would be set aside and given to a girl of marriageable age.

Today, the wedding shower is as much an occasion for the bride-to-be to relax and celebrate with her friends and family, as it is about giving and receiving useful wedding gifts. It's usually held about 4 to 6 weeks before the actual wedding, organized by the maid of honor with some help from the other bridesmaids, and attended by female friends and family.

HOW DO I ORGANIZE A GREAT BRIDAL SHOWER?

Organizing a bridal shower can be a daunting task, especially if party planning is not your strong suit. Plus, with all the decorations, refreshments and gifts that need to be purchased, it can also turn into a bit of an expensive nightmare.

So what sort of things should you keep in mind to throw a fantastic bridal shower that will be a fun time for all involved?

Theme up: Choose an appropriate bridal shower theme that will fit the bride's personality. For a beach or destination wedding, consider a tropical or ocean theme with seashell decorations and margaritas, while a garden party theme with mini sandwiches, tea and floral decor might be an elegant twist on a more traditional celebration.
Wherefore art thou?: Where you will have the shower will depend on the number of guests - a smaller do can be held at an attendee's home, while a big group should celebrate at a hotel, the park or community hall.
Be our guest: Besides the bride herself, immediate family members of both the bride and groom should be invited to the shower, as well as the bridal party; for anyone else, it's usually a good idea to consult with the bride or her mother to determine the guest list. You should only invite people who are also invited to the wedding.
Games & activities: Don't forget to have a little fun! Some ideas for bridal shower games include asking the guests trivia about the bride and groom; getting the attendees to provide marital advice; or having a little contest to make a "dress" for the bride out of toilet paper.

BRIDAL SHOWER GIFT IDEAS

Of course, the main event at a bridal shower is when the bride opens up her gifts, but where do you start to help the guests decide what to get, and to make sure they're items the bride will actually enjoy?

The easiest approach to simplify the gift selection process is to set up a specific bridal shower registry or to get guests to purchase items from the bride & groom's wedding registry.

But for a more creative approach that's still easy and fun for all involved, try choosing a specific category of bridal presents, such as lingerie, bakeware or relaxation & spa products. You can always talk to the bride and ask her what type of stuff she thinks she will need the most.

Another neat bridal shower gift idea is to have each of the guests bring a photo or special memento they have shared with the bride, plus scrapbooking materials, to give her a personalized gift that she will always cherish!

This is also a real cool idea - how about making some personalized candles for the bride and groom to burn at each major milestone of their marriage? Check it out at this Hub: Unique Bridal Shower Gift Idea

And for the funky and fashionable bride, consider getting bridal shower attendees to buy vintage gifts and accessories from specific decades that she likes, such as vintage lipstick holders or perfume atomizers, or fun '50s diner furniture.

If the guest of honor is big on being environmentally friendly and doesn't mind pre-loved items, this is also a great way to go green if you have some heirloom items in excellent condition.

Another green wedding gift idea? Get the bride some gardening tools to help her start off her very own vegetable, herb or flower patch as it's a gift that will last a lifetime! Seeds, composters, tool sets, watering cans are all great ideas for this type of present.

HOME ESSENTIALS THAT WILL MAKE FOR GREAT BRIDAL GIFTS

Even for the most easygoing bride, it can be difficult to figure out what sort of presents to buy, so here's a list of useful wedding gifts that any woman will appreciate, whether she is a high-powered career woman or plans to be a busy stay-at-home mom.

Storage, shelving and organizers

As the saying goes, you can never have too many shoes... or too much space to store them! Help her keep organized with something like the Essential Home 15-Pair Shoe Organizer from Kmart.com, which is really convenient and easily stackable. Plus, the bride with an eye for design will be able to incorporate storage into her home's aesthetic in a funky way, so storage and organizers are really a neat item to have.

Bath products

Towels, linens and other bathroom items are an essential for any home, as everybody can do with a nice relaxing bath or shower at the end of the day. Look for plush and spa quality products that will provide the bride - and groom! - with a luxury bath experience.

Luxe materials such as Egyptian cotton for towels and memory foam for bath pillows make for an especially nice gift - try the Cannon Egyptian Cotton Bath Towel from Sears.com, for example.

Bedding

Everyone appreciates a good night's sleep, so give the happy couple sweet dreams with some comfy sheets, duvet covers or pillows! Most people know that the higher the thread count for cotton sheets, the softer and finer they are. However, keep in mind that some but not all extremely high thread counts of over 500 might be inflated. So remember that standard cotton thread counts are around 150, while good-quality sheets start at 180 and a count of 200 or higher is considered to be the best.

For more ideas and tips on what to buy for the big day, check out the eBillme wedding page!

Krystle Chow is a writer for eBillme - the safest way to pay in cash online! She loves food, fashion and beauty, film and TV, technology and shopping. A graduate of Carleton University's Journalism program, Krystle has been reporting and blogging on technology for more than three years. You'll often find her either on the lookout for hot deals and new trends, busy keeping up with the latest and hottest shows on the big and small screens, or indulging her love of Broadway musicals. You can follow Krystle @krystlechow.

Only the Best Unique Bridal Shower Games

Looking for unique bridal shower games? Every bridal shower should be a fun and unforgettable experience. The bride to be is about to go through the biggest change of her entire life. This bridal shower is the first of many stepping stones in to her new world filled with hopes, dreams, and wishes. Hers should be the best shower she has ever been to. Here are some unique bridal shower games that are sure to make that happen.

The first game is called and "the most beautiful gown contest". The shower guests will break up into even teams and create wedding gowns out of toilet tissue. Set a timer for 10 minutes while the guests choose a model for their team and design them a beautiful tissue paper wedding gown. This can include a veil, jewelry, and even shoes. When the time is up, let the future bride vote on the most beautiful toilet paper gown.

Another fun game you can play it's called "the memory tray". In this game, the host will prearrange several items displayed on a tray. When it is time for the the game to start the host will leave the room and reenter carrying the tray. She will slowly display the trays contents for everyone in the room to see. After she walks around the room she will take the tray out and leave it in another room. To waste time the guests can talk, drink punch, or even have refreshments. After about five minutes have passed each guest should be given a piece of paper on which to write down all of the items from the tray that they can remember. The person who remembers the most items correctly wins.

"Wedding Night Treats" is another of the unique bridal shower games which is similar to mad libs, where each person is given a preprinted paper that has a short story dictating what the wedding night will be like for the bride and groom to be. The story will have several blanks for the guests to fill in, but here's the catch: they can only use the names of candy bars in the blanks. Set a timer and when it goes off each guest can read the paper of the person to their right. This is a fun and hilarious game that will have everyone laughing.

For more information and free game ideas, I recommend reading an article on Squidoo. This article gives great explanation on why bridal shower games are so important. Remember, this is one of the brides biggest days, and a day she should remember forever. Make it fun by using the best and most unique bridal shower games.

For more information, head on over to this article.

Free Unique Bridal Shower Games For You!

Unique bridal shower games can let this fun party that comes before her wedding almost as special for the bride as the big day itself. For the one planning the shower, coming up with games can sometimes be intimidating and stressful, but it doesn't have to be. Incorporating these bridal shower games into the festivities is easier to do than you think. Here are just a few games to get you started with making plans for your loved one's shower.

"Musical Flowers" is one of many unique bridal shower games. Buy an artificial bridal bouquet or make one of your own with real flowers. As a special touch, the flowers can match those that the bride will carry at her actual wedding. Have the shower guests stand in a circle while wedding songs are played. The person that is in control of the music will stop it periodically and the guest holding the flowers when the music stops is out of the game. The last one standing wins. As a prize and memory of the shower, the winner can take home the flower bouquet.

Another fun game to play is "Bridal Trivia". In this game begin with giving out pre-printed questions about the bride-to-be. The questions can be anything from the bride's favorite animal to her favorite wine selection. This game would be given a set time in which the guests could answer as many questions as possible. Once the timer goes off everyone should stop writing. The guest to answer the most questions correctly wins this unique bridal shower game.

A big favorite among the unique bridal shower games is "Bridal Balderdash". In this game the bride has to work with the hostess ahead of time to come up with some funny facts about her relationship with the groom to be. Then the hostess will come up with a few things on her own that sound like they could be true but actually aren't. Write both the truths on index cards.

The things that actually happened would be combined with the myths and all of them will be read to the guests. For each card that is read the guests will vote on whether it is true or false. There really is no loser for this game - just a lot of fun and laughs. There are many more unique bridal shower games that you can use to ensure a great party.

For more free game ideas, and more information about bridal shower in general, I recommend an article on Squidoo. The article gives you information about why bridal showers, especially the games, are so important, and how to virtually guarantee that you please the bride. For more information, view the article here.