5 Tips To Make Your Bridal Shower More Affordable

What could be better than seeing your best friend marry the person of their dreams? Celebrating this momentous occasion with them of course! A bridal shower is a great way to honor the bride-to-be in her life to come with gifts, treats, and more. While different tastes in gifts and party themes have emerged over the years, the overall format of the party is largely the same: a day-time celebration of the bride's upcoming nuptials with the all of the women she cherishes most. In order to make this celebration a success, you’ll want to incorporate the right menu selection, decor items, and an agenda full of fun things to do. It goes without saying that this can add up fast, especially in lieu of other costs associated with attending a wedding. However, with a few pointers in the right direction, you’ll save big on party expenses, and give your best friend a party she’ll never forget!

Save Up Ahead of Time

When you start the process of planning, you’ll want to keep tabs of how much everything costs, and how you’ll be financing it. Will you be splitting it up among the other bridesmaids? Will the family be helping out? Will you need to pay for a larger portion than others? Covering party costs can be expensive, and it’s easy to forget that you should be saving up every month prior to a big event like a wedding. That’s where budgeting apps like Mint and automatic savings apps like Chime can come in handy. Both will help you know where you stand every month and make sure your savings are ready for whatever exciting celebrations come next!

Host Your Party at Home

You don’t need to break the budget just to meet up with your friends. Ask a close friend or relative—who has a room large enough to accommodate a large number of guests—if they’d be willing to let you host the bridal shower at their house. Already have your own place? Even better. Host it there! By hosting your party at a house, you’ll avoid having to pay expensive room rental and waitstaff fees necessary at a fancy restaurant.

Co-host Your Party

If you had your heart set on a specific restaurant or hotel ballroom, consider co-hosting with a bridesmaid or a close family member. This way, you can split the cost of the party and have an additional shoulder to lean on when planning. Let’s face it. Planning a party can be stressful. Receiving help and input from other bridesmaids won’t just make it easier on you all, but your combined knowledge of the bride-to-be’s tastes will help make sure she gets the party she always wanted.

Simplify the Menu

When it comes time to make menu selections, keep it simple. Bridal showers can have up to 50 plus guests. So accommodating them all with a full-course, catered meal would no doubt be expensive. Instead, base your menu selection around what you know the bride likes. Is she not afraid to get her hands messy? Throw a BBQ! Does she frequently reminisce about the one time she studied abroad? Come up with a menu featuring an assortment of international hor d’oeuvres!

Choose a Fun, Yet Affordable Theme
One of the best parts of planning a bridal shower is choosing a theme. Party supply stores are a great source for centerpieces, balloons, garlands, and streamers—the items you’ll want to consider decorating with. Although many of these items aren’t designed for wedding events specifically, you’ll find many of them will work just fine if you get creative with your theme. A Hawaiian or winter wonderland-themed bridal shower are two examples of easy and affordable themes you could incorporate! For a list of other easy and affordable bridal shower themes, click here.