If the bachelorette party is a night out on the town dancing, drinking, and partying, then the bridal shower would be the equivalent of the brunch you have the next morning. Classy, fun, and elegant, bridal showers are a perfect way to show off your party planning skills and help the bride relax with the closest people in her life before she walks down the aisle.

Having trouble with your bridal shower planning? Never fear! We’re here to help. Here are five tips on how to ensure your bridal shower is an absolute success.

To make planning easier on yourself, try picking a theme! Does the bride love the 1920’s Great Gatsby era? Perhaps she’s obsessed with country music, and a rustic vibe would work! Deciding on a theme can help lay the foundation on location, food, music choices, and decorations, as well as making the party feel cohesive (and totally Insta-worthy).

20 Bridal Shower Theme Ideas to Get You Inspired

Once you have a theme, head to Pinterest or a cooking site, and start looking up recipes for the bridal shower food. The best options are usually hor d’ouevres or finger food – something that people can snack on and not have to worry about eating at a table or getting messy with. Having that theme in mind from earlier also makes it super easy to pick out recipes that will work well together. Here a good list of ideas to get you started:

50 Simple Hor D’ouevre Recipes 

Time to flex that creative muscle of yours! Decorations can make or break the bridal shower, so making sure you pick what will define and accentuate the atmosphere is key.

Not sure where to start? Party Eight has gorgeous silver, gold, and rose gold balloons perfect for any theme of bridal shower. Is your bride a fan of the wizarding world? Check out this Harry Potter-themed set!

Got a bit of a tongue-in-cheek sense of humor your bride and her friends will appreciate? Make a statement! 

They even have decorations themed for getaway bachelorette parties (we love these “Let’s get Nashty”

and “Palm Spring Before the Ring”

Picking your balloons early will not only guarantee that they’re available, but it will help you pick the main colors for the rest of the decorations as well. From romantic rose gold flowers, to flashy golden confetti, or even classic silver accents – making sure your decorations all go well and fit the theme will be made much easier with Party Eight!

Now comes everyone’s favorite part – deciding what to wear! After picking your color thanks to your choice in theme and balloons, it’s time to figure out how you want to coordinate the bridal shower outfits. Dressing similarly or within theme will make you all look sharp and let everyone else at the shower know who is in the wedding.

As for the bride, she still needs to stand out while keeping in the theme. A simple white sundress is a great way to get the message across and still look and feel classy. Here are some great options that won’t break the bank but will keep you all looking stylish!

In this digital age, does anything actually happen if you don’t put it online? A cool new trend with weddings and bridal showers is incorporating hashtags, so that where ever images are shared, they can be easily found! The most common way to go about this is to cleverly use the bride’s soon-to-be last name – check out this blog post for ideas on how to combine names and make the best hashtag for the wedding!

Another unique idea is to create a Snapchat filter that is used based on the location of the wedding and is personalized. More and more weddings are doing this, and it’s a unique and progressive way to share your memories and make them easy to find on social media. Wedding Wire has a great tutorial on how to do this.

Remember – a bridal shower is meant to be a fun, lighthearted event to bring the wedding party and the bride and groom’s friends and family together before the big day. Make sure while planning that you plan in bonding time and fun, and your party will be sure to be a hit!