Planning a bridal shower takes about three months if you work through it in order. Settle the host, date, guest list and budget first, book the venue and send invitations next, then sort the food, games and favours in the final month. If you'd rather hand over the venue, or the whole wedding weekend, Wedded Wonderland can take it on.
Most showers fall one to three months before the wedding, and planning usually starts about three months ahead of the shower. That gives you time to book a venue before the popular weekends go and to send invitations with plenty of notice. A shower can come together faster, but a short run-up limits your choice of date and place.
Before you start, settle who is hosting and who is paying, since that decides the budget for everything below. Our guide to who hosts a bridal shower covers the etiquette and what a shower typically costs.
Agree on the hosts. Decide who is leading and who is helping, and how the costs will be shared between co-hosts.
Ask the bride what she wants. Find out whether she'd like a big party or a small lunch, which dates suit her, and whether any of it should stay a surprise.
Set the date. Pick a weekend when the bride and her closest people are free, one to three months before the wedding.
Set the budget. Agree a total with any co-hosts now, so the venue and menu choices that follow have a ceiling.
Draw up the guest list. The bride or her family should supply it, and everyone on it should have a wedding invitation too.
Choose a theme, if you want one. A theme makes later decisions easier, from the menu to the favours. Our list of bridal shower themes has ideas.
Book the venue. Your guest count and budget narrow it down quickly, and the next section compares the options.
Book any suppliers. A caterer, florist or photographer needs booking now if the venue doesn't provide them.
Send the invitations. Post them four to six weeks before the shower, with the when and where, what to wear and where the couple is registered. Here are some invitation wording ideas.
Check the registry is live. Guests will look for it as soon as the invitation arrives, so confirm the couple has set one up.
The venue decides most of the budget and most of the work. A family home is the most flexible choice and the least expensive, but the hosts handle the food, the setup and the cleaning up afterwards.
Photo: Ron Lach (Pexels)
A restaurant's private dining room, or a hotel high tea, covers the food, the staff and the room in a single booking. If you're in Sydney, start with these Sydney hotels that host bridal shower high teas. A winery, garden or spa day suits a smaller group that wants an experience as much as a party.
If the venue is the part you'd rather not research, browse Wedded Wonderland venues to compare spaces by location and style.
Photo: Elina Fairytale (Pexels)
Plan the menu. Brunch, a grazing table or afternoon tea all suit a daytime shower, and the venue may have set menus.
Choose the games. Two or three short games are enough to get guests who don't know each other yet talking. Our pick of bridal shower games has printable and no-prep options.
Order the favours. Something small that guests can eat, drink or use works well.
Plan the decorations. Match them to the theme and the venue, and order anything that needs to be delivered.
Hand out the jobs. Give each co-host a task for the day, such as setting up, running the games or noting who gave each gift.
Confirm numbers with the venue or caterer. Chase any guests who haven't replied.
Confirm deliveries. Check the time and address for flowers, cake and anything hired.
Write the running order. Share it with the co-hosts so everyone knows what happens when.
Buy your own gift. Hosts give a gift too, and these gift ideas for the bride cover most budgets.
A shower usually runs for about two and a half hours. The running order below follows the timings The Centre Escondido, an events venue, suggests for each part of the afternoon.
Arrival and mingling, 20 to 30 minutes. Drinks and something light to eat while guests arrive.
Games, 30 to 40 minutes. Run them before the meal, while everyone is still fresh.
Food, about 45 minutes. The main meal or the afternoon tea.
Gifts, 30 to 40 minutes. One co-host keeps a list of who gave what, for the thank-you cards.
Farewell, about 10 minutes. Hand out the favours as guests leave.
Agree on the hosts and how costs are shared.
Ask the bride about dates, size and style.
Set the date and the budget.
Draw up the guest list from the bride's list.
Choose a theme.
Book the venue.
Book any suppliers.
Post the invitations a month to six weeks out.
Check the registry is live.
Plan the menu, games and favours.
Plan and order the decorations.
Give each co-host a job.
Confirm numbers and deliveries.
Write and share the running order.
Buy your gift.
Keep a list of gifts on the day for the thank-you cards.
If the wedding is overseas, hold the shower at home well before the bride flies out, and steer guests towards gifts that are delivered rather than carried. Our guide to the destination bridal shower covers the timing, guest list and gifts in more detail.
With the shower done, the wedding is next. Wedded Concierge plans the venue, the suppliers and the events around the day, so the bride can spend the months that follow on the wedding itself rather than the bookings.
Written by
Senior SEO Specialist, Wedded Wonderland
Mark Tuason is the Senior SEO Specialist at Wedded Wonderland, where he writes and refreshes the brand's guides to destination weddings and cultural wedding traditions. He starts with the questions couples search for, checks the answers against trusted sources, and shapes each guide to help them plan, compare and book with confidence. Based in the Philippines, he specialises in content strategy and on-page SEO.
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