10 Tips & Tricks for an Awesome Bridal Shower Party That Won't Break The Bank

Planning, hosting and paying for a bridal shower can be a daunting task, but it doesn't have to! Of course you want to throw your BFF the best bridal shower ever so with a little creativity and hard work you can pull of the party of the year and still have some cash left in the bank.

My sister in law is getting married in a few months and I volunteered to help host a bridal shower for her. She comes from a fairly large family so I knew this would be a well attended and semi-large gathering - the "kicker" is that the budget for the shower is tight but I still want it to be a classy party.

Tasked with the challenge of throwing an epic bridal shower within budget I sat down and let the creative juices start to flow (with the help of Pinterest of course!).

It costs more than you think to be part of a wedding even if you aren't an actual bridesmaid. As a close friend or family member you have to consider the costs of a shower(s), wedding gifts, attire, lodging....you get the point!

Here are some great ways to throw a bridal shower on a small budget that is still memorable, fun and classy.

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10 Ways to Throw a Bridal Shower That Won't Break The Bank

Party Venue

Be creative when considering a venue for the shower. If the budget doesn't allow for something like a restaurant or hall think about other options like a state or local park with a pavilion. Also consider asking one of the guests to "borrow" their home as the shower venue. All you need is a big living room or if the season is right, a big porch to throw a great shower.

Invitations

Sending out custom paper invitations can be quite costly. The options to send out free invitations online are endless so why not try doing this to save a few bucks. For those guests who aren't very tech savvy and aren't able to receive an "e-vite", grab a package of pre-printed invites to send to them.

Here are a few free electronic invitation sites you should check out:

EVITE - easy to use, customizable invites for any type of gathering you need to send invitations.

PAPERLESS - not only do they provide online invitations but they can track RSVP's and link directly to a gift registry.

If you love the old fashion paper invites here is a great deal I found on Amazon:

via: Amazon

Party Planner

Skip hiring a party planner to do the work of setting up a party - you can do this with the help of a few friends or family members all by yourself. Assign each person a task like setting up the shower space, decorating, plating food and organizing games.

Here is an excellent party planning checklist from Fantabulosity I'm sure you will find useful.

Decorations

Party decorations do not have to be brand new or extravagant. Use what you have around the house like a small mason jar with jute twine wrapped around the center as a vase - add a few sprigs of baby's breath and prest-o-chang-o, you have a simple and elegant floral arrangement.

Also, spray painting mismatched vases the same color will give your decorations a sense of unity and style. Gold or silver are great wedding themed colors to stick with.

Pull out those twinkling white Christmas lights from storage you already have and string a few strands around to decorate.

Balloons and even streamers in the wedding party colors can be great party decor.

  Food

Food is a big budget item for any party especially if it is wedding related. If catering is out of the question consider asking a few guests to help prepare food ahead of time.

Depending on the time of day that the shower is being held you could serve finger foods versus a full meal. A brunch or late afternoon shower where you only serve appetizer style foods could really help keep cost down.

If the shower is in the winter serving soup can really help you stretch your budget without sacrificing quality.

Here are some simple finger food ideas you might like to try at your next shower:

Festive Fiesta Bites via: Kraft Recipes

Pinwheel Sandwich

Mojo Pork Kabobs - via: marthastewart.com

Beverages

Keeping the drinks simple can help keep the cost of a bridal shower down. Boxed wine or pre-mixed pitchers of cocktails in a punch bowl are much cheaper than hiring a bartender. Coffee, tea, water and soda are also acceptable drinks to serve if you want to stay away from the more expensive alcoholic beverages.

Need a simple punch recipe? Here you go:

Fancy Party Punch

• 2 quarts of cranberry juice
• 2 quarts of ginger ale
• 46 ounces of pineapple juice
• 1 cup of lemon juice
• 1 container orange sherbet

Mix together in a punch bowl, add ice and it is ready to serve.

Dessert

Everyone looks forward to dessert at a bridal shower but you don't have to break the bank with a custom bakery cake. Whipping together homemade alternatives like fruit pizza cookies, brownie/marshmallow/strawberry kabobs or chocolate dipped pretzels rods can keep you within budget while still offering guests a sweet treat. Still want cake - how about dressing up a grocery store cake with your own decorations and frosting accents.

Here are two ideas we used at the shower for my sister in law

Strawberry, Marshmallow & Brownie Kabobs via: clipzine

Fruit Pizza Sugar Cookies via: cookingclassy

Shower Games

Shower games don't have to cost a lot (if anything) and can still be quite a hoot! Here are a few that have a high fun factor but low to no cost:

• What's In Your Purse - have a list of items with point values and ask guests to tally up how many points they have based on what is in their purse from items on the list.
• Mad libs Wedding Themed- there are lots of examples on Pinterest that you can use for the mad lib game. Ask the bride to select her favorite of the completed mad lib vows to select a winner. Click here for a bunch of free mad lib ideas.
• Toilet Paper Wedding Dress - divide guests up into groups and give them a few rolls of toilet paper. One guest per group is the "bride" and the rest have to create a wedding dress with the toilet paper to display on the "bridge". The real bride votes for the best toilet paper gown.

Prizes & Party Favors

The Dollar Store is your best friend when it comes to gifts for prizes. You can really find some great items for cheap! Think candles, bath soaps, oven mitts, spa items - the Dollar Store has it all!

If you aren't into giving store bought prizes how about whipping up a batch of homemade chocolate chip cookies and packaging them in a cute gift bag to give as prizes. (Need a good chocolate chip cookie recipe? Click HERE for my Ultimate Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe)

Individual party favors for your guests can really add up so why not turn it into a make-n-take activity for the guests and bride to do together. 

Small terracotta pots and colorful sharpie markers passed around for all to sign make a great memorable party favor that won't break the bank. Throw in a pack of flower seeds and you are all done!

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No matter what your budget - using your creativity and enlisting a few friends to help is always a good idea when it comes to throwing a party or a shower. Have fun with it!