bridal shower

Plan the perfect bridal shower filled with sweet treats and games that you'll actually want to play.

A record number of weddings are expected to happen this year—an estimated 2.6 million. And that, my friends, is a lot of weddings to celebrate, gifts to buy, travel arrangements to make, and brides to shower. 


I have a confession to make—I hate bridal showers. I  didn’t want to have one when I got married, but my mom made me. (I even tried asking for donations instead of gifts, but she said no.) Shh, don’t tell my mom I told you that.


This post is for all you maids of honor, bridesmaids, and mothers of the bride out there, fearlessly planning and making sure all wedding events go off without a hitch. Here are my tips for hosting a fun bridal shower everyone will enjoy.

Create an epic bridal shower dessert table.

I can’t be the only one who has an emotional response to sweets, can I? When I see a table covered in delicious bites—from mini macarons to custom cupcakes—I light up. The easiest bridal shower desserts are these mini cupcakes, which come in a variety of flavors for everyone to get something they love. They also come in vegan and gluten-free, which are a must when feeding a crowd. Have fun with it—create a bridal shower cupcake display and add some of your favorite candy to the mix, too.   

Invent creative signature cocktails.

Wine feels like a no-brainer for showers, but a creative cocktail and/or mocktail can open up the conversation for guests and ease the inevitable social anxiety that comes from being in a room with 50 other women. Make it a nod to the bride’s favorite flavors or hometown and give guests something to talk about.

Ask everyone to bring a recipe for the bride.

When you send out invitations, ask guests to write out their favorite recipe on an index card. Slide all of the recipes into a photo album for an easy DIY cookbook that your bride will enjoy for years to come. If any of your guests don’t like to cook, let them use the opportunity to share any advice or memories! Keep a stack of blank index cards at the party for anyone who didn’t have time to write it out before they arrived.

Gift wine bottles for the couple’s milestones

I’ve played bridal shower bingo more times than I’d like to admit, but this game doubles as a gift for the couple. Ask each of the bridesmaids to write poems and tie them to a bottle of wine, with the poem indicating when it should be opened (when you have a baby, when you buy a house, when you have your first fight, on your first anniversary). The poems can be short and sweet or funny—either approach is sure to entertain everyone. 

Send guests off with something sweet.

Whether your guests live down the block or across the country, thank them for coming with sweet party favors. (Yes, the best favors are edible.) Either let them create a bespoke box of treats from the bridal shower dessert table or send them off with pre-packaged party favor cupcakes. As long as there are cupcakes, your guests will leave happy.

Brides, don’t forget to thank the planners!

Send thank you gifts to everyone who helped plan your bridal shower and came to celebrate your upcoming wedding! The best bridal shower hostess gifts are obviously mini cupcakes—they say thank you and I love you at the same time. 


What are your favorite bridal shower memories? Share with me by tagging @bakedbymelissa on Instagram!