Your loved one has just gotten engaged and now it’s time to start planning the best bridal shower ever!

As a maid of honor or bridesmaid, it is your responsibility to throw your bride a bridal shower that she’ll remember for the rest of her life and that the guests will talk about for years to come!

Photo: Love & Light Photographs Table set-up: Gilded Lily Events

Throwing a bridal shower can be daunting, but we’ve come up some of the most important aspects of party planning that will ensure this is a day to remember.

Date: The earlier the bridal shower is held, the better! The months and weeks leading up to a wedding are jam packed for everyone involved, so you don’t want to overload the bride or guests with event after event in the upcoming weeks before the wedding.

Concept: It is important that there is some concept or idea to centralize the bridal shower around. Once you have this in place, figuring out everything from décor to floral to food will be so much simpler. The concept behind the bridal shower should definitely be something that the bride loves. Whether it’s Paris because she’s always wanted to go there (Bridesmaids?), or even just colors that the bride is obsessed with, narrowing down a concept for the bridal shower is a must.

Guest list: Since you’re the one throwing the party, the number of guests should be one you’re comfortable handling! Unless the bridal shower is a surprise, you can definitely consult with the bride (and you absolutely should consult with the bride) about who should be on the guest list. As a maid of honor or bridesmaid, planning the shower is your responsibility, but you want to make sure to avoid someone important not getting invited due to lack of communication!

Location: Once you have a date and concept decided, you should decide where you want to hold the shower. Sometimes the concept of the bridal shower will be a good indicator where it should be held, as some venues just emulate various moods. Deciding a venue also depends heavily on how many people you’re planning to invite. If the bridal shower is going to be huge, keep that in mind before deciding to hold it in your own living room!

Décor: You should have a concept to center your décor around, but you need to work with the bridal party and anyone else close to the bride to determine what kind and how much décor there will be! Depending on the concept, you may need to purchase a lot of décor, or the venue might be decorated perfectly already. You should also determine how much of the décor will be handmade and how much will be bought so you can start divvying up DIY tasks early! Also think of ways in which the décor can be used during the shower, like a photo wall with fun props that go along with your concept.

Activity: There should be some kind of fun activity to bring everyone together. Yes, the bride opening her shower gifts is one, but the most fun bridal showers are the ones with goofy games or an out of the box activity that guests will talk about for years to come! Again, consult with the bride about what she is comfortable doing and keep in mind the guest list. The bride’s elderly aunts and grandmas might not be able to participate in minute-to-win-it games, but a wine and painting activity would suit everyone’s needs.

Party favors: Although the guests will be leaving with wonderful memories, it’s important to give out some kind of party favor as well. It can be one that goes along with the concept of the shower, or it can be simple items such as a candle or a nail polish in the wedding colors. One important thing to keep in mind though is functionality. The favor should be something that won’t go to waste or just sit around and clutter their house up! If they can use it frequently, they’ll always remember the awesome party you threw!

Although there’s many aspects that go into throwing an awesome bridal shower, keep in mind that communication is key! If you consult with everyone who is helping to plan, and the bride of course, you will no doubt throw a great shower and not be so overwhelmed or bugged down that you can’t enjoy it yourself!

And for a creative bridal shower concept, check our Sunday Brunch post!