Bridal showers are a long-standing tradition that honour the bride-to-be and help set up her new home by “showering” her with gifts. A shower is a chic and enjoyable way to commemorate the future bride by gathering her friends and family for a final get-together before her big day.
Flutter in to see this flower-themed bridal shower we designed with timeless florals yet bold shades of pinks! We ensured to wow the guests and impress the bride-to-be with unexpected colours in this bright and sunny room.
During a consultation with our client, we have decided to add butterflies, as she was going through a big loss and butterflies were speaking to her in magical ways. We knew she wanted bright pinks and reds in the theme. The gold backdrop and golden details on the butterflies were the pretty final details making up the perfect Insta-worthy backdrop for photos and yummy desserts! It was a beautiful summer day for an even more beautiful bride-to-be! If you are planning a summer bridal shower and also want to achieve this look, here is a guide on How To Plan A Flower-Themed Bridal Shower!
FIND THE RIGHT VENUE
The planning process for your floral bridal shower begins with finding the perfect venue. You’ll want a blank canvas with good light for the perfect photos!
If you have space, hosting in your own home is a great option and will give you plenty of time to plan, set up, and decorate before the big event. You can also opt for a restaurant or dining hall. Or, if hosting a spring or summer event, a botanical garden can also provide the perfect backdrop for your flower-themed party!
If your guest list is small enough, a quaint garden party, surrounded by naturally growing flowers blooming in season, is another way to throw a shower that utilizes the outdoors tastefully and elegantly while sticking close to your floral theme.
THE GUEST LIST
If you're planning to shower a friend or family member, make sure to consult the bride when making your list — it’s essential that you only invite guests who are also invited to the wedding itself. Also, consider how many people you’d like to host, as this will determine many things, such as how big of a venue you’ll need, how much food and drink will be required, and how many party favours to prepare.
Once you have a date for the event — which can be any time from a week to six months before the big day — send out invitations six to eight weeks before the shower, especially if you’re expecting out-of-town guests.
Floral-printed invitations will hint at the theme. You can order invitations, or if you are crafty or design-inclined, save on your invitation budget and make or print them yourself. Look for beautifully designed and tasteful flower-themed invitation templates that you can easily personalize to make them uniquely yours. Or save paper and opt for emailed invites, with fully customizable animations, backgrounds, music, and text. If you choose to use physical invites, order or purchase extra copies, supplies, and envelopes for any potential last-minute invites. Don't forget to include date, venue and time along with details about the dress code, too. You can even ask guests to dress in colours that coordinate with your floral palette, which will make photos even more amazing and Instagram-worthy!
And speaking of social media, why not create a hashtag (#flowerpowerbridalshower, perhaps — bonus points for cheeky or rhyming tags!) that guests can use to make sure all of the photos of the event are easily searchable for the bride to enjoy seeing after her big event! Print the hashtag on your invitations so guests know in advance, and have a sign up at the shower itself as a reminder.
PICK THE PERFECT FLOWERS
Selecting fresh flowers for your bridal shower is the perfect place to start when planning your decorations. This process can be as simple or as complex as you’d like.
When it comes to decorating someone else's bridal shower with flowers, you can select the flower of her birth month and coordinating blooms, pick flowers based around a selected colour palette, or talk to your florist about what flowers are appropriate — and available — based on the season.
Selecting the perfect colour palette will also help you choose the right flowers for the occasion. Colours can be used to evoke a specific mood, reflect the season, or convey a message. Think about the bride. Would she appreciate a bright and colourful palette or more subdued and neutral tones? For this bride, she wanted pinks and reds, that reflected her fun personality and favourite colours, so we knew we could use bright and beautiful pinks, but keep in mind that some would prefer a more pastel palette over this one.
CHOOSE FLORALS BASED ON THEIR MEANING
Another idea is to choose flowers based on their meanings. This ancient art, which became popular in Europe and America during the 19th century, is known as floriography. The practice of sending bouquets with hidden meanings was a popular practice during the Victorian Era, and several books were published on the unspoken language of flowers during this period.
The meanings of each flower found in these Victorian reference books were derived from popular myths and stories as well as from the author’s imagination. The flowers’ colours also affect their message. Red traditionally symbolizes deep, passionate love. Pink signifies femininity and unconditional love. White is a symbol of purity, perfection, and spirituality.
Make sure your bridal shower is sending the right message with these flower suggestions. Consider placing cards or small signs with each flower that explains its meaning, or give out floriography dictionaries as unique, vintage, and on-theme party favours.
Gold Rose: The meaning of a rose is primarily determined by its colour. Gold symbolizes passion and excitement — very appropriate for a celebration leading up to the bride’s big day.
Carnation: Ruffly carnations also have different meanings depending on their colour. White symbolizes pure love and luck, while peach flowers indicate a fun, energetic mood. Carnations belong to the genus Dianthus, which literally means “flower of the gods.”
Orchid: These timeless and sophisticated flowers are an elegant staple and a perfect way to signify the many happy anniversaries to come.
Chrysanthemum: Getting married is an exciting way to start a new life chapter. Though the word itself means “golden flower” in Greek, chrysanthemums are symbols of optimism and joy.
Freesia: Since the bridal shower is a gathering of friends, consider adding freesias to your floral palette. Named by German botanist Christian P. Ecklon after a close friend, freesias will forevermore be a sign of friendship.
Mondial Rose: Also known as the bridal rose, Mondial roses represent unity and the bond between new lovers — perfect for any wedding-centric event.
SELECT CENTERPIECES THAT ARE SURE TO WOW
Since flowers are the basic elements for this floral-themed get-together, selecting the perfect flower centerpieces for your bridal shower celebration will set the tone for the entire event. Smaller bouquets spread around the dining tables will allow guests to see and talk to each other, while spreading colour and decorate around the space.
For other displays, such as the gift table, a large, well-arranged bouquet is sure to make a statement. As you’re planning your centerpieces, many factors should be considered when choosing the perfect centerpiece for your bridal shower.
Colour: Select your arrangements based around your colour scheme.
Season: Check with your florist to determine if the flowers you want are obtainable, since not all flowers will be readily available all year round.
Budget: Once you know how many tables you’ll need you can calculate your floral budget. Take your total flower budget and divide by the number of tables. Depending on your desired aesthetic and budget, you might prefer several smaller bunches around the room instead of large statement bouquets.
Venue Restrictions: Check with your venue before you start making too many decisions related to your centerpieces and other decor. Some will not allow glass vases that could break. Still others may limit which vendors you can use.
Tables: When planning your centerpieces, consider the number of tables needed along with their shape, size, and capacity. Besides the bouquet, what else will be on each table, such as gifts, food, place settings, and other decor? All of these factors will dictate the size and style of the bouquet that will best serve your needs.
Lighting: If the room is dimly lit, add a little light in the form of candles (use electric candles if the venue has policies against open flames) or tasteful twinkly lights. In bright and sunny rooms or rooms lit by fluorescent lights, colours will pop but may be better as accents to a more neutral palette.
OTHER WAYS TO INCORPORATE FLOWERS:
You can use flowers in every aspect of the shower, from drinks and desserts to crowns and games. Have fun decorating and planning for your flower-themed bridal shower. This is your chance to be creative and see how many ways you can incorporate flowers into the event.
USE FLOWERS AS EDIBLE ACCENTS TO DRINKS AND DESSERTS
Adding edible flowers to your desserts and on the cake is just one way you can incorporate your flower theme into your bridal shower menu.
Consider serving a delicate salad of fruit and flowers, or sprinkle some flowers on top of a more traditional salad. If you’re hosting your shower in the height of summer heat, you can make your own champagne-and-flower popsicles that are almost too pretty eat.
CREATE A FLOWER CROWN FOR THE BRIDE-TO-BE
The bridal shower is all about the soon-to-be bride, so incorporate some floral elements to make her feel extra special on the day of her shower.
Place a flower crown on the bride’s head to make her stand out and feel beautiful. A flower crown is a perfect way for the bride to wear fresh flowers without needing to re-do her ‘do. She can wear it for the entire shower or take it off whenever she pleases, depending on her style and preference.
You can also attach small bunches of flowers or single stems to a chair to create a floral throne for the bride-to-be.
PLAY GAMES WITH FLORAL PRIZES
Besides the food, drinks, and flowered decor, don’t forget to plan some games and activities for your bridal shower entertainment.
No bridal shower is complete with a silly game or two to break the ice and allow guests to get to know the bride — and each other — even better. There are a ton of fun and free templates for printable games, such as “How Well Do You Know The Bride” and “He Said/She Said.” First kiss stories, bridal Pictionary, or telling tall tales are also just a few ideas of games you can play or plan for the shower. You can even take the traditional toilet paper wedding dress game and make it floral-themed by requiring guests to include a toilet paper bouquet.
Remember to award the winner. Send her home with a small bouquet or one of the centerpiece displays.
PLAN WAYS FOR GUESTS TO INTERACT
A shy bride might not feel comfortable opening gifts in front of all her guests, and some brides might want to forgo receiving gifts altogether or ask guests to donate to a charitable cause in lieu of presents.
As an alternative to watching the bride open gifts, ask guests to go around and introduce themselves, reveal their favourite flower, and tell a sweet story about the bride or offer some advice on what makes a happy marriage.
SET UP A BUILD-YOUR-OWN-BOUQUET STATION
One idea that we love is to set up a build-your-own bouquet station. Fill vases with bunches of fresh blooms and let your guests be their own flower arrangers. Provide ribbon to tie the bouquets and scissors to trim the stems and cut the ribbon.
The best part? Not only will this activity provide a way for your guests to show off their creativity, these arrangements also double as party favours for your guests to take home.
PHOTOBOOTH
Another popular trend in weddings and wedding showers is to designate an area to take photos. If you're in Montreal, you already know that we carry the most complete packages for a bridal shower, whether you only need a photo backdrop or you decide to go all out and decorate the whole room; we gotchu!
SEND YOUR GUESTS HOME WITH GIFTS
Your party favours can easily perform double-duty at the bridal shower — use them as decoration, then send them home with your guests at the end of the event, we love using our carts for this purpose (available with our packages). This is a great way to host a beautiful event and let your decorations serve a dual purpose.
Place single stems in a large vase for guests to retrieve as they leave. Or tie name tags to each flower and use it as a place card to assign each guest’s seat, which can be taken home at the end of the party.
Planning this Bridal Shower was a treat! It was such a sweet day and great representation of the perfect Montreal summer afternoon! We hope you love it as much as we did!
xo
Tami