1As we all know, a wedding is much more than just a one day celebration.  And while all weddings are different, most include at least three other parties – an engagement party, a bridal shower, and the rehearsal dinner, and many include other celebrations as well. You might also hold bachelor or bachelorette parties, post-wedding brunches, a bridesmaid luncheon and other parties to add to the fun and festivity of the big day. We’ve compiled a list of ideas and tips on being the perfect host at all of the parties you choose to add to your wedding event.

Planning a Bridal Shower

Create a Relaxed & Memorable Shower

1A bridal shower is one of those parties that are fun and practical at the same time.  The obvious reason for a shower is to give things to the future married couple that will help them establish a home together.  But the underlying reason for a bridal shower is that it’s a nice occasion for the close family and friends of the bride to spend relaxed time with her before the big wedding day, and to celebrate this joyous occasion with her.  It’s a time for sharing funny stories, for relatives to give advice to the bride, and for friends to show their support.  The bride is the princess of the day, so be sure that in your planning you don’t do anything that will make her feel uncomfortable.

A bridal shower is commonly hosted by the maid-of-honor and bridesmaids.  Although it was once considered poor etiquette for family members of the bride to host the shower, it is now acceptable. Here are some other considerations as you plan a shower:

  • The event is usually held within two months of the wedding, up to two weeks before the big day.
  • Don’t invite guests to the shower who have not been invited to the wedding.
  • These days you’ll need to decide whether this will be a traditional ‘girls only’ event or a couples party, often referred to as a “Jack and Jill” shower.
  • Any time of day is acceptable, but most often showers are afternoon events.
  • Games that can serve as ice breakers for the party are a particularly good idea if a large number of the guests don’t already know one another, for a couples shower – a newlywed game can be a lot of laughs – even for couples who have been married for years.
  • Encourage the bride to register for gifts.  With so many couples living on their own before getting married, it’s difficult for guests to guess which things they still need.
  • Decide whether the party will be held at a home or in a restaurant or other locale. These days many shower planners now choose activities instead of the traditional finger food/gift opening shower.  For example, many bridal parties take the bride out for a day at the spa instead of a shower.  Or for an active Jack and Jill shower, the party could be a beach barbecue complete with volleyball, Frisbee, music and dancing.
  • Unless you want to surprise the bride, involve her in the planning.  Ask her if there’s a particular theme she’d like for her shower.  Some popular themes include lingerie showers, kitchen item showers, around-the-clock showers (where everyone is assigned a time of day for which to select a gift) and travel gift showers.
  • Don’t forget to give party favors to all guests. These can be traditional favors such as small boxes of candy, or they can be something that relates to the theme of the shower, e.g. cute kitchen gadgets for a kitchen theme.

As you plan the bridal shower, be sure to give careful thought to the decorations, as they set the stage for your event.  Don’t be afraid to be creative. With the abundance of wedding bells and umbrellas you find in the bridal shower section of party stores, one might think that’s the only possible motif for this event.  Please, we urge you to think again.  It can be very simple and relatively inexpensive to be a lot more creative than that.  

Follow Your Theme

When you’ve selected a theme for your shower, decorations will help add to the festivities.  Here are some decorating ideas for a kitchen-theme shower:

  • Send an “Ingredients for a Successful Marriage” invitation which includes a recipe card, asking guests to R.S.V.P. with a favorite recipe, then compile recipes in a cookbook for the bride-to-be.
  • In lieu of the traditional guest sign in book, use a signature guest book platter  that the bride can save as a keepsake.
  • Create a centerpiece for each table using a stainless steel mixing bowl filled with a seasonal selection of colorful fruit. Or, find great recipes from famous chefs, and fill mixing bowls with all the ingredients to create the masterpiece,  use the centerpieces as giveaways if you plan to play any games.
  • There are really great shower kitchen favors available today.  Mix and match from “Love Beyond Measure” measuring spoons, “Scoop of Love” ice cream scoop, “The Gratest  Love of All” Cheese Grater, and more.
  • Use recipe cards as place cards.
  • Tie each napkin with a small piece of twine and insert a miniature whisk under the bow.

Make it Romantic

Romance is the underlying reason behind all showers, so why not celebrate it in your decorations?

  • Top your tables with pink linens.
  • Use white napkins that have been pushed through heart-shaped cookie cutters as a napkin ring, or these engagement ring keychain napkin rings.
  • Your centerpiece should reflect the ultimate symbol of romance - clear vases filled with roses.
  • Sprinkle the table with heart shaped confetti and chocolates.
  • A small heart compact or a beautiful candle is a lovely favor for your guests to bring home a little of the romance for themselves.

Remember the Bride’s Interests

Consider the interests of the bride when you select your theme. Here are shower ideas for a bride who is a wine connoisseur.

  • On the invitation let guests know that they should bring two selections of wine; one to share at the party, and another to add to the bride and groom’s collection.
  • If your group is small or if money is no object, send each guest a wine glass, a small bottle of wine, or a box of spreaders with the invitation creatively attached.
  • This is the perfect party to serve appetizers at. Everyone can sample an array of dishes, enjoy their wine, and be free to circulate at the same time. First, start with a cheese platter. Hard cheeses can be cut into bite-sized pieces; set out spreaders for the soft cheeses. Provide crackers and garnishes such as olives, sun dried tomatoes and grapes. Count on providing 2 lbs. of cheese for every 10 guests. 
  • A salsa and a crab dip are always crowd pleasers. You can also set out a baked brie or an artichoke dip. Antipasti is another good choice. If you want to serve something little heavier, I suggest a grilled chicken on skewers. Finally, set out a few baskets of fresh, crusty bread.
  • Use the obvious to establish beautiful centerpieces of fruit, wine and accessories. A nice platter of cheeses makes a tasty and visually appealing center as well. Sprinkle the table with corks as confetti. Try mini picnic baskets with fruit and small bottles under a pretty cloth napkin for another look.
  • If you choose to do them, tie name cards to unique bottle stoppers. Stoppers serve as favors for your guests. Try color copies of wine labels as seating cards to match your invitations, if that is how you’ve done them.

    • click here for more shower ideas.

Planning your engagement party

1Who should host your engagement party?
Traditionally, the parents of the bride host, but today there aren’t hard and fast rules. The bride and groom can host it themselves, or a friend or other family member can undertake the hosting duties.

What kind of event should it be?
This depends on your budget and personal style. It can be a formal affair with printed invitations and reply cards, a casual backyard barbecue, or anything in between. A cocktail party with hors’devours always a safe bet.

Who should be invited to your engagement party?
You’ll definitely want to invite your two families so they can get to know one another. It’s very bad etiquette to invite anyone other than those who will definitely be invited to the wedding, so it’s probably best to limit the guest list to those very close to you. Typically, guests who would have to travel are not invited, as you will already be asking them to travel for the wedding. (The exception to this rule would be the parents of the bride or groom).

When should you hold your engagement party?
For those with especially long engagements, engagement parties are held one to three months after the engagement, and/or about a year before the wedding. For others it can be held any time more than six months before the wedding.

Should you expect gifts and register for them?
You shouldn’t expect gifts as etiquette does not dictate that guests should bring them. However, the announcement of an engagement inevitably gets some guests thinking about gifts, and this is a time that they might start asking your family where you are registered. Some of your guests will bring gifts to the party. Therefore it’s a good idea to have registered for a few things before sending the invitations. However, as not everyone will bring a gift, don’t make the gifts a central part of the party. Put them aside, and open them after the guests have left. Don’t forget to send thank you notes!  Get 50% off at VistaPrint with this link.

Here are a few thoughts to keep in mind when planning your perfect engagement party:

  •  Keep it Simple- This might be the number one rule of entertaining. If you’re stressed out and running around, your guests won’t have a good time. So make sure that you plan a relaxed and easy event. Also, an engagement party shouldn’t compete with the wedding. You don’t want to throw an elaborate and lavish engagement party, only to have the couple decide to have a simple down-home wedding.
  • Consult the Engaged Couple- First of all, you should make sure that the parents of the couple aren’t planning on throwing an engagement party – you don’t want to step on any toes. But even once they’ve accepted your offer to celebrate them, you naturally need to keep them central in your planning process. If they like getting dressed up, then a cocktail party is ideal. But if they’re more casual, maybe it’s time to throw an engagement softball game with a picnic afterwards, or even an engagement BBQ. Since there really aren’t any rules about what an engagement party should be, you can expressly tailor the event to the couple.
  • Be Careful with the Guest List- It’s a faux pas to invite someone to a pre-wedding event who won’t be receiving an invite to the big day itself. So make sure you ask the bride and groom for only those people who absolutely, definitely, will be at the wedding. If you want this to be a surprise, then keep the guest list only to intimate family and friends. The one exception to this rule is when a couple is planning to elope. Then you can state on the engagement party invite something to the effect of, “Mark and Cindy are running away to get hitched, but we’re not going to let them escape without a celebration! Come raise your glass as we toast them at an engagement party.”
  • Raise a Toast- Speaking of toasts, you as the host should be prepared to give one. It doesn’t have to be very long, but it should welcome everyone and express your love and happiness for the couple.
  • Add Special Touches- Keeping it simple doesn’t have to mean boring or devoid of creativity. A few special touches will be enough to keep things interesting. They can be as simple as getting monogrammed napkins made with the couple’s wedding date, or as complicated as making a video from pictures of the couple. A few more ideas: use tablecloths in the wedding colors, serve foods from the couple’s ethnic backgrounds, or serve foods related to the honeymoon destination. Decorate the walls with pictures of the couple or their favorite interests. Scatter cards around the room with little-known facts about the couple, which serve as conversation starters.
  • Tell the Story- Everyone will want to know the marriage proposal story, and some will also not know (or perhaps not remember) the story of how the two of them met. So, if there are photos, why not put them up on the wall to help tell the story. You could also ask the couple to stand and tell the story near the beginning of the party so that everyone can share in the moment.
  • Decide on Gifts- Gifts are certainly not required at an engagement party, although some guests may think so. To avoid tricky situations, you may want to write, “No gifts please” on the invitation. You could also ask guests to bring a donation for a charity, or a canned food for a soup kitchen in lieu of gifts. If a couple would like gifts, they should make sure they’ve registered for a variety of moderate gifts so that guests won’t feel pressured to spend a lot of money. And, like any party, you shouldn’t mention gifts on the invitation.
  • Delegate- Other friends and family members will want to be involved, so help them while you help yourself by giving them jobs. You can ask someone to make sure champagne glasses are filled, while another person helps you pass hors’devours. If you’re doing any crafts or special touches, it’s easy to ask another person to help make it even more special.
  • Plan Ahead- The more you can do in advance, the more you’ll be able to relax on the day of. So set out platters, clean and decorate your house, and write out your toast well in advance of the party.

Snap Some Photos

Perhaps the simplest tip, but it’s also one of the more important ones! Make sure to take photographs, or delegate someone to do it for you. The couple will want to preserve the memories of this day, but likely they’ll be too busy greeting friends and chatting to do it themselves. Plus you’ll want to have evidence of what a fabulous engagement party you threw.   Another idea; use disposable camera favors to allow guests to help with the photos.

Host a Dinner Party

1Whether it’s to announce your engagement, hosting a shower or bridesmaid celebration, hosting a dinner party can be simple with these easy steps.

1.    Keep It Intimate

If a dinner party is your choice to celebrate, keep it intimate.  Unless you’re a seasoned entertainer, limiting the number of diners to 12 and under (six to eight guests is ideal) is the easiest way to avoid overwhelming yourself with too much stress.
Once you decide who’ll be lucky enough to enjoy your event, call and make personal invites at least two to three weeks in advance. That should give everyone plenty of time to R.S.V.P. and pencil you into their schedules. If someone can’t make it, this should also allow you time to find a replacement. If the date is around a major holiday, ask at least a month in advance.  For an added touch of class, once your guest list has been set, and you’ve determined your theme, send an invitation reminder.  It can be as simple as an e-vite or as elaborate as a favor.  Either way, it will set the theme of your event, and your guests will feel honored to be a part of your special event.

2.    Start With A Theme

Now let the fun begin, choosing your theme. From the décor to the drinks, dinner to dessert, your theme will tie your event together and give it that extra pop.  As for possible theme ideas, make it personal.  Did you and your new fiancé meet at a Mexican restaurant?  Then host a fiesta.  Are you thinking of honeymooning in Italy?  Set up an intimate bistro theme.  Do you love Sushi? Did you meet at a ballpark?  You get the idea.  For a taste of Tuscany, serve plenty of wine.  Place lots of votivesaround breadbaskets filled with sliced baguettes as centerpieces. Instead of a tablecloth, use large sheets of white paper (your local newspaper often sells the ends of unused news rolls that would work perfect). For the menu, serve your favorite hearty pasta for the main course, followed by salad (as they do in France), and then offer cheese and fruit for dessert. Make sure to set the mood with some soft music in the background.

Hosting a Wine-Tasting Party

1If you love giving parties but don’t love cooking (scratch the dinner party) and want an alternative to beer ‘n’ chips, search no longer — try a wine-tasting party. All you’ll need are a few bottles of vino, some wine glasses, and a group of friends. Follow these four steps to achieve smashing success in the world of wine.

Step 1: Setting the Scene

Before your guests arrive, assemble the following on your dining room table:

  • One corkscrew
  • One wineglass per person
  • Drinking water and glasses
  • Paper and pencil for each person
  • Crackers to cleanse the palate
  • Two or three bottles each of red and white wine. There are a whole slew of reasonably priced wines available. Ask the manager of a reputable wine store for advice and recommendations.

Step 2: The Guests Arrive

Obviously, you want to welcome your guests, gather everyone together and begin the tasting. 

Step 3: Serving the Wine

Red wines should be served at room temperature, whites at a slightly cooler temperature. Don’t over-refrigerate white wine, as this dulls the taste; use a bucket full of ice and water to chill wine to its ideal temperature. It’s best to let the wines breathe a bit before tasting them, so open the bottles a few minutes ahead of time.

Step 4: Tasting the Wine

Pour a small amount of wine into each person’s glass (just enough for one sip) and havethe group examine the wine. Notice its color. It should be bright and clear if it’s a red, pale to golden yellow if it’s a white. Write down what you see.  Often times the wine store can give you a description of each wine that you can read to your guests, if not, you can possibly do some google reasearch online to share.

1Then, holding the stem, swirl the wine around the bowl of the glass. Smell it. You are finding the “nose” of the wine. Write down whatever scents you detect immediately. Don’t worry about the words you use — this isn’t scientific. Does the nose on the white wine remind you of mint or lemon? When you sniff the red, are you reminded of cedar or fruit? This first impression will be important when you compare it to the wine’s taste.

When you finally taste the wine, Judy Ridgway, co-author (along with Francis Ford Coppola) of The Wine-Tasting Class (Clarkson Potter), recommends sucking it through your teeth to imbibe a little air with the liquid. This releases the wine’s flavors. What you taste is the wine’s “palate.” Have everyone write down their initial reactions, then spit out the wine. The flavor that’s left is the “finish.” How long does it stay in your mouth? Write this down, too. The longer the finish lingers, the better the wine.

After each wine has had its moment in the sun, have each person rate the various bottles in order of preference. Tabulate the results, determine the crowd favorite and break out some hors’devours. It’s time to drink what’s left!

Party Planning: Cocktail Party Basics

If you’d like to have a party but don’t want the hassle of a dinner party, much less an all-out blowout, think “cocktails.” Invite up to 30 good friends, stock up at the liquor store, put together the easy (read, minimal prep) appetizers below, and you’ll be set to throw an elegant soiree

Quick Appetizers

Keep it simple, but don’t skimp on appetizers. If your guests are drinking on an empty stomach, your elegant cocktail party could become a frat-style bacchanalia pretty darn quick. (Save that for your first-anniversary toga party.) Present your apps with flair — think unusual containers and unexpected garnishes — to disguise their humble origins. Some easy, quick hors d’oeuvre ideas:

Cheese and Bread – Yep, the classic. The bonus is that this requires absolutely no cooking or preparation yet looks gourmet. Offer a variety of cheeses. Colin Cowie, entertainer extraordinaire, suggests serving three ripe cheeses: a triple creme cheese (like brie), a blue cheese, and a goat’s milk cheese. Another unusual option is sheep’s cheese: It’s creamy and subtly delicious. Serve with crusty French bread — don’t cut it into slices, just leave out a serrated bread knife. Set out small jars of different mustards for an added treat.

Fruit – Don’t bother with an elaborate fruit salad: Just display some munchable fruit, such as strawberries or grapes, in a swank bowl. It’s a nice break from standard stick-to-your-ribs fare.

Sausages – Cowiealso suggests serving sausages with mustard at an elegant cocktail party. Just buy a few a variety of sausages at a gourmet shop or supermarket (go for turkey-apple or chicken varieties if you want to stay away from ultra-clogged arteries). Grill ‘em and slice ‘em up. Serve with the same mustard and bread you’ve put out for the cheese.

Olive Paste with Toasted French Bread – Buy an extra loaf — or six…bread is always good to have on hand — of the same crusty French bread you’re serving with your cheese platter and slice it into bite-sized pieces. Lightly toast in your broiler. In a blender, mix black olives (any pitlessvariety will do), a few tablespoons of oliveoil, juice from half a lemon, and pepper to taste. Voila! Instant olive paste. It looks gourmet but takes less than a minute to make. Make the paste a few hours in advance — it gets better as it mellows.

Wine not your thing? 

Host a Cocktail Party

1As the title “cocktail party” implies, cocktails are crucial to the success of your event. What type of cocktails to supply? First off, forget beer and froufrou frozen drinks, though you can stock up on wine, water, and juices for those who don’t want to imbibe too brazenly. Feel free to experiment and create — and name! — your own signature drink.

Tunes

Go swellegant with some classic jazz (you can’t go wrong with Charlie Parker) or with some of that Ol’ Blue Eyes. Or make it smooth with some cool R&B.  The goal is to keep your guests relaxed and the conversations flowing.

Decor

No need to go overboard with the decorations. You can make your living room look chic on the cheap.

  • Buy one bouquet of flowers and distribute the blooms among several vases scattered throughout the room and in the bathroom.  Carnations of the same color, packed tightly make a great, chic display.
  • Light dozens of votive candles and place on saucers throughout your living room for a warm and festive glow.
  • Buy some cool paper cocktail napkins and coasters. You know, the kind imprinted with martini glasses or tiki gods or perhaps emblazoned with the phrase, “Your place or mine?” They’ll do double duty as conversation starters and groovy decor.
  • Remember to display your bar paraphernalia — don’t keep it hidden in the kitchen! And make sure to browse through The Brown Bow Gift Co. for all your party needs.

Do You Have a Sweet Tooth? 

Throw a Dessert Party

1You can’t turn the corner these days without passing a boutique chocolate shop or a cupcake bakery — not that we’re complaining.  A sweet treat holds the power to lift your spirits (yes, the sugar high) and is the one meal everyone usually agrees on. Two perfect reasons to throw a party devoted to desserts.

The Menu

The key to an unforgettable night or day of indulgence is to make it easy with simply prepared sweets and store-bought tasties, then kick it up a notch with one over-the-top showstopper. Here’s what else to consider.

  • Havean interactive treat. Chocolate fondue or a DIY s’mores station is a guaranteed icebreaker. Guests will mix and mingle while comparing marshmallow burning tips or yummy fondue flavor combos (like bananas with pretzels). It also looks chic. On a pretty serving plate, arrange shortbread cookies, jumbo marshmallow, pretzel sticks, and slices of fruit; or, use graham crackers, marshmallow, and chocolate bars. Don’t forget the skewers!
  • Variety is key. Appeal to all taste buds with a range of goodies from fruit tarts and cream puffs to red velvet cake and the classic chocolate chip cookie. Have a bowl of fresh fruit and low-fat sorbet for the diet crowd.
  • Serve your sweet masterpiece early. Whether you’ve whipped up molten chocolate cakes or reinvented your own favorite recipe, don’t wait until your guests are in a sugar coma to present your masterpiece. Time it right: Bring it out 30 to 45 minutes after most guests have arrived.

The Drinks

Coffee, espresso, and tea are no-brainers for a soiree. But what’s a party without a little bit of liquor? Desserts lend themselves quite nicely to wine and cocktails.

  • Pick the perfect wine. When pairing your treats with wine, make sure the sip is as sweet as the dessert, and try to match up the colors as well. For example: chocolate fondue and red zinfandel, or s’mores and espresso martinis. A semidry champagne works with everything.
  • Offer palate cleansers. Sometimes people get flavor overload. After tasting so many sweets, a tall glass of refreshing, bubbly seltzer (or soda water) can be refreshing.
  • Make a signature drink. Go all out and serve milkshakes. All you need is a blender, vanilla ice cream, and chocolate syrup. Or, mix up a chocolate martini and rim each glass with chocolate shavings or crushed candy.

The Setup

Desserts look good no matter what, but with a little effort you can create the perfect party buffet.  Now is a good time to use those cake plates, serving dishes, and barware you’ve been saving for a special occasion.

  • Create a bake shop display. Set up serving pieces in various heights on a long table for a stylish, tiered look. Stack small colorful plates (which add to the decor) and make sure each dessert has a serving utensil, and that there are ample forks and spoons for each guest.
  • Use cool containers. Gather shot glasses, martini glasses, and wine glasses to serve desserts like ice cream, trifle, mousse, and fondue.
  • Provide dessert doggie bags. As with any party, you’ll probably make much more than your guests can eat. Send them home with extra treats in favor bags or Chinese take-out containers that match your decor.

Whatever type of party you choose to host, and whatever parties you choose to have to celebrate your engagement and wedding event, we hope these ideas have sparked your creative energies and that The Brown Bow Gift Company can help you plan your perfect events.  Feel free to contact one of our event coordinators as we offer many specialty products not featured on our site, and if you are looking for something specific, our personal shopper program will cater specifically to you to create your perfect event.

Source: theknot.com

Possibly related posts: (automatically generated)