Singaporebrides | Essentials
May 2021
By Tansey Tang
Be the hostess with the mostest with our tips on throwing the perfect bridal shower to celebrate your bride-to-be!
A bridal shower is a lovely way for the bride-to-be’s family and close friends to congratulate her and celebrate as she graduates from Ms to Mrs.
What is a bridal shower?
The bridal shower custom is said to originate from traditional dowry practices. When a father refused to provide a dowry for a woman, or when her family couldn’t afford to, her friends would gather with gifts to replace the dowry and help her start her home. A favourite pre-wedding event in the West, a bridal shower traditionally is an all-female celebration for the bride, her friends, and close female relatives from both sides of the family, where everyone eats, plays games, mingles, and the bride opens her gifts from everyone.
These days, a bridal shower is simply a celebration of the bride’s upcoming marriage, as her close female family and friends get together to shower her with love, well wishes, and gifts. In Singapore, a bridal shower often replaces a wild hen’s or bachelorette party when the bride prefers a more elegant alternative to throwing back shots and dancing till dawn. Think a fun afternoon with the bride’s sisters, cousins, bridesmaids, and other close girlfriends, with champagne, cake, and pretty decorations.
Who plans (and pays for) it?
The maid of honour typically hosts the bridal shower with the help of the other bridesmaids. However, anyone can throw the bride a shower if they want to; just make sure to communicate your plans so there aren’t duplicate parties. As with hen parties, the cost of a bridal shower is usually split between the bridesmaids.
Bells and Birds: Whimsical Bridal Robes for the Modern Romantic Bride by Multifolds Photography
Whom to invite?
A bridal shower is a celebration with the bride’s close female family and friends. While grandmothers, mothers, and aunts are typical attendees in the West, in Singapore many bridal showers simply involve the bride’s close girlfriends and bridal party. It’s a great way for the bridal party to get to know one another better as well. If the shower isn’t a surprise, clear the guest list with the bride to make sure she’s comfortable with each attendee, and to make sure you’re not accidentally inviting someone who isn’t invited to the wedding.
When should you throw the bridal shower?
You can throw a bridal shower any time between a couple of weeks to a few months before the wedding. Pick a date that is convenient for everyone, and try not to hold it too close to the wedding when the bride may have a lot to get done, or too long before the wedding as the excitement builds up closer to her wedding day.
Boho Dreaming: A Bohemian Hen Party Styled Shoot by Antelope Studios
How to throw an unforgettable bridal shower
1. Set a budget
If you’re hosting the bridal shower with fellow bridesmaids, speak to your co-hosts to decide on how much you want to spend on it and set a budget that everyone is comfortable with. While what the perfect bridal shower entails depends on your bride’s personality and wishes, some typical costs might include food, drinks, decorations, and fun party accessories such as a bridal tiara and veil, and bride-to-be sash.
2. Plan the guest list
Ask the bride whom she’d like to invite to her bridal shower, and if she’d prefer an intimate gathering or a bigger party. Throwing a surprise shower? Consult a sister or friends from other groups to create the guest list.
3. Pick a date
Plan to throw the bridal shower at least a couple of weeks before the wedding. Ask the bride which dates would work best, then check if everyone is available.
Colours of Spring, A Romantically Vibrant Styled Shoot at The Summerhouse by La Belle Couture and Rosette Designs Co., by Multifolds Photography
4. Choose a theme
A theme can be a great way to inject personality and fun into the bridal shower. Go bright and tropical if the bride loves colour, with fun décor like pineapple string lights, flamingoes, and tropical leaves. Does the bride love all things pink? Host a girly tea party with pretty pink posies and fancy floral china. Have a crafty bride on your hands? Try a craft session such as floral arranging, a baking class, or a jewellery making workshop. If one of the guests is skilled in a craft, why not ask her if she’d be willing to teach everyone to make something they can bring home or gift the bride?
5. Select the venue
Once you’ve decided on the bridal shower theme, you can select the perfect venue. A spa day out would be a lovely pampering session for the bride. For a craft session, join a workshop by your favourite studio. Want to spend more time together? Book a staycation or an AirBnb venue that you can dress up to the nines, and get everyone to come in robes or pyjamas for a pyjama party!
6. Set the menu
What’s a party without food? Choose foods that reflect your theme, whether you opt for a casual brunch, catered light bites, or a home-cooked feast of everyone’s signature dish. Don’t forget the bubbly! Bring champagne or moscato to toast the bride, or set up a co*cktail bar and have fun crafting your own drinks.
Louiline and Srinath’s Incredibly Romantic Virtual Surprise Proposal by Antelope Studios
7. Prepare bridal shower décor
The fun part begins! You can get really creative with the bridal shower décor and go all out to bring your theme to life. On a budget? Choose items that make a big impact such as colourful tassels, themed or letter foil balloons, and buy your own flowers from a floral market and arrange simple posies that will brighten up your venue. Don’t forget to get bridal accessories like a veil and bridal sash for your bride-to-be!
8. Brainstorm games and activities
If some of your guests will be meeting one another for the first time, break the ice with some light-hearted games. Prepare a quiz about the bride or the couple, or get each person to introduce herself with two truths and a lie that everyone else guesses. Hosting a home spa day or craft session? Make sure to stock up on supplies, with enough sets for each guest!
With these tips, we hope you’ll feel more prepared to host the perfect bridal shower for your bride-to-be. Whatever you plan, just know that she’ll appreciate the thought and effort you put into making her day a special one with the women who have supported and cheered her on through each of her life chapters. Have fun celebrating her marriage and showering her with love and well wishes!
Feature image from: Pretty Fun–A Bright and Happy Hens Makeup Party Styled Shoot by A2i Makeup, by Lightpixels Photography
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