Sharon Naylor Toris - The Ultimate Bridal Shower Idea Book: How to Have a Fun, Fabulous, and Memorable Party

Copyright 2003 by Sharon Naylor

Certain suggestions are made in this book. While these are intended to be helpful to the reader, the reader must assume all risk associated with following any particular suggestion. Therefore, in purchasing this book, the reader agrees that the author and publisher are not liable or responsible for any injury or damage caused by the use of any information contained herein.

All rights reserved.

Published in the United States by Three Rivers Press, an imprint of the Crown Publishing Group, a division of Random House, Inc.

THREE RIVERS PRESS and the Tugboat design are registered trademarks of Random House, Inc.

Originally published by Prima Publishing, Roseville, California, in 2003.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Naylor, Sharon.
The ultimate bridal shower idea book : how to have a fun, fabulous, and memorable party / Sharon Naylor.1st edition.
p. cm.
1. Showers (Parties). 2. Entertaining. I. Title
GV1472.7.S5 N39 2003
793.2dc21

2002156407

eISBN: 978-0-307-49845-8

www.crownpublishing.com

v3.1

Many, many thanks to my acquisitions editor, Denise Sternad, from Prima Publishing, for giving me this wonderful project to spend my summer on, as well as to Michelle McCormack for her expert guidance on all of my books in the series. And big cheers and hugs to Jennifer Dougherty Hart for all she does to get the word out. My gratitude goes out to the entire editorial and marketing teams at Prima and Random House for their top-notch support and brilliant ideas.

Thank you, thank you, thank you, to my dearest of friendsJill, Susan, Jen, Pam, Susan D., Loretta, Kristen, Julie, and Lindawho shower me with all the comfort, laughter, adventures, and pure acceptance I could ever hope for. I promise not to make you wear peach-colored ball gowns with high necklines at the wedding. How do you feel about sage-green strapless?

So, whats the key to throwing a great bridal shower? As youre sitting down to start on the who, where, when, and what for this very important party, youre probably wondering how you can put together the shower of a lifetime, the shower of the brides dreams. The bride is obviously very important to you, you love her very much, and you want to create a shower shell not only enjoy, but remember forever with nothing but smiles and now that was a great shower! memories. And if you do it right, all the guests will feel the same way.

Nervous? If you are, fear not. Lots of women start this process under a mountain of pressure, sweating the details and hoping the party they plan turns out to be a huge success and not a boring, cheesy, yawn-fest that even the bride cant wait to be done with. (If youve ever been to one of the latter endless types, you know what Im talking about!) Sure, its an important task, but with your creativity, your pure desire to plan the shower of the brides dreams, and the help of all of the ideas in this book, youre already well on your way to shower-planning success! Not too long from now, youll have created from scratch one fabulous party, starting the bride off on her road to wedded bliss with not only a boatload of amazing presents, but the heart-warming assurance that she is adored by you and by everyone on the guest list as well. And thats the real goal here.

So what makes a great bridal shower? Its not just gourmet finger food, origami-folded napkins, raspberry-filled starfish-shaped chocolate favors in pink cellophane bags with the brides initials stamped on them in gold print, kicky fluorescent martinis, or a fine merlot in crystal glasses. These are all beautiful accents and, indeed, some of the details that make an already-amazing shower pretty, stylish, and sophisticated. But theyre not guarantees of success in and of themselves. What catapults the success level of a shower is that its all about the bride (and the groom, too, if its a co-ed shower). Personalize it. Choose elements and a theme thats really her, including all of the things and people she loves. She doesnt want or deserve a cookie-cutter shower, so go to great lengths to make sure this party is one-of-a-kind, just like her.

Another key factor is that the shower is unique. Think of every other bridal shower youve been to think of the games, the menu, the cake decoration, the general way things usually go and then see where you can make it original, irreverent, laugh-out-loud amusing, indulgent, and just plain ol fun. This book is going to help you choose from thousands of fun ideas, which will make your job a lot easier.

By far, the smartest shower hosts these days know that showers have changed from the old days, just as weddings have. Todays showers arent like your mothers, with every stereotypical game youve ever heard of and canaps and wine spritzers on the menu. After all, in decades past, showers were meant to provide the bride with all the things shed need to set up her first home with her husband-to-bethose blenders, measuring spoons, cooking utensils, pillows, his and hers towel sets, and all the other must-haves for domestic bliss wrapped up in pretty white wrapping paper with iridescent bows.

These days, the bride is very likely to have her household set up already. She has her own blender, coffeemaker, and Egyptian cotton sheet sets. This is an era in which the bride has lived on her own for years before getting engaged, or where the couple has lived together for quite some time before planning to marry. These couples dont need the complete kitchen appliance collection or a bucket full of utensils; theyre just as likely to register for kayaks and mountain bikes or a collection of fine wines in addition to those blenders and his and hers towel sets.

Yes, times have changed. Second-time brides rightfully enjoy their own bridal showers, the couples kids plan some showers, and now the men might be joining in at a stylish co-ed shower. The party itself might be held at a winery, a museum, on a beachside deck, or in an estate homes garden rather than at home or in a restaurant. The theme might be wild and racy (as in the lingerie shower), glamorous (as in the come-as-your-favorite-diva party), upscale (the food and wine shower), or completely indulgent (the pampering spa party).

In short, the bridal shower of the twenty-first century is no cookie-cutter affair, no repeat of every bridal shower held for the past fifty years. The old rules are pretty much out the window, and you have a world of ideas and freedom of planning at your disposal, taking the pressure and bundled nerves away and setting you on your way to planning an unforgettable, meaningful celebration the bride will adore.

Before you panic, I have to assure you that this is not going to be a full-time job and your whole life for the next six months. Its not a wedding youre planning here, its just a fun party. Most of the bridal shower hosts I spoke to said they completed the planning in less than three months, devoting just a few hours each week to it, and they had the full support and assistance of the other bridal party members, the mothers, and even the brides themselves!