7 Things I Learned From Throwing My Best Friend’s Bridal Shower (Plus See the Pics and a Funny Video!)

I’ve been busting to tell you about my friend Emily’s bridal shower that I threw with the other bridesmaids, but it was a secret from the bride! Now that the party’s over, I can let you in on the details and some lessons I picked up…

Emily is a chick-flick-aholic so we did a romantic comedy/movie theme (hence the movie poster invitations, star place cards, and popcorn favors with the clapboard icon).

Bridal Shower Lesson 1: Games that take hours to plan may take just seconds to play.

My friend Melissa’s mom spent most of the two-and-a-half-hour car ride up from NYC to Saratoga Springs writing out movie quotes on the back of everyone’s place cards (and I spent about an hour the night before collecting movie quotes) for a game where guests had to guess the romantic comedy based on the quote. Everyone knew the movies in seconds flat. (The one in the picture is from The Wedding Planner.)

Bridal Shower Lesson 2: Things that are out of your control may go wrong.

Emily’s favorite flower is the calla lily, and we thought white ones would pop against the blue tablecloths we picked out…except the venue ordered us white tablecloths. Emily didn’t know the difference, thankfully.

Bridal Shower Lesson 3: Leave more room than you think for presents.

We thought one big table would be enough. After all, there were only 28 guests. But blenders, vases, and the other household items guests give as gifts come in big boxes. This picture was taken before most guests even arrived: Those are just the gifts from the moms and bridesmaids!

Bridal Shower Lesson 4: Bring two pairs of scissors for gift-opening.

We didn’t bring any, but the bridal shower venue lent us a pair…except that the kind mom who made Emily’s ribbon bouquet out of present bows and a paper plate needed the scissors, leaving me, chief present-opener, to use my bare hands (and nails) to get through wrapping paper, ribbon, and even packing tape on sealed boxes. That’s me in the back trying to work my magic. It was quite the workout (ribbons are strong!).

Bridal Shower Lesson 5: Expect little children to want to “help.”

The adorable flower girl, Maddie, couldn’t resist ripping wrapping paper off gifts. In her excitement, though, she ripped off the attached greeting cards. Had I made sure I was always first to touch a present, there would have been fewer “Which present does this card belong to?” moments.

Bridal Shower Lesson 6: It’s totally OK to reuse decorations.

A stationer had made this flag for me back when I was engaged and it decorated my chair at my bridal shower. My fellow maid of honor Melissa didn’t recognize it and I don’t think Emily did either. I’m glad we could use it again!

Bridal Shower Lesson 7: A video of the groom talking about the bride is pure entertainment.

Guests got such a kick out of a little game we played: Paul, Melissa, and I filmed the groom, Jeff, answering questions about Emily a few weeks before the bridal shower. Then we asked those same questions of Emily at the shower and played Jeff’s answers after she gave her own.

Emily was skeptical at first:

But then she loved it:

And here’s why (in order to find this funny, you should know that Emily is SO not a drinker):

Have you ever thrown a bridal shower before? What lessons did you learn? Would you surprise the bride with a video of her groom at her bridal shower?

More About Bridal Showers__

I Do or I Don’t: Giving Lingerie as a Bridal Shower Gift

Do I Have to Go to a Bridal Shower If My Boyfriend’s a Groomsman?

How to Word Bridal Shower Invitations

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