A 'how-to' on pulling together the perfect *eat cake for breakfast* Kate Spade-inspired bridal shower: complete with gold glitter, bold stripes, and mimosas!
In 2016 I planned a Kate Spade Inspired Bridal Shower for my college roommate. As alumni of Virginia Tech, the event was held at the University Club at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Virginia. We were able to rent the space for $500, this helped us stay on budget. Many of the other venues in the area were significantly more expensive.
Tips for planning a bridal shower:
Discuss expectations and budget!
Have the guests fill out their return address onto a thank you card envelope.
Create name tags for guests.
Discuss expectations and budget!
1) Expectations
Talk to the bride about what her expectations and hopes are for the event. Important questions to ask are:
How involved would you like to be in the planning?
Do you have a guest list?
Would you like this event to be ladies-only?
Is there a specific theme you have in mind or would you like to be surprised?
Do you want lingerie sizes on the invitation?
Do you have food or beverage preferences?
What other ideas do you have? Is there anything else you'd like me to know?
Always keep the bride informed along the way, unless she says she wants to be completely 'hands-off'!
2) Budget
Since the bridal party consisted of young 20-something professionals, we did not have a large budget. Before looking at venues, we discussed what each of us would be able to contribute. Things to consider:
Non-monetary contributions: Not all contributions are money. Valuable contributions can also be: volunteering to help set up, visit venues, mailing invitations, or crafting. Additional contributions could be bringing food and beverages.
Planning: Google Docs and Google Sheets are a god-send when planning events. Everyone has access to edit and it's saved in real-time.
Have the guests fill out their return address onto a 'thank you' card envelope.
Have a table set up at the entrance with a welcome sign, name tags, envelopes, and pens. When guests arrive they can grab their name tag then write their return address on an envelope. The bride and groom have many other details to worry about for their big day, this tiny detail is easy for the guests to do and goes a long way for the bride later down the road!
Photo
Flower and vase: flowers were from the Dollar Store and the gold vase was donated by the mother of the bride.
Large sign: the black and gold frame was donated by my mother, and the sign was created using poster board from the Dollar Store and paint pens from Michaels. My mother and I DIY-ed the writing using stencils.
Gold glitter frame; This is a wooden frame from Michaels that I modpodged gold glitter onto. Inside the frame printed onto a piece of regular paper is: "Please find your name tag & help the busy bride-to-be by making yourself the addressee".
Brown basket: The basket is filled with envelopes that match the thank you cards.
Invite: This was created on Shutterfly.
Jar: This was a Dollar Store mason jar that was modpodged with glitter on the inside. For the welcome table it held the pens that guests could use for the envelopes.
Create name tags for guests.
DIY everywhere you can! I created 2 different name tags for the event: pink for the bride, bridesmaids, and family; and black for everyone else. Everyone knows who the bride is - but not everyone knows aunts or childhood friends.
Instructions: I purchased pink and black card stock from Michaels as well as name tag pins. I printed each persons name on regular printer paper in a fun font, then used glue dots to assemble.
Gallery
More photos from the event:
Comments