Bridal Shower Theme: Starbucks/Coffee Inspired

Image sources: Hostess with the Mostess, Christy Robbins, Chica and Jo, Kimz Kitchen, Zazzle, Etsy, Your Home Based Mom

Dealing with a bride who doesn't start the day without an iced white chocolate mocha? Know a bride who would probably make her wedding budget if she cut out her daily lattes? Why not throw a Starbucks/coffee inspired bridal shower for her?
 
Another nice thing about the coffee themed shower is that it's very work-appropriate.  This is a great shower for teacher's lounges or office showers.

Invites

Set the tone for the shower with an invite that shows everyone that the couple's coffee breaks are just too cute for words.  

Or let everyone know that the couple really are a perfect blend with this invite. 




Drinks
Since the theme is coffee, obviously you're going to have lots of coffee for this shower. The easy solution: create a coffee bar! One sample menu for drinks would be Decaf, Regular, Tea, Water, and Hot Water for Hot Chocolate or Hot Teas. 
Note: Non-coffee drinks are essential here because not everyone drinks (or likes) coffee. 

The toppings for the coffee bar of one sample coffee shower included vanilla, hazelnut, creamer, milk, flavored creamers, various sugars, chocolate dipped sugar cubes, sprinkles, chocolate syrup, caramel syrup, whipped cream, chocolate covered peppermint sticks, and lemons.

• Try putting vanilla sugar cubes, chocolate dipped sugar cubes, or heart shaped sugar cubes to add an unique touch to the coffee bar.
• Having a selection of flavored syrups like vanilla and hazelnut for the coffee bar takes the coffee to the next level.  Try this recipe to make flavored syrups for the coffee.

Homemade Frappie Recipe
courtesy of Recipezaar.com

Ingredients
1/2 cup milk
2 tablespoons chocolate syrup
1 tablespoon granulated sugar, plus
1 teaspoon granulated sugar
1/3 cup strong coffee
1 cup ice

Directions

1. In a blender, combine everything but the ice, and blend until sugar has dissolved.

2. Add ice and blend until smooth (sometimes you will need a bit more ice).

3. Don't forget to top off with some whipped cream and a drizzle of chocolate syrup!

Food

Yum! When we think of coffeehouses, we think of desserts-and ton of them.  Serve plenty of cupcakes, cookies, biscotti, and cake for this shindig. 

Try different coffee-inspired cupcakes like:

• Chocolate coffee cupcakes with coffee buttercream
• Caramel Frappuccino Cupcake
• Vietnamese Coffee Cupcake
• Doughnuts and Coffee Cupcake (shown to the left)

Also try serving coffee bean cookies.

Favors
What else can you give out as favors? Coffee, of course! Try personalized coffee bags that say "Bride's Bridal Shower" on them or coffee scoop favors. 

We are not affiliated with Starbucks.  Affiliate links were used.

A "Good Advice" Bridal Shower

Better Homes & Garden had an unique bridal shower idea-a "good advice" bridal shower. While giving advice to the bride for a happy marriage is a common idea, this gives this common theme a new take. In the shower invites, tuck a blank card inside and tell each guest to write down a bit of wisdom to go with her gift. Tell the bride to read aloud the advice card before the bride opens the present. At the end gather the advice cards from each guest and place them in an album along with photos from the bridal shower to create a keepsake the bride will always cherish.

Another take: have the guests (or the bride) guess what the gift is before the bride opens it. Sometimes the advice given (say "never go to bed angry") can make for interesting gifts.

Giving the bride the practical gift paired with the sentimental advice can be tricky. Here a few creative ideas BH&G gives us to get you started:

Advice: Celebrate every day.
Gift: Champagne flutes or a beautiful cake plate.

Advice: Take turns cooking for each other.
Gift: Favorite cookbook and kitchen tools.

Advice: Experience new things.
Gift: Travel accessories.

Some others:

Advice: A happy wife equals a happy life.

Gift: Spa gift certificate, bath & body products

Advice: "Love is when mommy gives daddy the best piece of chicken." Elaine - age 5

Gift: Cooking and baking pans

Advice: Laughter is the shortest distance between two people.
Gift: Comedy DVD

Of course BH&G takes the theme to an extreme. Besides the gifts, they suggest naming and serving food with the same theme. Think a clever quote to a toothpick topper on the cupcakes, Sage (Advice) Biscuits,and "Confucius Says" Noodle Salad recipe. And for favors: fortune cookies of course!

Bachelorette Party-French Lingerie Brunch

What an exciting bachelorette party. We love the idea of lingerie showers and lingerie bachelorette parties. Here's the happy bride proudly standing by all the goodies she got at the shower. Displaying them like this is a great idea-it works for lingerie showers and baby showers too!
Invites-It definitely sets the tone for the entire event. I'm sure the guests were super excited about it after seeing these.
Favors- little hankies by Design Design-they were packages of 10 pretty tissues that say "I See London, I See France, I Travel the World in Frilly Underpants!" How cute. (The host found them at Hobby Lobby stores.)
The Food-It looks delicious and had a French theme. The menu:

• Mimosas, of course!
• Croissants, danishes, and muffins from the local Memphis bakery: La Baguette
  
• Mini Quiches
• Fruit and a simple fruit dip
• Petit Fours
• Orange Pecan French Toast Casserole

Decorations-A bust decorated with lingerie. Cute decoration or a nice way to display the frilly gifts.

A fun game they played-When the bride opens up each lingerie gift, all of the party attendees have to give the item a name. They then wrote tags with the names down and attached to each outfit with ribbon. On the bride's honeymoon, the groom gets to pick out her outfit each night based on the name alone. Some are cute, silly, sexy, and everybody gets a good laugh!

The idea of a brunch for a bachelorette party is also a great one. It's a nice alternative if you're looking for something to do thats not alcohol-filled and it can be a great way to start off a day of partying.

The rest of the bachelorette party can be found at Keeping up with the Jones's. Thanks so much Kendall for allowing us to feature it.

Bridal Shower Theme: Baseball Shower

(Image via Wilton.com Learn how to make the cake here!)

We were so inspired by our Real Bridal Shower of the week that we decided to do a post on how to throw a baseball themed shower. Not only is this a great idea for a hard-core baseball fan but its also a great theme for co-ed showers.

Inspiration
Take a look at Elizabeth's vow renewal. With details like vintage Braves caps as decor, a Smoltz jersey for her guest book, a baseball diamond seating chart, and dessert being ice cream sundaes served out of mini Braves helmets, this party was for a baseball fan. To top it off, the party was at the 755 Club at Turner Field and featured a tour of the stadium.

Invitations
A DIY project. A contributor to Elizabeth Anne Designs made rehearsal dinner invitations that looked like baseball tickets. We loved them plus they would set the tone for the entire shower.

Food
-Keep it basebally. Think hot dogs, soft pretzels with mustard and cheese, nachos & cheese, and movie-style popcorn.
-Try the baseball shaped cookies available for every MLB team at Cooperstown Cookie Company.
-Buy your team's M&M's at M&M's. You can get your team's logo and colors.

Cake
-Take a look at this incredible cake created by using baseball bats cut to become pillars between the tiers with fondant designed to look like baseballs.
-Top off the culinary masterpiece with a custom baseball cake topper with the bride with baseball bat & groom pitching from Etsy seller EnchantedYou54449. For a slightly cheaper cake topper try JW Cake Tops where you can a bride and groom holding sports pennants of your team.

Favors
-Make custom baseball cards with pictures of the happy couple and their "stats." Try My Trading Cards.
-Try beer mugs filled with peanuts and Cracker Jacks.
-Create custom baseballs with the couple's name at Mini Sports Balls.

Guestbook
-Have guests sign a base plate, a jersey, a mitt, or a bat.

Venue
Last but not least is where to have this incredible shower. The MLB stadiums all have areas where weddings and other special events can take place. For example at Citizens Bank Park, you can rent out The Diamond Club, Hall of Fame Club, Left Field Plaza, Harry the K's, Ashburn Alley, Bull's BBQ, and Phillies Clubhouse with a variety of menu options and add-ons available like behind the scene tours and appearances by Phanatic.

You can also try minor league stadiums and colleges for rooms and facilities in their parks. Or host the shower at a local park by a baseball diamond.

Hopefully this gives you a great starting-off point for a fantastic shower. Feel free to add your tips below.

Real Bridal Shower: Mer's Baseball Bridal Shower

Ah, we are so excited to have our FIRST Real Bridal Shower. And what a cool theme it is. For this huge Red Sox fan, her twin sister (also her maid of honor) decided to throw her a baseball themed bridal shower. And judging by the photos, it looks like it was a great time. We think the baseball cakes above are a nice touch.


The happy couple showing off their MLB tumblers. Is this a rival marriage-meaning she's a Red Sox fan and he's a Yankees fan?
Even the drinks kept up the baseball theme. Love the cooler!
Possibly the highlight of the party-the cupcakes! These look too cute to eat. I can't believe the detail given to them-look at the red socks.

Thanks so much Mer for sharing your photos and your shower. It looked like so much fun.

We are loving this theme, even though we are Phillies fans. World Series 2008! Look for another post on how to do a baseball themed bridal shower for your bride.

Bridal Shower Theme: Mexican Bridal Shower

Tina from Carrots N Cake went to her sister's Mexican themed bridal shower over the weekend and from the photos it looks like it was a blast. Take a look.

Want to do it yourself? Here's a few of the things we loved:

• the beverage bar featuring sangria, margaritas, beer, lemonade, iced coffee, and water.
• the decor-pinatas, sombreros-think fiesta meets backyard chic.
  
• the favors-a “frosty” margarita glass with a nip of tequila, a lime, a couple of candies, and customized margarita mix.
• the food was Mexican inspired-think make your own taco bar, taco salad.
• Super creative idea-Each of the bride's college friends and her bridesmaids decorated a wine bottle for the couple to drink together at a significant event during their married life. For instance, the first Christmas they spend together, their first anniversary, and when they buy their first home. What a great idea!

It looks like a great time. I'm sure the bride loved it.

Bridal Shower: Inspiration: Sunflower Shower

Photo via It's a Jaime Thing

The creative Jaime from It's a Jaime Thing threw a beautiful shower with the inspiration being sunflowers. We loved it!

Lots of yellow-yellow tablecloths with plenty of sunflowers. We especially like the favors-they glued sunflowers to the tops of soaps. Cheap and creative!

Honestly, keeping a color theme for a bridal shower is the easiest way of making a bridal shower look well put-together and classy.

Barbie Bridal Shower

Ah Barbie! The same doll we played with as little girls still has some of us longing for those days of Barbie and Ken and the Malibu beach house. After all, Paris Hilton had a Barbie themed 28th birthday party and Jessica Simpson was going to have one for her 29th birthday. Well, what do you do if the bride in your life LOVES Barbie? Throw a Barbie themed bridal shower.

Hello Bella Events just planned a gorgeous Barbie bridal shower. Actually they called it a Barbie-Que. Cute, huh! Honestly, this bridal shower is full of inspiration if you want a pink or girlie themed shower.

What we loved:

• the shower was full of pink signature drinks, all named after Barbie of course. Think Barbie-tini, Pink Sangria, Barbie Bubbly (Pink Champagne), and Barbie Blush Wine.
• the signature dessert table with a pink-fondant covered Barbie cake.

What a great bridal shower! It looks like the bride loved it.

Bridal Shower Theme: Tropical Shabby Chic

BloggerBrides has a great shower theme-tropical shabby chic. We love that the theme was influenced by the honeymoon location-Hawaii and think this would be great for other beach weddings and destination wedding showers. Using the honeymoon location as a theme for the bridal shower is a great idea-it usually gives you a fun theme.

Bridal Shower Theme

Bridal Shower Theme List

Use our list to get ideas for themes for bridal showers. Themes can be one of several things-just for gifts, just for food, or more like a themed party. Remember that a bridal shower doesn't have to have a theme but a theme can help tie the event together.

Event
Event-themed bridal showers rule the party-let the theme dictate the menu, decorations, and activities. Normally they don't run over into the gifts though.

Alice in Wonderland
Marie Antoinette
Gone with the Wind
Sex and the City

Gifts
These type of bridal showers dictate what type of gifts the bride should receive. Example for the "around the house" shower, the guests will bring a gift dictated by the room given to them. A guest whose room is kitchen will bring a vastly different gift than one whose room was patio or bedroom.
Alphabet Every gift begins with the letter the guest is given. The letter C might bring a coffeemaker or china while the letter H might bring a hamper, hotplate, or Halloween decor.

Around the Clock The gifts are inspired by the time. A guest who gets 6 am might buy a coffepot while a guest who receives 10 pm might buy a nice set of bathrobes or a popcorn maker.

Around the House The gift is dictated by the room the guest gets. Think towels for the bathroom, pots for the kitchen, books for the library.

Christmas Shower Every gift will be inspired by Christmas! A great way for the new couple to deck the halls their first year. The bride will get holiday china, figurines, and ornaments.

Holiday Shower Much like above, only each guest gets a separate holiday to bring a gift for. For Christmas, ornaments; Thanksgiving, nice serving dishes; Cinco de Mayo, margarita glasses and mix.

Home and Garden Shower Tools needed to fix up the home and plants for the outside. It's the handyman's couple's dream shower!

Honeymoon Shower This shower is meant to celebrate where the couple will spend their honeymoon. Are they going to the beach-guests will bring towels, sunscreen, travel guides, sunglasses, and other necessities.

Lingerie Shower Exactly as it sounds. The bride can receive anything and everything from bathrobes, pajamas, to racy sets of lingerie and bustiers.

Pampered Bride (Spa) The shower for the bride who really wants bath and body products just for her.

Stock the Bar Guests bring items to stock the bar. Examples include glasses, accessories, wine, bottles of liquor.

Stock the Pantry Similar to the "stock the bar" theme, only this shower focuses on the bare necessities a kitchen needs. Guests are expected to bring recipes with the ingredients necessary to make them. End result-the bride has every staple and condiment known to man!

Food
Here the menu dictates the theme. The theme doesn't have to have anything to do with the gift theme, if there is any at the shower.

Wine and Cheese Tasting
Chocolate
Dessert
Brunch

Bridal Shower Theme: Stock the Bar Shower

Image courtesy of www.freefoto.com

Stock the Bar

What it is: Who wouldn't like this type of party? You're asking guests to bring over the essentials for a great bar-the liquor, the glasses, the mixes! As a result, the couple now have one less expense in setting up their house.

Best For: Every bride loves this type of shower, but it's an especially good choice for the bride who has already set up her house-she may have all the dishes she'll need but she could always use more bottles of wine. Since the atmosphere is not necessarily girly, this shower makes a great choice for a couples shower. It's usually best for the younger crowd-Aunt Edna might not appreciate buying a bottle of Jack Daniel's for her favorite niece.

Planning Tip:
- Instead of asking guests to write their favorite recipes down, ask guests to write their favorite alcoholic drinks like their favorite recipe for sangria or martinis.
-Combine it with the bachelorette party. The "stock the bar shower" can be earlier in the afternoon with the bachelorette bash at night.
-If the couple really loves wine, then you could make wine the focus. (Likewise for beer, martinis, margaritas, etc.)

Venue
-Be creative with where to have it. This doesn't have to be a stuffy shower in a hall. Wine schools, like the the Wine School of Philadelphia offer private classes with expert sommeliers who explain different types of wine. Rather have the bridal shower at home, then look for companies like the Traveling Vineyard which offers in-home wine tastings. Google local wine sommeliers in your area to find one whose willing to come out for the party.

Activities
-Obvious choice-a wine tasting! Of course, wine tastings are not the only thing you could do at a "stock the bar" shower; beer, margarita, martini, and even sake tastings could all be done.

-Make vodka infusions. Look at Infused Vodka for supplies and ideas-also check out the vodka infusion recipes and Vodka Infusion Party for tips on vodka infusions. (You could make some ahead of time to serve at the shower too or to give out as favors.)

-Decorate wine, margarita, or martini glasses. Cheap ones can usually be found at Walmart, Target, or yard sales. Use rub-on transfers, found at normal arts & crafts stores, to decorate glasses.

The Menu
Many choose to stick with the alcohol theme. You can build the entire shower around the bar!
Some ideas:
-Wine and cheese tasting
-Mexican-Serve Coronas, margaritas, along with Mexican food.
-Pub food like fish and chips, burgers, fries, along with beer.
-Beer and chocolate tasting.
Be sure to provide plenty of food if guests are going to be drinking. Also provide non-alcoholic drinks.

Registry
A stock the bar shower is a good choice for a shower when the bride hasn't registered-guests can simply go to their local liquor store and pick up some bottles. If the bride has registered, she probably added registry classics like wine glasses to her registry anyway. However, it never hurts to register just to be sure that the bride gets exactly what her and her groom drink. Try Vino Classics, Bottle Notes, or the local wine shop where the couple can create a wine registry.

Favors
If you're going to give out favors keep the theme in mind. Make infused vodkas like this one, cranberry infused vodka, ahead of time to give out as favors.

Invitations Wording
Soon (bride's name) & (groom's name)will no longer be single

So let's get together to mix & mingle

Join us for a Stock the Bar Shower...

He loves beer and she loves wine,
but the bride also loves barware so fine!
So bring some bar tools, or even beer
As we wish them a lifetime of happiness & cheer

Bride and Groom have finally set a date

Now it’s time to celebrate!

Help us stock their bar

Bring your favorite wine or cigar

Bride’s wedding is not far

Let’s gather to stock her bar

Fill her shelves with liquor and wine

So glasses won’t be empty when guests come to dine!