Our New Reality: Virtual Bridal Showers

May 16, 2020

Who would have ever thought we would be having virtual bridal showers… crazy, right?!

Here are a few of our tips and tricks for creating an intimate and fun virtual bridal shower.

  1. Have Wrapping Paper Ready
    • If people are buying gifts off your registry and having the items sent directly to you (which most of them will) the gifts will come in your standard brown box with packing tape. This is so not cute to look at or fun to open. Plus, how can anyone over the age of 40 joke about how many ribbons you’ve broken! I recently attended a virtual bridal shower and the mom wrapped every present that was sent so that her daughter actually had things to unwrap for everybody watching. Not only was that the sweetest idea, it added the perfect touch of normal to a not-normal event.
  2. Don’t Leave It Up To The Guest To Mute Themselves
    • I dont care how many times you make an announcement saying As a reminder, the bride is opening gifts now so please make sure your microphones are muted so we can hear her there will be people who do not mute their mics and their talking or background noise will cancel out the brides audio leaving us all wondering what the heck did she say? yet nodding and smiling like we heard her.
    • The best way to tackle this problem? The host has the ability to mute everyone. During present time mute everyone and then unmute someone while their gift is being opened.
  3. Introduce Your Guests
    • At the beginning of the call take time to recognize the guests on the call. Have your family members wave, then your fiancés family, friends from work, friends from college, your moms friends, etc. This is a great way to make everyone a participant and feel welcome. Its also so fun for your guests to see who else is on the call with them!
  4. Start With A Game
    • No matter how cheesy they get, we all love a good bridal shower game. Just because youre virtual doesnt mean you have to skip the game! There are so many bridal shower games that can be played in the virtual reality of Zoom or Skype showers. For example, the classic game of he said / she said. Have the groom record answers to questions about the bride and their relationship. During the virtual shower you can ask the bride the same questions and play his answer to each question (hint: use Zoom so the person with the fiancés answers can share their screen and play the sound or video for everyone.)
    • Also, beforehand send everyone invited a blank Bridal Bingo sheet. Before the bride starts opening presents have them fill it out and they can unmute themselves and yell bingo whenever they win!
  5. Have Fun With It
    • We get it, this isnt what you thought your bridal shower would look like at all. Were not sitting around perfectly decorated tables at a clubhouse or enjoying delicious mimosas while chatting with guests at your aunts house. It sucks. But, we are so lucky to live in a time where we can all still get together to celebrate you and your fiancé. So, we suggest getting all dressed up like you would if everyone were with you and decorating the area where you will be sitting. Get balloons, a hanging sign that says bride to be (or something like that), and create a bridal shower atmosphere. Heck, if you want to drink a few mimosas while youre opening presents and playing games, do that too!
  6. Have An Exit Strategy
    1. If theres one thing weve learned from all of these virtual meetings is that saying goodbye is awful? awkward? the worst part of the meeting? After the gifts have been opened and the games are finished, have the bride say goodbye to everyone. Think of it as your closing paragraph in an essay. Sum up the shower, say your thank yous, say goodbye, and end the call. Everyone will thank you for taking charge and ending the call without the awkward waving and should I leave or should I wait for someone else to leave first thinking.

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