Planning a bridal shower comes with high expectations that can often be hard to live up to. From inviting the wrong guests to choosing the wrong bridal shower packages in Vaughan, and not setting a budget to forgetting to check in with the bride, our list of six common bridal shower planning mistakes will help you avoid bridal shower disasters.
1. You don’t set a budget
It can be easy to go overboard and spend beyond your means if you don’t set a budget. Bridal showers shouldn’t be the burden of one person, unless someone like the bride’s or groom’s parents steps up and offers to pay.
Talking among the bride’s closest friends, bridal party, and family members to see who can pitch in and how much will help you set a budget. Then, you need to stick to that budget, since you’re spending other people’s money and can’t really go back to the pot more than once!
2. You try to go it alone
Whether you’re a control freak or simply don’t want to add to the plates of others, trying to go it alone always risks disaster. Enlist people you know and trust to help out and let each person handle different tasks such as decorations, invitations, a first stab at the guest list, or helping plan the menu.
Have everyone assigned a specific task and check in often to make sure everything is going to plan. Also, make it clear in a friendly way that nothing should be booked, ordered, or committed to without the approval of the main party planner(s).
3. You do everything willy nilly
By “willy nilly”, we mean your plans centre around hand-picking various services. This means you’re dealing with a long list of vendors, from the venue to the florist and the caterer to the decorations. This is a recipe for disaster.
Instead, it makes more sense to focus on finding a venue with all-inclusive bridal shower packages in Vaughan. When you go with a package, you deal with a single contact who helps organize everything for you. Thus, you streamline the process, make life easier, and help ensure the bridal shower is a success.
4. You don’t include the bride in the plans
As much as the idea of a surprise bridal shower might appeal to you, it’s never a good idea to make plans without the bride’s input. Even if you think you know her better than anyone else, brides are a very special kind of being that tend to have their own minds.
Becoming a bride can make the sweetest, most accommodating, and even-keeled person turn into a very demanding, unreasonable person who can break into tears at the drop of a hat.
Brides have often imagined every detail of their weddings since childhood, or at least since the moment they said yes to their fiancé. That means the pressure is on to help her realize those dreams. Speak to the bride and ask them some basic questions such as:
- How many guests does she envision inviting, and who that list might include?
- Does she want a more modern shower with her fiancé present and couples on the guest list, or a traditional shower where she’s the honouree and it’s a women-only event?
- Are they interested in activities and games, or does she prefer socializing, eating, and opening gifts as the main event?
- Does she want a day or evening event?
- Would she like a casual event at someone’s home, or something more formal and structured at a venue offering bridal shower packages in Vaughan?
These questions will help guide your decisions and ensure you plan a bridal shower that will make her happy.
5. You invite the wrong guests
Who you invite is an essential part of bridal shower success. Excluding the wrong people is just as bad as inviting people the bride would prefer not to socialize with unless absolutely necessary.
A lot of it boils down to the traditions of both families and how the bride is expected to manage wedding-related social engagements. This brings us back to mistake #4: not including the bride in the plans. This is a must when it comes to the guest list, so surprise or no surprise, your guest list can make or break the bride’s experience.
6. Not considering the gift aspect of the shower
The purpose of the shower is to literally shower the bride with gifts. If you don’t consider the gift aspect of the shower, it can lead to many calls from confused guests who aren’t sure what to bring. Here are a few approaches that can help guests choose a suitable gift:
- If it is a traditional bridal shower with “gals only,” it can be fun to go with bride-focused gifts such as a spa kit for her tropical honeymoon with high-end sunscreen, spritzers, after-sun care, etc.; funny gifts such as a book on surviving the first years of marriage; or something personal such as a photo album of childhood pictures from her best friend or sister.
- If it is a bride and groom shower, focusing on the smaller gifts listed on their wedding registry works well. Examples include crystal wine glasses, a coffee maker, picture frames for their wedding photos, or something slightly more personal, such as cozy “his and her” bathrobes.
- If it is a smaller gathering of her closest family and friends (with or without the groom and couples), a major group gift can work. Pitching in for one of the most expensive items on the couple’s registry that they are not likely to receive creates a wow factor that shows them how much they are loved.
This might include something like a large appliance, a major piece of furniture like a dining set or sofa, or something personal and completely off the registry such as a fully stocked wine fridge or a gift card to an exclusive fine-dining restaurant they’ve always wanted to try.
Contact the Bridal Shower Venue Experts
Although planning a bridal shower is a great honour, it can also be very stressful. Avoiding these six common mistakes will ensure the shower is enjoyed by the bride and all her guests.
To find the best bridal shower packages in Vaughan, click here to speak to the experts at Château Le Jardin. You can also call us at 1-888-529-8573 or contact us here.
