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Party City - Tips - Bridal Shower
 Party Tips & Tricks
Bridal Shower
Unlike years' past, today's bridesmaids actually have the opportunity to wear some pretty elegant dresses. If you're wearing a hot number to your friend's wedding, you owe her the most elegant and fun bridal shower. If you hate the dress, well, zip it. You love your friend, right? Regardless of what you've been asked to wear, or the duties you've been assigned, the most important responsibility of the bridesmaids is to throw a shower the bride will always remember. And yes, if her mom wants to be involved, you must let her!
Planning advice from a pro: Showers can be a blast for the bride! But let's face it, depending on the number of ladies invited, they can be painfully long for the guests. Not your party! Get the bridesmaids together and make a commitment of your own: fun for everyone, good food and drink, games and prizes, and swift unwrapping of gifts.
When it comes to details, have no worries, faithful bridesmaid. We've got you covered from invitations to table décor to favors. You'll find everything you need right here.
The Countdown
What to do when? Use this handy little checklist:
5-6 months before the wedding
 Get the bridesmaids together for drinks or coffee. Tackle the big question: What kind of shower will you throw? Hopefully the bride will have shared with you her vision. After all, it is her party. Does she want the big function hall or an intimate garden party? Surprises are not for everyone. Decide whether she's the type who can walk into a room of gussied up gals and be OK with not having her lipstick perfectly applied!
Book the restaurant or function hall. Reserve a tent, tables and chairs, if needed.
3 months before the shower
Go over the guest list with the bride. If she's having multiple showers, be sure you don't invite the same people to every one.
Pick a party theme: Garden Party, Ladies Brunch, Couples Shower
8 weeks before the shower
Get those invites in the mail! Gals (and guys) these days are busy, busy! You don't want to miss getting on everybody's calendars.
6 weeks before the shower
Go shopping for party essentials.
Plan the menu. If you are responsible for buying/making the food, make sure you stock up on all the necessary supplies like foil pans, paper plates, napkins, plastic utensils, plastic cups, festive cocktail stirrers, table dˇcor. There's nothing worse than running out of drink cups! Well, except maybe running out of ice.
2-3 weeks before the shower
Track down the slackers who've been too busy shopping to RSVP! Give a final count to the caterer or function staff.
Create fun and useful favors for the guests
1 week before the bachelorette
Shop for food/drinks. Try a local wholesale club like BJs or Cotsco for prepared appetizers and fruit/cheese platters. Save time and money.
Day before/day of the party
Dress the stage: set up tables and chairs and decorate the party space. Check out our tablescape ideas. Don't forget to hang your bridal shower banner!
Set up a gift table at the front of the room near the bride and be sure to have a basket set aside for cards.
Decorate the bride's chair with white tulle and sprinkle the floor around it with rose petals.
Theme Ideas
Garden Party
Pastels or bright colors work well with this theme. Guests could be encouraged to bring gifts for the garden: tools, outdoor gear, coolers, picnic basket, bird feeder, wind chimes. Or have the bridal party all pitch in to buy a gift like a gas grill or Adirondack chairs.
 Decoration idea
Use our all over daisy plates with green or yellow napkins and utensils over a coordinating table cover. Talk about easy clean up afterwards! Shop a local garden center and purchase small plants or flowers in pots. Stack them at varying heights in the center of the table and use packages of flower seeds as place cards. Another cute option? Small terracotta pots painted with chalkboard paint. Write the guest's name with chalk and fill them with candied almonds. Or give each guest a note pad and pen set in the shape of a flower. They're already wrapped and tied with a bow. So cute and so easy!.
What to serve
If you are outdoors, select foods that will not spoil in the sun. Avoid mayonnaise-based salads. Load up on fruit, green salads and sandwich platters. Mix a batch of sangria or punch.
White Wine Sangria:
· 2 bottles dry white wine
· 1 tray ice cubes (use shapes or plastic freezable cubes for fun)
· 1 liter bottle club soda or seltzer
· 1 lemon
· 1 orange
· 1 12-ounce can of lemon-lime soda (optional)
· Transfer fruit to a large clear glass pitcher. Add 2 bottles dry white wine, club soda and lemon-lime soda if you like a sweet sangria. Add a tray of ice cubes and stir. In addition to fruits listed here, you may use peaches, nectarines or strawberries. Serves 10-12.
Delicious party salad:
· Mesculan Greens
· Dried cranberries or golden raisins
· Candied pecans
· 4 oz crumbled feta or goat cheese
· Balsamic Vinaigrette dressing
· Combine all ingredients in a large salad bowl and toss with tongs. Leave dressing on the side
24-hour/Around-the-clock Shower
Time is central to this party. Assign guests a time of day with their invitation. They should bring a gift appropriate for the time of day they've been assigned: a waffle iron for 8am or a naughty nightie for midnight. Watch how creative people can be!
Decoration idea
Go back in time and get a little retro with polka-dots. These totally fun polka dot plates and coordinating products will give you a range of color choices while reinforcing the circle/clock theme. Pick 2-3 colors and create balloon centerpieces for each table. Sprinkle bright metallic confetti around the balloon weights. Give each guest a favor that's right for the time of day you're holding the shower: mini muffin tins if it's morning, wine charms or votive candles if it's evening.
What to serve
Brunch foods combine the best meals of the day. Serve a spinach quiche or egg strata, fruit salad, mini bagels with cream cheese, roasted potatoes. Mix pitchers of mimosas (champagne and orange juice) or Bloody Mary's.
Egg Strata (must be made ahead):
· 2 cups sliced mushrooms
· 1/2 cup finely chopped onions
· 4 large eggs, beaten
· 2 cups whole milk
· 1 large loaf of day old Italian bread, sliced or cubed
· 1 1/2 cups shredded sharp cheddar
· Butter a 2.5 quart soufflé dish or casserole. Heat a large heavy skillet over medium high heat and add 2 T of butter. Once butter is melted add 2 cups of sliced mushrooms and chopped onion. Cook 5 minutes and set aside. In a large bowl combine eggs and milk. Place on layer of bread in the bottom of the buttered dish. Top with half of the mushroom/onion mix and sprinkle with 1/3 of the grated cheese. Repeat with another layer of bread, mushrooms and cheese. Top with a third layer of bread. Slowly pour the milk and egg mixture over the top until it soaks in. Sprinkle with the remaining cheese. Let stand in the fridge overnight. When ready to serve, preheat oven to 350 degrees and bake for one hour or until the top is nicely browned and bubbly. Serves 8.
High Tea
There's nothing more "girlie" than a tea party! Indoors or outdoors, it's the ideal way to toast the bride.
Decoration idea
Use the bride's wedding colors for decoration inspiration! These classy and pretty toile paper plates and napkins are simply perfect. Place a teapot filled with fresh cut flowers at the center of each table (shop yard sales or eBay for bargains). Sprinkle flower petals around the teapot. Attach place cards to a box of tea or rich chocolate truffles. Give each guest a mini bottle of champagne or sparkling fruit juice.
What to serve
Cucumber finger sandwiches, chocolate dipped strawberries, mini cakes and pastries. Pour champagne into glasses with raspberries. Offer a selection of flavored hot teas with lemon, fresh mint and honey.
· Cucumber sandwiches:
· 2-3 large cucumbers, peeled and cored
· Small tea bread or thin white bread with crusts removed and sliced into triangles
· Whipped cream cheese with green onion or chives
· Fresh dill
· Slice cucumbers into ribbons. Use a vegetable peeler for the finest slices. Spread cream cheese on bread and top with cucumbers. Top with another slice of bread and add a tiny piece of fresh dill. Tip: Do not make whole sandwiches and then try to slice them into triangles. They will not look as nice.
Shower Games
Games not only help the bride's friends from the office or apartment building get to know her college roommates, but also provide a lot laughs and chances for the guests to get some presents, too! The Best Bridal Shower Party Games #1 and #2 feature four pencil games and game sheets and group activities including "Gift Giggles" and "It Happened to Me!" Shower Bingo is always popular and gives the guests something to do while the bride is opening dozens of great presents!
Couples' Showers
Once called "Jack & Jill" showers, a couples' shower is a popular choice for both the non-traditional bride or for the bride who is having multiple showers with her family, work, and friends.
Planning advice from a pro: Gone are the days when a stag party turned into a couples' shower. Theme parties are now the way to go when both the bride and groom will be the center of attention. Throw a blast of a party that the couple is sure to remember, but be sure to leave some of the big fun the for the big day.
Margaritaville Party
Perfect for Buffett fans and parrot heads. Mix up pitchers of margaritas and come Monday, everyone will still be talking about the party!
Decoration idea
Think Hawaiian luau with parrots. Turn up the heat and pull out the palm trees, colorful leis, and drink umbrellas. Any bright color will work for plates, cups, and table covers: but hot pink, orange and yellow will make the party room feel hot! Decorate each table with colored balloons and hang paper lanterns from the ceiling. Adorn the food table with a grass table skirt. Be sure to play Buffett's CD "Songs You Know by Heart." To get the night started, try a game of limbo. After the gifts are unwrapped, thank guests with a mini bottle of tequila, tropical plastic cocktail stirrers, and chocolate covered nuts.
What to serve
Mini cheeseburgers, tropical fruit salad in a hallowed out pineapple, teriyaki chicken skewers, chips and salsa with fresh guacamole. In addition to margaritas, serve Corona bottles from a pail packed with ice. Don't forget the limes. Stack limes in see-through containers for added decoration.
Teriyaki Chicken Skewers:
· 30 (8-inch) bamboo skewers
· Marinade: 15 ounces teriyaki sauce
· 6 tablespoons sesame oil
· 1/4 teaspoon minced garlic
· 1 lemon, juiced
· 1 tablespoon sugar
· 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs
· 1 tablespoon sesame seeds, toasted
· 1 cantaloupe half filled with melon balls, optional
· Soak bamboo skewers in water for 1 hour to keep from burning later.
· Mix all marinade ingredients together in a non-reactive container large enough to hold all of the chicken. Cut chicken into 1/2-inch strips and submerge them in the marinade, cover, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
· Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Thread 1 chicken strip on each skewer towards end of the stick, and line up on a sheet pan. Place in oven and bake for about 30 minutes, or until fully cooked through. Sprinkle with sesame seeds before serving. Serve by sticking skewers straight out of the side of a cantaloupe half filled with melon balls, if desired.
Poker Party
Nothing will make the guys feel more at home than a game of poker! Clothing is optional.
Decoration idea
Photocopy or scan playing cards into your computer and make an invitation that looks like the real thing! Cover the game tables in green felt and sprinkle game chips and metallic confetti over them. Use the casino-themed paper plates and napkins and carry the red and black color scheme throughout the party space. Cluster red and black balloons on the food table and hang a casino string from the ceiling and doorways. For those who don't play poker, setup other games like blackjack, lucky dice, and spin the bottle. After the gifts are opened, give the guests a pack of cards, lottery scratch tickets, or a chance to win something big like a restaurant gift certificate, tickets to a professional sporting event or an overnight hotel stay.
What to serve
Martinis made with flavored vodkas, a 12-foot club sandwich, kettle-cooked potato chips, gourmet cheese and fruit platter with olives, spicy nuts and chocolate cigars.
Spiced nuts:
· 2 tablespoons butter
· 1 cup pecan halves
· 1 cup whole almonds
· 1 cup dry-roasted unsalted peanuts
· 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
· 1 teaspoon chili powder
· 1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
· 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
· Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. Add butter to a 13x9x2-inch baking pan. Set the pan in the oven to melt the butter. Remove the pan from the oven and add pecans, almonds, peanuts, and Worcestershire sauce to the melted butter.
· Gently stir until well mixed. Bake the nut mixture until it is toasted, stirring occasionally, about 30 minutes. Remove the nuts from the oven and sprinkle the mixture evenly with chili powder, garlic salt, and cayenne pepper. Toss until well mixed. Transfer the warm nuts to a bowl and serve immediately or let cool and store in an airtight container.
Hollywood Party
Roll out the red carpet for the bachelor and bachelorette. Bring the love of tinsel town home with a party that celebrates the classic movies.
Decoration idea
Invite your guests to put on the ritz and dress the part. Glam it up with everything Hollywood! Hang glitter star lights around the party room and carry the silver, gold, and black color scheme throughout the party space. Put bunches of gold balloons at the entrance to the party. Hang vintage movie posters on the walls or set on easels and dress the tables with our lights, camera, action cutouts. Write the names of guests on huge star cutouts and affix them to the floor. Use the red carpet room rolls and have members of the bridal party play the paparazzi-snapping digital photos of guests! Lead a game of famous couples trivia or ask guests to complete lines from famous Oscar-winning films. After the gifts are unwrapped, send guests off with a digital print of their arrival photo in a picture frame.
What to serve
Set a buffet Wolfgang Puck would be proud of: crabcakes with sweet red pepper sauce, vegetable spring rolls, a bruschetta trio, potstickers, spinach and artichoke dip and crackers. For drinks try champagne cocktails, martinis, and whiskey sours.
Wolfgang Puck's Bruschetta Trio:
· 21 slices of good French bread, sliced 1 inch thick
· 1/2 cup olive oil
· 3 garlic cloves
· 1 cup goat cheese, softened
· 1 cup olive tapenade
· 1 cup roasted peppers
· 7 white anchovies
· 1/2 cup garlic aioli
· 1-2 tomatoes, diced
· 7 slices Parmesan cheese
· 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
· Lightly oil the bread on both sides and grill. Rub the bread with the garlic cloves.
· Spread soft goat cheese on 7 pieces of bread and top with olive tapenade.
· Spread soft goat cheese on 7 pieces of bread top with roasted peppers and white anchovies. Spread garlic aioli on 7 pieces of bread. Place confit tomato on top and then Parmesan. Drizzle olive oil and aged balsamic vinegar on each piece. Serves 7.
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