My baby sister is getting married and we are in the final stretches of wedding planning. I wasn’t surprised when she asked me to be her Matron of Honor, it was kind of an unspoken obligation AKA: she was stuck with me.
I knew I would have to plan a Bridal Shower, Bachelorette Party, and help keep her sane in her moments of wedding despair.
Here are just a few of the 100000 things I wish I had known before planning a Bridal Shower.
Get a guest list from the bride FIRST.
This seems like a “duh” statement. But you can’t plan location, food, or budget until you know who the bride wants to invite. Keep in mind that all women invited to the wedding should be invited to the shower. We are a very forward thinking family so our shower included an out-of-town uncle, Father of the Bride, a nephew, and eventually one groomsmen and the Groom himself.
Have an In-Person Bridesmaid Meeting
My sister has six bridesmaids. The feisty one, the chill one, the sensitive one, the people pleaser, the organizer, and the out of towner. Each of these women had spoken to the bride and had an idea of what she did and didn’t want.
After trying to text Pinterest pictures back and forth and planning via text messages we finally scheduled a meet up to draft the plan.
After days of texting and getting no where; within an hour we were about to draft a plan, divide responsibilities and have a glass of wine.
Don’t Give The Bride Too Many Details
Our beautiful bride was a micro-managing nightmare. She was so used to always being the do-er that she didn’t know how to sit back and let others spoil her.
Ask the bride what her MUST haves are and what her “I would be so upset if this happened” nightmare was. After that, do everything you can to make her must haves happen and that her nightmares don’t.
Set a Budget
Set a bridesmaid budget! As the Matron of Honor, I contacted each bridesmaid and spoke to them about what they could afford. My sister got engaged in November and planned the wedding for the upcoming March so they didn’t get much notice to plan or save.
Creating a budget allowed everyone to pitch in ideas without someone having to stand up and say “I really can’t afford that.” Once the budget was set, no one had to worry about what the next expense might be.
Here is a break down of our budget:
- Dress: Whatever the bride decided. I mean, it is her wedding…
- Shoes: Everyone find/use their own * This was later changed when we found a great sale and snagged all 6 pairs for $7 each!
- Hair: $60
- Make Up/Nails: Do ourselves
- Bridal Shower: Chip in $60 for the venue/food
- Bachelorette Party: Pay our own way and take turns buying the bride drinks
Share the Responsibilities
Next, we divided up the shower responsibilities. The sisters and mother-of-the-bride covered decorations, invitations, and the ring game.
Bridesmaid #3 covered center pieces. We did Date Night Idea sticks as a center piece.
Bridesmaid #4, brought a jug of wine for the guests to sign, signs for the ring game, recipe cards for the guests to leave the bride their favorite meal idea, and she hand wrote all of the signs for those of us who are handwriting challenged.
Bridesmaid #5 created a full mimosa bar! Twelve bottles of champagne, four different flavored juices, three flavors of vodka soaked caviar balls, fresh fruit, and beautiful gold decor stolen straight out of her living room. 
Bridesmaid #6 baked all of the desserts! She brought serving and display dishes from home and created a Pinterest worthy spread in pink, white, and gold.
Wear Jeans and T-Shirt to Set Up
I opened a bottle of champagne to help ease my nerves and ended up wearing half the bottle. I was so hot and sweaty from decorating and rushing around. I wish I would have changed into my shower clothes right before the party started.
Bring Empty Totes
Between gifts, decorations, left over food, and set-up supplies, I definitely left with more things than I brought. I wish I had brought totes to pack everything up in at the end of the night. My mother had one large box with all of the decorations in it; that box ended up being our go-to junk holder. We hid the boxes under the tables during the shower.
Bring a Good Camera and Make the Bride Take Pictures with Everyone
This is something I learned from my baby shower. I was so overwhelmed that I didn’t want to take 15 minutes to take pictures with my guests. I still regret missing that photo opp with my grandmothers and niece.
Before the shower, find someone who has a good quality camera. This is not the time to rely on your Iphone. Lighting may be an issue and group shots from a distance can’t always be saved with the flash.
Take turns at the shower passing the camera around to the bridesmaids. Each will take different angles and moments but the whole shower will be photographed and no one had to give up the whole party to be the designated photographer.
Make an announcement during a food or cocktail break for everyone to make their way to the bride for photos. She will probably be sick of smiling but she will cherish those photos of her friends and family, and will appreciate that you made her take them.
Start Your Wedding Emergency Bag Now
I used a travel make up bag but you could just use a gallon ziplock instead. Even when you think you are prepared, you forget something. Start your emergency wedding kit NOW and make sure to bring it to the shower. As the Maid/Matron of Honor, it is your job to take care of the bride and her bridesmaids.
- Tide-to-Go Pen
- Clothes Pins
- scissors
- Fabric Tape (DO THIS. It’s a few dollars at Walmart and it can fix a broken hem to secure a shirt that keeps opening or slipping out-of-place.)
- Hand Sanitizer
- Bandaids
- Extra phone chargers
- Hair Brush
- Hair Spray
- Gum
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