A preppy reader e-mailed me the other day with the following dilemma:
my sister just got engaged and i'm starting to plan the bridal shower. i can't wait! do you have any ideas for a super cute preppy shower? as far as themes, decorations, favors, etc? Also- any great ideas for where to have the shower? thanks so much!! good luck with the rest of your planning!
Well, this preppy bride-to-be has thrown her share of showers and I am literally brimming with ideas. I’ll impart a few posts on you this week to help this preppy lil sis and you preppy readers out there throw the most prepptastic party imaginable.
I think the key to any great party is a theme. By sticking with a theme, you don’t let your guests miss all the cute little details you impart to them.
After the theme, it is essential to shower your guest of honor. Everything - from the food to the flowers - should capture the likes of the guest you are there to honor.
What’s left is the fun details. You can’t overwhelm yourselves with details, but it is always productive to throw some energy into the invitation and a fun favor for the guests. These take-aways will help guests remember your party and your spectacular hosting skills.
Since your bride is a preppy one, it would be fun to host an argyle-themed shower. You could make sure everything from the décor to the food follows this theme.
Invitations
Invitations are a great starting point. My best friends are hosting an argyle themed bachelorette party and are using these great invitations from Target to send to guests. They’re relatively inexpensive and you can pick your own font/color to customize the invites.
If you would rather pay for invitations, here are a few online resources that have argyle themed invites:
Lemontree Paperie
Blue Tulip
my sister just got engaged and i'm starting to plan the bridal shower. i can't wait! do you have any ideas for a super cute preppy shower? as far as themes, decorations, favors, etc? Also- any great ideas for where to have the shower? thanks so much!! good luck with the rest of your planning!
Well, this preppy bride-to-be has thrown her share of showers and I am literally brimming with ideas. I’ll impart a few posts on you this week to help this preppy lil sis and you preppy readers out there throw the most prepptastic party imaginable.
I think the key to any great party is a theme. By sticking with a theme, you don’t let your guests miss all the cute little details you impart to them.
After the theme, it is essential to shower your guest of honor. Everything - from the food to the flowers - should capture the likes of the guest you are there to honor.
What’s left is the fun details. You can’t overwhelm yourselves with details, but it is always productive to throw some energy into the invitation and a fun favor for the guests. These take-aways will help guests remember your party and your spectacular hosting skills.
Since your bride is a preppy one, it would be fun to host an argyle-themed shower. You could make sure everything from the décor to the food follows this theme.
Invitations
Invitations are a great starting point. My best friends are hosting an argyle themed bachelorette party and are using these great invitations from Target to send to guests. They’re relatively inexpensive and you can pick your own font/color to customize the invites.
If you would rather pay for invitations, here are a few online resources that have argyle themed invites:
Lemontree Paperie
Blue Tulip
Now at the end of the invite you could say something like: Let’s shower Lily in style. Wear something argyle to impress the bride-to-be.
When ordering your invitations, you are also committing (in my mind) to colors. I like when the invitations colors match the colors of the shower décor.
When ordering your invitations, you are also committing (in my mind) to colors. I like when the invitations colors match the colors of the shower décor.
Location, Location, Location
Most of the showers I have attended were at the home or apartment of the host. Feel overwhelmed by that responsibility, no fear. Perhaps your city has a cute local tea room. Or consider a country club which would certainly fit the argyle theme. Still not overwhelmed? Consider a local outdoor park or even conduct the shower at an outdoor miniature golf course.
Food
For food, I always follow the mantra simple is better. If your guests of honor loves sweets, prepare a dessert only buffet. If she like breakfast foods, throw a brunch. Should she like fried chicken and buttermilk biscuits, then that’s what you should have.
I have found that most showers are a boisterous affair, so finger foods do work best. I also believe that you should prepare food for the shower if you are hosting, but that does not mean that you should prepare ALL the food. Check out local bakeries or grocery stores for pre-made options that you can display nicely on your own.
For one especially preppy shower I threw, I had petite fours prepared by a baker and monogrammed with the guest of honors initials. They were a HUGE hit.
Later, I will post my grandmother’s homemade ham biscuit recipe which will have ALL of your guests complementing your skills in the kitchen.
I also recommend having a “fun” drink like mimosis or lemonade with a little vodka and grenadine.
Flowers
This one is easy. Display what your guest of honor likes best. Some preppy favorites are hydrangeas and peonies.
Spice up your arrangements with limes or coffee beans in the vase to add color to the party. Also - never forget putting small arrangement in areas where they aren’t expected, like the bathroom.
Décor
Your colors should come in handy here. With the argyle theme, you could take pieces of argyle scrap booking paper (found here) and create a garland to make a mantle or staircase festive.
For plates and napkins, I recommend these from plum party. Plum Party also has lovely disposable utensils that look like the real thing, here.
Most of the showers I have attended were at the home or apartment of the host. Feel overwhelmed by that responsibility, no fear. Perhaps your city has a cute local tea room. Or consider a country club which would certainly fit the argyle theme. Still not overwhelmed? Consider a local outdoor park or even conduct the shower at an outdoor miniature golf course.
Food
For food, I always follow the mantra simple is better. If your guests of honor loves sweets, prepare a dessert only buffet. If she like breakfast foods, throw a brunch. Should she like fried chicken and buttermilk biscuits, then that’s what you should have.
I have found that most showers are a boisterous affair, so finger foods do work best. I also believe that you should prepare food for the shower if you are hosting, but that does not mean that you should prepare ALL the food. Check out local bakeries or grocery stores for pre-made options that you can display nicely on your own.
For one especially preppy shower I threw, I had petite fours prepared by a baker and monogrammed with the guest of honors initials. They were a HUGE hit.
Later, I will post my grandmother’s homemade ham biscuit recipe which will have ALL of your guests complementing your skills in the kitchen.
I also recommend having a “fun” drink like mimosis or lemonade with a little vodka and grenadine.
Flowers
This one is easy. Display what your guest of honor likes best. Some preppy favorites are hydrangeas and peonies.
Spice up your arrangements with limes or coffee beans in the vase to add color to the party. Also - never forget putting small arrangement in areas where they aren’t expected, like the bathroom.
Décor
Your colors should come in handy here. With the argyle theme, you could take pieces of argyle scrap booking paper (found here) and create a garland to make a mantle or staircase festive.
For plates and napkins, I recommend these from plum party. Plum Party also has lovely disposable utensils that look like the real thing, here.
Games, to play or not to play.
Ask your guest of honor if she is into games. If not, I would say forgo the games for conversation. If she likes games, here are a few that have always been hits at the showers I have thrown/attended:
Two Truths and a Lie. Have girls introduce themselves by giving their name and two truths and a lie about themselves. The other guests have to guess which one is the lie.
Name that Song - Think of as many love songs as you can. Type them all out and leave one word out of each song. Break guests into teams of two and give them two minutes to fill in all the blanks of the songs. Whoever fills in the most, wins.
Favors
This is my favorite part. I am a HUGE fan of making CD favors. You could poll your guest of honor to pick her fifteen top songs of all time. Use her choices to compile the CD. You can find instructions on creating a homemade paper CD case here.
American Bridal also has some super cute argyle labeled chocolate bars here. Perfect if your guest of honor is a chocoholic like me.
Ask your guest of honor if she is into games. If not, I would say forgo the games for conversation. If she likes games, here are a few that have always been hits at the showers I have thrown/attended:
Two Truths and a Lie. Have girls introduce themselves by giving their name and two truths and a lie about themselves. The other guests have to guess which one is the lie.
Name that Song - Think of as many love songs as you can. Type them all out and leave one word out of each song. Break guests into teams of two and give them two minutes to fill in all the blanks of the songs. Whoever fills in the most, wins.
Favors
This is my favorite part. I am a HUGE fan of making CD favors. You could poll your guest of honor to pick her fifteen top songs of all time. Use her choices to compile the CD. You can find instructions on creating a homemade paper CD case here.
American Bridal also has some super cute argyle labeled chocolate bars here. Perfect if your guest of honor is a chocoholic like me.
Last, but not least, wedding favorites has some great argyle labels and boxes, so you can wrap up a bag of your guest of honor’s favorite candy.
Tomorrow, I’ll share some more tips and recipes for planning the perfectly preppy wedding shower.
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