Your best friend is finally going to have the wedding of her dreams and it’s your responsibility to throw her a gorgeous wedding shower to celebrate the upcoming day.
Stressed?
Don’t be!
Here are some tips to help ensure that you’re covering all bases as you plan out the big party.
Create Your Team
Before you jump in and try to plan this solo, figure out who your trusty team is going to consist of. Other bridesmaids, sisters or cousins of the groom, mom, aunts and anyone that you feel should be part of the party planning committee should be talked to and brought on board. Although more the merrier is true for the party, it’s not always the case when it comes to trying to work in a group for the planning portion! If possible try and keep it small or have extra women on board to help on the day of rather than leading up to the day. Once you’re set, put together a group chat on WhatsApp to keep everyone in the loop as well as create a group email account that everyone can access.
Talk to the Bride
The most important thing when planning a special afternoon for the bride to be is to talk to her first! Find out what she has in mind with regards to any special requests and of course, who should be on the guest list. She will be your go-to for contact information so the sooner you get this done the better.
Plan Ahead
Critical items when planning ahead include setting out your invitations in order to give guests enough time to save the date and RSVP. Other things like pre-ordering party favours or takeaways as well as a cake, if you have something very specific in mind are important to pre-plan for due to delivery times as well as the availability of your cake designer. If you are going to host the party in a restaurant or banquet hall then booking your date is also something you want to do as quickly as possible.
Make a Budget
The hardest part of hosting a party for the bride to be is setting a budget-especially if she has some very specific asks or a humongous guest list! This is where bringing in the family of the bride can help as they will be able to help cover off some of the costs while leaving all the planning and executing to you and your team. Once you have a budget in place you’ll find group discussions a lot easier to manage as well with expectations being controlled by available funds.
Make Sure the Registry is In Place
If your bestie is going with a registry this should be in place around the same time as she is working on her guest list. Although items can be amended as time goes on, the actual link to the stores that she prefers is something you’ll need for your invitations.
The key is to keep your expectations realistic and manageable given what the bride wants as well as what is doable within your means. Keep a shared calendar so that everyone knows when to expect a group call or if an important date is approaching, for example, the RSVP date or the last day to order your gifts. At the end of the day, anything that you and your party planning team put together will be appreciated by the lucky lady.