A Lingerie Bridal Shower is a very innovative and fun party to attend. This shower is a bit of a twist on the traditional bridal shower. The body of the traditional bridal shower is sustained with the exception of the gifts offered to the bride. All gifts must be of an article(s) of lingerie.
Some people may find this to be too risque for their liking. Some may think buying intimates for another person is just that-too intimate. In this case, purchase a gift card and allow the bride to shop for herself behind closed doors.
Lingerie is an extremely important piece to the entire wedding accoutrements. The bride will carefully select a beautiful piece of lingerie that makes her feel sexy and gorgeous. This is the first layer of many carefully selected styles which will be layered until the finished objective; perfection. When the bride walks down the isle to say "I do", she knows all eyes will be on her and she wants her fiance to forever remember how beautiful she is. Of course, once the evening's ceremonies have calmed and the newlyweds are in their hotel suite, then the final reveal is disclosed to her husband. It should be a WOW! moment. Most brides rally and have an exquisite arrangement of white laced lingerie.
So, back to the party. The newlyweds will most likely be off on a 7 to 10 day vacation following their wedding. For the next week or week and a half, the bride will entice her husband with an array of lace, silk, colors, cuts, and trims...all closely clad to her body. This is where the lingerie bridal shower meets this very need.
How to Host a Lingerie Bridal Shower:
First: Assemble a guest list. Set a date for the shower. Select a place to host the shower.
Secondly: Invitations. Select or hand make invitations that suggest romance. You can get very creative! Remember, the invitations seal the fate of your party...If your invitations make the recipient think this is going to be a terrific gathering, then you will invariably have a successful turn out, hence, a great party!!! Once the invites are selected and addressed, send out no sooner than four weeks from the shower date. If everyone is local and it is an intimate gathering, you will be safe sending them out two weeks prior to the date. Make certain to list the bride's measurements on the invite and boutiques or stores of which she has registered for lingerie.
Third: Decor. Soft, romantic music in the background. Bouquets of fresh flowers and lit candles. Perhaps when setting the tables, you could utilize the colors the bride and groom have selected for their wedding decor. Think fresh, soft, and intimate...rather than boudoir, Fredrick's of Hollywood, and bondage. For place settings, think of place cards and party favors. Each plate could have a silk lingerie drawer sachet, a box of chocolates, a box of delicate soaps, etc...
Fourth: Decide on how you would like your party to flow. So many people forget this crucial element in planning a party. They believe if they make the party, they will come and voila...a party is had. Not true. As the hostess, you set the tone. Greet your guests with a warm smile, dressed in something comfortable but smashing. Invite your guests in and direct them to which room you would like them to linger and become acquainted with the other guests. Have someone pouring their beverage of choice...you will be busy answering the door and talking with those who have arrived. Have someone assist your guests with coats, purses, and their gifts. Have another person offer trays of small finger food and napkins. This initial mixer should only last until all of your guests have arrived and have had an opportunity to meet and greet each other. Following, invite all of your guests to sit down for lunch. It is usually key to have name cards in front of each place setting. If you have more than one long table, allocate someone who will direct people to their designated table.
Fifth: In planning, decide on the cuisine being served. Lingerie Bridal Showers are usually smaller gatherings of 50 or less people. Lunch is typically served with dessert following. Serve a chicken or a fish, salad, vegetable, wine, iced tea, and iced water with lemons. Dessert can be anything decadent served with choice of coffee or tea.
Sixth: Once the meal has ended, all of your guests should be asked to enter into the room of which shower games and gift opening will take place. Have a few people on staff to clear the tables, wash the dishes, and put away all of the left over food.
Seventh: The games. Many of us cringe when introduced to playing shower games. Uuuggh. I am going to offer a few which could inspire you to create your own. Lingerie shower games do not have anything to do with making meals and learning how to be the best Stepford wife. Lingerie party games have much to do about romance and love. Offer prizes for those who win the games. These prizes could be anything from lingerie gift cards to wine and chocolates. Stay within the theme of your party.
Also...during the game and gift opening phase of your party, plan to have someone refill coffees, waters, etc...Have someone walk about with a tray of decadent chocolates or strawberries dipped in chocolate.
While people are seated, a journal can be passed around the room for each person to enter some worldly advice for the bride. Enter your favorite memory of knowing her and some hope for her future, some lesson taught to you by a respected elder, whatever you feel might assist in moments needing reflection. You may also wish to address "How to be romantic"...each person offers their idea of what being romantic truly is. Could be funny. It is a nice memento of the occasion.
Game One: How well do you know each other.
The maid of honor phones the Groom prior to the shower asking him a list of 10 questions i.e., Who was his first kiss?, Where did he go to high school?, What did he major in at college?, What is his favorite color?, What is his favorite hobby?, etc..During the shower, each guest and the Bride has an opportunity to answer the questions and whomever answers the most correctly wins a prize. While on the phone with the Groom, ask him to reciprocate responses to the same questions, this time for the Bride. At the end of the game, it is fun to reveal how well the Groom knows the Bride. Ask the bride the question, receive her answer and then reveal his response while at the party.
Game Two: How well do you know the Bride and Groom?
A list of 10 questions will be handed out to each guest. The questions, much like the ones above, will query where the couple met, where did they go on their first date, how long have they been engaged, where do they want to live, do they want children, if so how many, where are they going on their honeymoon, what do they do for a living, etc..And clearly, the one with the most accurate questions answered wins the game.
Game Three: Love Songs
Guests have 3 minutes to write down songs with love in the title or lyrics that contain love in the lines. Whomever has the most at the end of three minutes, wins a prize.
Game Four: Teddy in a box
This is a version of hot potato that has been around for a while. All of your guests begin by passing around a wrapped box. They have all been informed that if they are left holding the box once the music has stopped, they are required to wear the contents of the box. Most people become frantic and quickly pass the box onto the adjacent guest. The one who is left with the box, timidly unwraps to unveil either A. a teddy bear of which they keep or B. a corsage of which they wear.
Game Five: The Best Proposal
Each guests takes a few minutes to descriptively write their best proposal idea; how they wish to be proposed to or how they wish they had been proposed to. The maid-of-honor reads each out loud and everyone applauds for the best or writes the name of who offered the best and most creative wedding proposal. The winner, wins a prize.
Eighth: Lastly, the opening of the gifts. The maid-of-honor writes down who gave what. One clever idea that I had read was the maid-of-honor had passed out envelopes to each person while seated during the "opening of the presents" phase of the party. Each person self addressed the envelopes. The maid-of-honor collected the self-addressed envelopes and fanned them out in front of the Bride. The Bride selected one while her eyes were closed. The selected envelope takes home the centerpiece or some other type of prize. This is great since all of the "thank yous" are now addressed and ready to for sending. All the bride needs now do is to write her letter thanking the guest for their lovely and thoughtful gift and how fortunate she is to have them in her life.
The party ends with all of the gifts having been unwrapped, a polite thank you to each guest for coming and for their gift. A mention of how excited all people are to see each other again at the wedding. Voila! You have successfully thrown a fun, delicious, memorable Lingerie Bridal Shower...and the Bride...well, she will be elated to have a trousseau of fabulous lingerie while away on her honeymoon.
Cheers!
