After throwing her best friend an Instagram-worthy bridal shower, style guru, influencer, and blogger behind Hello Fashion, Christine Andrew, shares ways to save without sacrificing fun.
By: Christine Andrew1. Budget, Budget, Budget
It's always important to know exactly what your budget is from the beginning and go from there. Prioritize what you think would be most important to the bride, and plan accordingly. This way you will know where you can really cut back, and splurge more on what is important to the lady of the hour.
Photo: Travis J Photography
2. Grab a Friend
Co-hosting is a great way to divide up the cost of a shower. Does the bride have four best friends or a couple of sisters that might be interested in helping? The more that host the shower with you, the better! Not only will it make the bride feel extra loved that more than one person wanted to plan her special event for her, but it will divvy up the duties, and more importantly, the cost of the shower.
3. Make a List, Check it Twice
Don’t let the guest list get too big and out of control! The more that come to the shower, the more expensive it will be. Try to focus on the people that are the most important to the bride and stay away from inviting those that are just acquaintances. Have the bride help make a list consisting of those that are important for her to be there.
4. DIY Decor
This is a major way to save money. It’s always easier to just order everything online or go to the party store and buy ready-made decor, but doing it yourself saves a lot of money. So, get crafty and DIY as much of the decor as possible. You can even have a get together with the co-hosts for a fun night of crafting for the bride!
Photo: Travis J Photography
5. Simple Menu
Instead of hiring a caterer, divide up the menu and have everyone hosting the shower make something for the guests to eat.
6. Host at Home
If one of your hosts has a beautiful home or backyard, host there! It saves a lot of money (it’s free!) to host at someone's house instead of paying for a venue, and if it’s a nice time of year, showers in a backyard are always beautiful!
7. Send an Evite
Skip fancy printed paper invitations, a trip to the post office, and costly stamps that add up. Not only are email invitations free to make, but guests these days seem to prefer them. Not to mention, they makes tracking RSVPs so simple!
8. Favor Fun
Do a "make your own flower arrangement" or create flower crowns as the activity during the shower. This can be used as the take home favor as well. Bonus: fresh flowers are always a great option that every girl will love to take home!
Photo: Travis J Photography
9. Homemade Desserts
With the help of Pinterest and the internet, it’s so easy these days to make cupcakes or a basic cake, and make it beautiful yourself!
10. Dollar Store Finds
I often assume I need to hit up Target or the local party store for things like colorful napkins and plates, and forget that you can get the exact same thing at the dollar store…for a dollar! Whatever the color palette of your shower, the dollar store usually has all of the basics that you need — paper plates, cups, napkins, utensils, etc!
11. Signature Cocktail
Instead of having a bunch of drink options that can get pricey and add up, pick one signature drink for the shower and stick to that and water. For brunch, mimosas are always delicious and cheap!
12. Online Games
There are tons of fun shower games that you can find for free online, and print off a couple to play with your guests.
Photo: Travis J Photography
13. DIY Centerpieces
It’s tempting to just order beautiful flowers from a local florist, but this is a major expense that can be avoided. Instead, find inspirational photos online of arrangements you love and then buy your flowers at the grocery store and create them yourself!
14. Thoughtful Gifts
It’s always nice to purchase from the registry, but after you have spent a lot of money hosting the shower, you might be wanting to save some on the gift. Creating a thoughtful gift for the bride is usually less expensive than the registry items and will be more meaningful to the bride in the long run. Make her a cookbook with your favorite recipes, or frame a special photo of the bride and her fiancé for their home. These are items that she will look back on for years to come, and will remind her of you and the special shower you hosted in her honor!
15. Perspective is Priceless
Don’t stress! Remember what the most important part of the shower is for the bride — surrounded by her friends and family, celebrating her upcoming big day. Don’t let little the things stress you out, and if something is too expensive, skip it! In the end, she will remember who was there and how loved she felt.
– Christine Andrew is a fashion blogger, Instagrammer with more than 1M followers, and founder of online store, Shop Hello Fashion.
For more bridal shower inspiration, visit 5 Tips for Planning a DIY Wine Tasting for Your Bridal Shower.
