As the pandemic continues to make large social gatherings unlikely over the next few months, more and more brides are turning to virtual bridal showers to still celebrate their pending nuptials with loved ones.
By: Kristen KleinIf you've postponed your wedding until fall/winter — or you were already planning on a fall wedding with a summer shower — you're now faced with a secondary dilemma: what to do about your bridal shower. It's tricky to set a date when there are still so many unknowns, which is why many brides are getting creative and embracing the virtual shower. Here's how to plan an online shower and make it fun for all of your guests.
Choose Your Platform
Zoom has been the top choice for schools and businesses during quarantine, and it works nicely for a bridal shower as well. With the free version, you can host up to 100 participants for 40 minutes. Want a longer or larger shower? The paid plans are also super affordable. One huge bonus of the virtual shower: faraway friends and family members who may not have been able to travel for a shower will now be able to participate!
Send Formal Invitations
A virtual shower doesn't have to be less formal than a regular one. Fight the urge to send an Evite just because the event is online. Make it feel more special by mailing printed invitations to all of your guests — Zazzle offers plenty of gorgeous templates to choose from.
Set a Cohesive Background
Let's face it -- décor is a huge part of the bridal shower experience. Get everyone in the mood to party by sending a free virtual backdrop from Minted, which your guests can upload to their Zoom accounts.
Games
Plenty of bridal shower games can easily be adapted to do over Zoom. A few examples:
Guess the Dress: Email everyone this graphic before the shower. Once you're all together on camera, ask them to hold up their designs, then you choose which one most closely resembles your actual gown.
Photo: Blushed Design via Etsy
Bride vs. Groom Trivia Game: Have the host read each statement, and guests can hold up their left hand for groom or their right hand for bride.
Photo: Vine Wedding via Etsy
Group Mad Libs: This works best with a smaller group; go around the virtual room and have each person provide one of the fill-in-the-blank words. Then, the host can read the story aloud.
Photo: Invitations by Tiffany via Etsy
Open Gifts
Your guests can easily ship gifts directly to your house. Prep the boxes beforehand by removing the tape and packing materials (but don't peek at the gifts!); this will make the opening process on camera much smoother.
Don't Forget Favors
Ship a favor to each of your guests to thank them for spending time with you. One option we love: cookie cards from Cheryl's Cookies, which will be delivered to each guest for just $5-6 each.
