Bridesmaiding: The Bridal Shower

I’ve already written about what not to do (or, specifically, what games not to play) at a bridal shower. So how do you actually go about throwing one?

Step number one: Get some help. I called in the big guns: my mom. Mama W. is a party planner extraordinairre and a part time cake decorator. I am pretty good at helping people, but I am not good at event planning. So definitely know where your weaknesses are and plan accordingly. Also, probably the other bridesmaids will help you decorate. I got a lot of help on the day of the shower from some of the gals. I couldn’t have hung the poms without my girl Jayne to hold the ladder for me.
This is a cake that Mama W. made. No bigs or anything.

Step number two: Find a place. You can do this shindig at your house if you want, but then you have to clean. So really think about this. The cost of renting a (very cheap) room in a nearby church far outweighed the mental/physical cost of the deep clean my parents’ house would’ve had to undergo if we had the party there. Maybe the place you pick won’t be perfect, and maybe having your shower in a church means there will be a giant cross that looks like it’s made out of carpet in the background of all of your pictures. That’s okay. Everyone loves a giant carpet cross.

Step number three: Food. This is easy, because who is going to complain about free food? People will basically like anything you serve, and if they don’t, who cares? Make sure to take note if the bride has any allergies. Cat is allergic to shrimp and Sunny D, which meant I couldn’t serve my famous Sunny D./shrimp cocktails. Mama W. planned this menu, and it was kind of extreme. If it were up to me, I would’ve probably just had some sandwiches because I have no vision. But Mama W’s got pizzazz (insert jazz hands here), so we had quite the spread.

Step number four: Decorate. Just pick a color and go to a party supply store/Wal-Mart/wherever and buy a bunch of tablecloths. Don’t forget the twinkle lights. Oh, and the poms. The poms are a real pain to make, but they’re necessary. If you throw a party and you don’t have poms, don’t come crying to me when it’s a total failure.

Step number five: Pick out some good games. Okay, so this is relative. On a normal day, I am not exactly jonesing to do a purse scavenger hunt, but people will be grateful you didn’t pick a game that makes them get out of their seats. Trust me. In addition to that one, we played a memory game involving spatulas stuck to an apron (no one has to get out of their seats. A WINNER!) and the Newlywed Game. You guys, I actually really love the Newlywed Game. I always want to play it. All you have to do is ask the bride’s partner a bunch of questions in advance, then see how many the bride gets right. Usually she’ll get a lot wrong and that will be funny, but if you’re Cat then you already know that Isaac would be a red panda if he could be any animal. They know each other so well.
Look how much the Newlywed Game makes us laugh! And say hello to GIANT CARPET CROSS!

Step number six: Just get used to the idea that you’re going to have to speak in front of a lot of people. This one isn’t easy for me, both mentally (I just don’t like being in front of people) and physically (my voice only gets so loud, and people never seem to believe that I’m speaking as loudly as I physically can! Nasal voices are very thin!). But whatever. I mean, you have to do it, and mostly people are going to be nice to you so it’s not a big deal.
I mean, look how totally natural I look here (I do not look natural here):

Step number seven: Have wonderful friends. This is, by far, the most important step. I’ve heard so many horror stories from gals who’ve been stuck planning The Bridal Shower From Hell. Demanding brides, weird relatives, etc. Luckily for me, my best friend is the coolest chick around, and she’s someone you actually want to throw a party for. So work on that one! Get a best friend you want to throw a party for! Chances are, your friend will like any party you throw for them. Seriously, who is going to complain about it? A total weirdo, that’s who.
Not a total weirdo:

Bonus tip: This goes without saying, but the bridal shower is about the bride. So keep her preferences in mind, and try not to call her too often to say things like, “BUT WHAT DO I DO ABOUT THIS?!” Not that I ever did that. The good thing to remember is that everyone is paying attention to the bride and not you. You don’t have to worry about your hair or your dress or the fact that you somehow got frosting on your dress and the oil soaked into the fabric and now a grease spot shows up in all the pictures and that dress is dry clean only because of course it is. No one will even notice. No one is looking at you!

Have any of you guys planned bridal showers? Feel free to tell me about the ones that went well, but I am specifically looking for ones that went badly. I want to hear your horror stories!