Wedding Shower Theme Ideas

Great Bridal Shower Themes

One of the first steps in throwing a fun and successful bridal shower is selecting a shower theme. Consider the couples background and interests to come up with a list of viable options. Then sit down and discuss which one the couple feels would work best for them. The theme will make the event cohesive through the decorations, food and gift-giving.

Many companies sell personalized invitations that are themed for just about anything you can think of. Just be sure to include the shower theme and gift instructions on the shower invitations (if necessary).

Here are some great bridal shower theme ideas to get your creative juices flowing.

Bridal Shower Planning Books

The Ultimate Bridal Shower Idea Book: How to Have a Fun, Fabulous, and Memorable Party

by Sharon Naylor

Amazon Price: $10.17 (as of 08/20/2008)

Bridal Showers: Special Touches and Unique Ideas for Throwing a Fabulous Shower (Clark, Beverly)

by Beverly Clark

Amazon Price: $11.01 (as of 08/20/2008)

The Wedding Shower Book; How to plan the perfect celebration-including creative ideas for invitations, games, themes, decorations, gifts, and more

by Janet Anastasio

Amazon Price: $7.95 (as of 08/20/2008)

The Everything Wedding Shower Book: Thrill the Bride and Amaze the Guests With a Celebration to Remember (Everything Series)

by Jennifer Jenkins

Amazon Price: $9.95 (as of 08/20/2008)

The Best Wedding Shower Book (Revised Edition) : A Complete Guide For Party Planners

by Courtney Cooke

Amazon Price: $7.95 (as of 08/20/2008)

Lingerie Party

If you are having a small gathering with a group of friends or if it is the bride's 2nd wedding, this is a great shower idea. Keep in mind that you can't control how racy the gifts will be, so it may not be the best way to go if the bride's family is conservative or Dad will be at the shower. Decorate with lace tablecloths, candles and classy dishes. Gifts can range from flannel pajamas and bathrobes to crotchless panties and cup-less bras from Frederick's of Hollywood. For the guest favors, try some personalized travel candles or homemade tulle bags full of potpourri.

Time of Day Shower

Also known as an Around The Clock Bridal Shower

In the wedding shower invitations (clock themed ones if you can find them), assign each shower guest a certain time of day and ask them to bring a gift that the newlyweds would use at that time of day. You might want to give a few examples in the invitations so guests understand their assignment. For instance, 7 AM might be shower or breakfast time so towels or a coffee maker would be appropriate. 3 PM might be nap or snack time so a blanket or smoothie maker would make great wedding shower gifts. 6 PM is around dinner time so china, napkins, place mats, cooking pots, etc would be an excellent choice. The great thing about this shower theme is that guests will get creative and that is always fun.

Make-Over or Pamper Shower

You have several options when it comes to this shower theme, but it is best thrown in the afternoon. For small showers, you could invite an Avon or Mary Kay consultant over for a day of pampering for all of the guests. Otherwise, simply have a "pamper the wife-to-be" shower where all the guests give gifts designed to give her a little rest and relaxation. Spa certificates, a bottle of wine, bath and body lotions, or a good book would fit perfectly into this theme. Send guests home with little manicure kits, jars of home-made bath salts or bottles of personalized shower gel to remember the fun day!

Kitchen Shower

Buy some fun kitchen themed shower invitations and when you send them out, just let the guests know that all of the gifts should be something that the bride and groom-to-be can use in the kitchen. Great gifts might include tools, cookware, utensils, bake ware, appliances, kitchen linens, and cookbooks.

Another great idea is to ask shower guests to include a standard 3" x 5" recipe card with their favorite recipe in with the gift. The bride-to-be will get a great collection of recipes for her newlywed cookbook.

A fun game to consider is the kitchen gadget game where the hostess attaches all kinds of kitchen gadgets to an apron and walks around the room full of guests. After she leaves the room, the guests are asked to write down all of the gadgets they saw on the apron (give them a time limit like 3 minutes). The guest with the most correct answers wins the game. See the photos below for ideas.

Stock The Bar Shower

A great idea for the bride and groom who like to entertain. In the shower invitations, ask guests to bring gifts that will help the couple get their bar stocked and ready for parties. Items like alcohol, wine bottle openers, pitchers, personalized martini glasses, bar drink recipe books, and blenders for tropical drinks are great gift ideas.

A fun party favor would be personalized shot glasses, wedding themed glass coasters, or corkscrews that guests can take home with them!

Home Improvements Shower

If the couple will own a home (not an apartment), this is a terrific bridal shower idea. The bride and groom will love getting practical gifts that they can really use and these days, couples are even registering at hardware and home improvement stores. In the invitations, be sure to let guests know the shower theme and ask them to give gifts for the couple to fix up their home. Items like tools, hoses, gift certificates to places like Home Depot or Lowe's would be welcome surprises.

Since the groom will enjoy getting these gifts as much as the bride, this type of shower is best thrown as a couples shower where both men and women are invited. Play games like Who Knows The Bride Best and How Well Does The Bride Know The Groom.

Hobby Shower

Another great idea for co-ed showers especially if the couple has lots of hobbies such as fishing, golfing, camping, traveling, etc. This would be a great way to give them equipment to make their hobbies even more fun.

Keep in mind that all of your guests might not know exactly what the couple is into so you may want to include a list of hobbies on the invitation. If they love traveling, travel pillows, wrinkle free clothing, travel books, a portable alarm clock and traveler's checks would be great wedding shower gift ideas.

Around The House Shower

When you send out the shower invitations, assign each guest a specific room in the house. For instance, give 2 guests the bathroom, 2 the kitchen, 2 the bedroom, 2 garage, 2 the dining room, 2 the family room, 2 the game room, etc. Then explain that each guest should bring a gift that coordinates with the room they were assigned. For instance, give bridal shower gifts such as towels for the bathroom, a blender for the kitchen, lingerie for the bedroom. Guests will have fun coming up with creative ideas.

A great game for this shower is the tray game where you (the host) collect 10 - 15 common items from around the house. Things like scissors, a remote control for the TV, a spoon, etc and place all the items on a tray. You walk the tray slowly around the room of guests and after you leave, ask them to write down all of the items that were on the tray. The guest that remembers the most items wins.

Seasons of Change Shower

In the shower invitations, give each guest a particular season that their gift should coordinate with (since there are only 4 seasons - multiple guests will have the same season). For instance if the guest is assigned summer, they might give grilling items, bocce ball or beach towels. Winter might be a crock pot or Christmas ornament. The possibilities are limitless.

You can theme the party decorations and food around the actual wedding season. For instance if the couple is getting married in December or January, consider a winter-themed wedding shower with snowflake and snowman decorations and a blue/silver color scheme. Hot apple cider and eggnog would be great beverage ideas. For guest favor gifts, give personalized hot cocoa packets, Christmas cookies, or snowflake candle favors.

Honeymoon Shower

This theme is great for the couple who is older and already has everything - they certainly don't need any more towels or pots and pans. If you know where they are planning to go for their honeymoon, you can encourage guests to give gifts that they can use during their vacation. Be sure to mention the destination in the invitation.

If the couple is going to the Caribbean for instance, beach towels, sunscreen, or spa certificates to their honeymoon hotel would be fantastic gifts. For beach destinations, you can decorate the party with a summer or laua theme with leis for the guests, blow-up palm trees, and flip-flop themed tableware.

For other destinations such as Europe, decorate with world maps and common destination items. You could even serve food typically associated with their honeymoon location (Belgian waffles, chocolates, Irish stew, Asian stir-fry, etc).