I need Bridal Shower ideas & food suggestions

[MSUSpartanKat]

Hey guys, I am a bridesmaid in my friend's wedding and none of the bridemaid's or maid of honor have ever thrown a bridal shower before.

Anyone got good suggestions for food to have at the bridal shower (held at her mom's house) as well as games to play? We're not sure yet on how many people are coming, but maybe 25?

Also, anyone know how to make the fruit salad with the little marshmellows and whipped topping? I've had it before, but don't know how to make it. I thought that would be a good thing to have.

[cinnamonch]

foodwise, go with finger foods such as

sandwiches
chicken wings
cheese tray
rotel
chips
dip
veggie/fruit tray
cake

for ideas on themes and other party ideas, you might want to check here.


http://search.about.com/fullsearch.htm?terms=bridal%20shower%20games

[captorquewrench]

games.......i like to start off with thse two:

This is an introduction activity that works well if some of the ladies don't know each other well.
Sit in a circle
One person starts off with their name and states something they like that starts with the same sound.
"I'm Tina and I Like tulips"
the next person then introduces him or herself the same way and then introduces the person that went before them.
"I'm Susanne and I like sushi, and this is tina, she likes tulips"
then to the next one would be something like
"I'm eric and I like eggrolls, and this is susanne, she likes sushi"
If you can keep the pace up it can get pretty funny, and helps everyone to get acquainted.

Have a tray of miscellaneous junk ready and then announce "we are going to play a memory game. The bride is going to come around and show you some items and then we will have a quiz to test our powers of observation." DO NOT say to remember what's on the tray. Give everyone a few seconds. Then the bride walks out and you announce "You've been had. I'm sure most of you thought to remember what's on the tray, but I did not say for you to do that. The object is to see how close attention you paid to our bride!" then give a quiz about what she was wearing, down to details about jewelry, shoes, makeup, blouse print, etc. and see who gets the most right!

also a timed word jumble is good. Scramble about 50 words related to weddings and marriage and see who can figure out the most in a short period of time. In addition to using common wedding words, using obscure words like "halfpenny" is good (from "something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue, and a halfpenny for your shoe) throw in some easy ones for good measure too.

finger sandwiches, fruit & veg trays, or a cracker/meat cheese tray is good

[woleys]

Here are some games:

Trivia!
Have some questions about the bride and or groom ready to be asked and see how many people there "really" know about to be wed friend. (questions can include things like, how they met, what was the first job that the bride held... you get the idea)



Guess?
Find or buy a cute container or bottle and fill it up with candy, or safety pins, or anything having to do with the wedding or shower. Make sure you know how many pieces are in it before you seal it up. Pass the bottle around and have the guests guess how many pieces are in it. Have them write on a piece of paper with their guess. Who ever is the closest, wins.


Wedding Dress:
Before the shower, purchase several rolls of white toilet paper. At the party, divide the guests into two or more groups of 3-5 people. Each group must choose a model for their wedding dress (mothers of the bride and/or groom work wonderfully). The goal is for each group to design and fashion a "wedding dress" out of toilet paper. Accessories are allowed (earrings, bouquets, trains, headpieces, wedding ring, etc.), but they must all be fashioned out of toilet paper. Once the groups are finished, the bride must pick the winner of the contest. This is my favorite bridal shower activity. And brides love this contest for the wonderful photo-memories it provides

Changing gifts:
This one is way fun to play. We play this one at our Christmas Parties. But it can be just as fun for any party! You will need some floor space to play this one... get everyone in a circle and place some wrapped gifts in the center, usually a number less than the number of guests that arrive. Wrap them in all different size boxes, and colors and pretty them up with a bow or unique wrapping paper. The gifts should range from a really cheap joke or an inexpensive (like the anything less then $1.00 stores) to a few nicer gifts (bath beads, little picture frame ..etc.) Set a timer for about 10 minutes (longer if you have more then 15 guests). Start with the Bride-to-be. Give her a set of dice and tell her to roll them. If she gets doubles, she picks out a prize in the center of the circle. Then start passing the dice around the circle. Anyone that gets doubles may take a prize from the circle. Once all the prizes from the center are gone (this is where the FUN begins!) the guests can start to taking gifts from the other guests, when they roll doubles or "trade" with another guest. Keep passing the dice around until the timer goes off. Whoever has the gift at the end gets to keep it! It is funny to see what gift the guests start fighting over because of the shape/size of the box or even the wrapping paper. Nine times out of ten the guests end up fighting over that joke gift! ...NOTE... as you may have been able to guess, NONE of the gifts can be opened until the timer goes off at the end!

The Wedding is over.
Tell the guests and bride to pretend the wedding is over and it is the wedding night. The motel/cruise boat/etc. that the couple is staying in loses all electricity and the bride must prepare for her wedding night in complete darkness. Next blindfold the bride and hand her a suitcase. She must put on everything in the suitcase. Put items in it such as sunglasses, men's underwear, big bra, work gloves, or anything else that may bring a laugh. (She puts all this on over her clothes!) When she is done take a picture ...it's hilarious!

Touchy-Feely.
You can use paper or cloth bags, so that the guests are able to feel the item. Find about 10-15 common items around the house (i.e remote control, video tape, pen, tooth brush, etc.) and place the items in each bag. Pass the items around for the guests to feel. They're allowed to 15-30 seconds to hold the bag, then they must pass to the next guest. They should have a pen and paper to write down their guesses. The guest with the most correct answers wins.

[Princess4J]

HERE ARE A FEW SITES. HOPE THEY HELP.




http://www.ultimateshower.com/

http://www.blushingbride.com/

http://www.imagebydesign.com/kathee/bridal/

[1busymomma]

Mine was like a garden party. My mom decorated the house with fake flowers and Ivy (It was really pretty).

She did finger foods like everyone suggested and we had angel food cake with raspberry sauce on top.

One thing I still have is that she bought recipe cards that were country/garden themed. She had everyone write their recipe for a successful relationship/parenting advice. I was to read them later after the party. I got a LOT of good advice that I still use to this day. Some were funny about sex and stuff.

I know we played games but I can't remember what we played but there were some good ones posted.

[captorquewrench]

1busymomma, i usually make a "words of wisdom" book for us all to fill out for the bride. I suaully make 3 sections
what to do when you argue/disagree
Shoestring Budgeting (cheap, easy recipes and money saving hints)
Sensual suggestions

your recipe card thing reminded me of that.

[jcw]

They did the wedding dress thing at my daughters shower. Boy was I wearing a pretty toilet paper dress. Good part though I looked better than the groom's mom......

[woleys]

Few more games:

Draw it.
Every person is handed a piece of paper, pen and a hard covered book. They are all instructed to put their names on the paper and then turn it over and put it on the book. Then they are to all put the books on their heads (with the clean side of the paper facing upward). They have to draw what the bride I will look like on her wedding day (making the drawing as detailed as they can- with a veil, jewelry, a train, etc.... Allow them 2 minutes to finish their drawings. Then they can take the book off their heads and look at their masterpieces, (It is a crack-up). Then hand all of the papers to the bride to vote on which one is the very best. Then turn the paper over to see who had drawn it. The bride can keep all of the drawings and look at them fondly over the years

Safety Pin.
It sounds super easy but it's not... you'll need: bag of rice, safety pins and a blind fold : Directions: fill a large mixing bowl half full with rice (long grain works best) mix in about 50 or so small to medium safety pins with blind fold on have each person try to grab as many pins they can in a 30 second time frame. It's amazing how competitive everyone gets.

The Groom
Prior to the shower, someone contacts the groom and asks him a list of questions (about 10 or 15) about himself and the "intended" Be sure that whatever you ask him remains a secret so that the bride doesn't know ahead of time. Write out each question on a 3x5 index card and on the back write the grooms answers. Some types of questions can be:
1. What's the groom's favorite food?
2. If the groom were a superhero, who would he be?
3. What was the date of your first kiss, date?
4. Where did you go on your first date?
5. What animal would the groom compare you to? --Get creative!
At the shower, read the questions to the group. Each person writes down how many they think the bride will get right. To get the question right, the bride must match the groom's answer. Then ask the bride the questions, let her answer, then read them out loud. It's a lot of fun and can get very interesting.
Variation: For every answer the bride correctly gets, give her a Hershey's kiss, for everyone wrong give her a stick of chewing gum

Purse power!
This is a great game! Have all the guests have their purses in front of them for this game. Make a list (beforehand) of common and uncommon things that can be found in a woman's purse. Assign each item a point value. (hairbrush might be worth 2 points, lipstick 3 points/5 if it is red, mirror...etc.) Uncommon items should have a higher point value (lotion, staple remover....you get the idea!) Liven things up a bit and put down a condom and value that at 20 points! The list is endless and is great fun! Keep the items simple and not too uncommon or you may wind up with an unhappy guest who doesn't have anything but a wallet in her purse!!
VARIATION to this game might be: Have the BRIDE to be hold the "master" and let her decide what "item" should be found and the first person to present that item receives the points for that round. You will need a score keeper or let them keep their own.

Wedding Bingo
(not this is NOT the traditional bingo game that you have to buy!) Make up some Blank Bingo Cards for each guest to fill in what they think the bride to be gifts will be. As the gifts are opened the guests mark off their "item" if they have it on their card. When the card is full they win a prize. (If no card is completed, give it to the person that marked off the most items)

Word Jumble.
Find out just how well your guests know about organizing a wedding by having them unscramble the following list of wedding related words. The first person to complete the unscrambling properly is the winner. If no one completes the list within a 10 minute time frame, the one with the most correct answers is the winner.

Scrambled: 1. morgo 7. stigf
2. grin 8. worfsel
3. grealcmny 9. kace
4. reshus 10. tenbasm
5. trarge 11. edrbi
6. smiedsibrad 12. crie

answers unscrambled: 1. groom 7. gifts
2. ring 8. flowers
3. clergyman 9. cake
4. ushers 10. bestman
5. garter 11. bride
6. bridesmaids 12. rice

Fill in the blanks.
Each guest receives a pencil and paper. The sheet contains the word "bridal" written vertically down the left margin with the word "shower" directly across from it on the right side. The object is to use each pair of letters as the beginning and end of the longest word they can think of. First word for example must begin with the letter "b" and end with an "s". (ie. brides, bouquets, banana) Each word is worth one point, unless it pertains directly to a wedding or shower, in which case that would be worth 2 points. The time limit should be no more than 10 minutes.

Observation.
This is best about 30 minutes into the party. Have everyone sit in a designated area and hand them a piece of paper and pen. Then ask the bride-to-be to leave the room. Now have each guest describe on paper everything they can remember about what the bride is wearing and to get as detailed as possible. (earrings, shoes, stockings?, make-up, watch, dress, pants, blouse...etc...) The more detailed the information the better it is. Give them 5 minutes and then tell them to stop writing. Then invited the bride back in. The winner is the person that described the most.

Types of Prizes for the games:
address books, day planners, pound of gourmet coffee beans, special soaps, scarfs, bath salts, ring dishes, movie passes, corkscrew, bottle of wine, plants, coffee mugs, telephone message pads

[1busymomma]

Originally posted by captorquewrench
1busymomma, i usually make a "words of wisdom" book for us all to fill out for the bride. I suaully make 3 sections
what to do when you argue/disagree
Shoestring Budgeting (cheap, easy recipes and money saving hints)
Sensual suggestions

your recipe card thing reminded me of that.

that's a good idea to. :)

I forgot to add that my mom also bought me a nice wooden recipe box with lots of extra cards, so I could keep my advice up front, recipes in back with lots of extra cards to add to it.

I keep trying to remember mine. I think it's sad that I can remember the food, but not the games. LOL. ;)

[MSUSpartanKat]

Wow... you guys have some great suggestions! THanks. Anyone got the recipe for the fruit salad?

[Princess4J]

Ambrosia

http://www.meals.com/ImagesRecipes/28802lrg.jpg



Fix this Ambrosia salad for the holidays. Sweet and fruity yet low in fat this mixture of succulent fruits will delight holiday guests.

Estimated Times
Preparation time: 7 mins
Refrigerating time: 30 mins


Ingredients

3 cans (15 oz. each) chunky fruit cocktail, drained

1 can (11 oz.) Mandarin oranges, drained

1 cup miniature marshmallows

1 cup flake coconut

2 bananas, thinly sliced

2/3 cup (5-fl. oz. can) CARNATION Evaporated Milk

1 cup sliced fresh strawberries





Directions
COMBINE fruit cocktail, oranges, marshmallows, coconut, bananas and evaporated milk in large bowl. Refrigerate for 30 minutes. Stir in strawberries before serving.

[freebiefan]

Ditch the milk try whipped cream!

[Kelsey1224]

These are great suggestions. I have another...

Purchase thank you cards for the bride. Have the guests address the envelopes. That way the bride can write her thank you notes and get them mailed correctly as she already has the envelopes addressed!

[HumblePie98]

we had my little sister's catered!

[1TuxedoCat]

very easy "roll ups" (these are great even for a quick picnic!)

hard salami, sliced thin. (about a pound)

3 packages of Phillie Cream Cheese

Fresh chives, minced.

~*~

mix the chives and the cream cheese, and then spread to edges on each piece of salami. and then roll the salami.

they taste great! serve with the "fancier" kind of water crackers or cracked wheat crackers, or even Rye bread.

[queenangie]

At one of my niece's bridal showers, the hostess had planned wonderful food and then open the gifts. No party games. No mixers.
People did not know each other.
1/2 of the room was the bride's family/friends.
1/2 of the room was the groom's family/friends.

Dull. Dull. Dull.

We Aunts thought of a fun way to get the party rolling. We told a special story of the day the bride was born.
Then the groom's side told a story from his childhood.
This went back and forth until both sides 'knew' the bride & groom.
We were laughing until we were crying. Everyone had fun by the time it was over. My regret was that it should have been video taped or recorded somehow.

[Cowgirlie_in_Tennessee]

My Bridal Shower was very very low key, all my friends (female wise) were in Illinois or other states, so it was just me,Tim, Mom, my MIL and my Maid of Honor. But it was SPECIAL because it was so small and informal. We ate at Logan's and opened gifts.
What I remember most is my Wedding Day, it was just beautiful and amazing. :D

Editted to say...

The Rehersal (sp?) Dinner was the bomb though... ya know the rules say it's just to be the Hubby and Wife to be, Parents on both sides, Minister and Best Man and Maid of Honor? NOT ours. We had us, My Mom and Dad, My Step Dad, and Step Mom, Tim's Mom and Dad and Step Mom and his Mom's Boyfriend, the Minister, my Step Brother, the Ushers, the Best Man and his Wife, Maid of Honor had to work and a couple of people that "JUST HAD TO BE THERE" ( Tim's friends from HS) :D It was awesome.

In fact the whole damn experience was AWESOME! :)

[MSUSpartanKat]

Thanks Princess for the recipe. I think I'll try it out! and I may just try a sample with the whipped cream instead too. I am getting hungry just looking at the picture... I am on the atkins diet and can't have much fruit, but man... that stuff looks good.

You guys have such good ideas! I can't wait to get together with the maid of honor and start planning some of this stuff.

We did send out the invitations with a blank index card inside, asking people to bring the card back with their favorite recipe on it. Hopefully we get a good response! There was a cute poem about this somewhere on a website...

[MSUSpartanKat]

Thanks Princess for the recipe. I think I'll try it out! and I may just try a sample with the whipped cream instead too. I am getting hungry just looking at the picture... I am on the atkins diet and can't have much fruit, but man... that stuff looks good.

You guys have such good ideas! I can't wait to get together with the maid of honor and start planning some of this stuff.

We did send out the invitations with a blank index card inside, asking people to bring the card back with their favorite recipe on it. Hopefully we get a good response! There was a cute poem about this somewhere on a website...