20 Most Elegant Bridal Shower Invitation Templates (Free)

A bridal shower is a celebration held in honor of a bride-to-be before the wedding. The gathering usually comprises of close friends and family to the bride. It may also include other guests that may be close associates of the bride—the guests ‘ shower’ the bride to be with gifts for the home.

A bridal shower invitation is a document set to inform potential guests of the invite to the celebration.

A bridal shower invitation is used when an individual close to the bride plans on holding a bridal shower for the wife-to-be. A bridal shower invitation enables the host of the celebration to provide guests with information regarding the event. Its use ensures that guests of the bridal shower have proof of a formal invite to the celebration.

Bridal Shower Etiquette

Bridal shower etiquette is the customary way of planning and executing the bridal shower. It provides rules or protocols that should be followed to ensure a fun bridal shower is held in honor of the bride. Bridal shower etiquette informs on who should host the bridal shower, the host’s responsibility, what should happen at the bridal shower when the bridals and whether the bride and the groom should be involved in planning the bridal shower.

Bridal shower etiquette is prone to change. For instance, the bride’s mother, soon-to-be mother-in-law, or relatives were previously expected to steer clear of hosting the bridal shower. The bride-to-be’s maid of honor, close friends, bride’s maids, or bridal attendants could host the shower. However, today anyone can host the bridals shower.

Bridal shower etiquette informs the bride on how she should conduct herself during and after the celebration. The bride should make time for the guests and thank them for their attendance when the event is winding down. The bride should also send a thank you card to each guest soon after the bridal shower. The thank you cards should be handwritten to make them more personal, and the guest’s gift should be mentioned. The bride should also write a thank you note to the host and include a thoughtful gift to show further gratitude.

Covid-19 has made it difficult for the hosting of any events across the world. The number of guests invited to a bridal shower, the location of the celebration, and interaction among the guests and the bride have been affected. However, the Covid restrictions and forced isolation have provided an opportunity for bridal party hosts to develop some creative and memorable ways to hold bridal showers. The following are some ideas for bridal parties during Covid:

• A bridal party involving an intimate dinner with only a few invited friends and family
• A bridal party on a boat  around the local area with only a few close friends and family
• A bridal party riddled with outdoor activities such as hiking, mountain climbing, among others.
• Visit a local winery with only the bride and a few friends.

The bridal shower planning process can be stressful for the host. To ease the process, the host should consider adhering to a well outlined step-by-step planning process. It ensures that all aspects of the bridal shower are covered.

The following  are the steps agreed to when planning a bridal shower:

Create a shower budget

The first step of planning a bridal shower is the creation of the budget. The host of a bridal shower is responsible for covering the cost of the event. The cost is determined by what the bride wants and the number of guests expected. The budget created should cover the following expenses:

• Food
• Drinks
• Venue
• Photography and videography
• Any other vendor
• Other event planning expenses

The budget should be affordable to the host. If the budget is unaffordable, the host can partner with the bride’s other family and friends to help split the cost evenly. The partnership leads to the other parties being regarded as co-hosts of the bridal shower.

Pick a date

Secondly, the bridal shower host should speak with the bride to pick a convenient date to hold the bridal shower. Early finalization of the shower date helps the bride decide when to hold other wedding events, the bachelor/bachelorette party, which is usually held after the bridal shower. It is advisable to select a weekend so as not to interfere with the guests’ work schedule.

Create the guest list

Thirdly the host should request the bride’s guest list of must invite people. The list should contain the home addresses of each guest. The bride and host should work together to come up with the final list of guests. The list should be double-checked and cleared by the bride before the host sends out invites.

Select a theme

The host must speak with the bride about what she envisions for the bridal shower. The bridal shower can have a theme based on the bride’s interests, color, or plans for the wedding. For instance, the bridal shower can have a tropical theme if the couple plans to wed on a tropical island. Deciding on a theme eases the bridal shower planning process for the host.

Choose a location

Next, the venue or location of the bridal shower should be selected. The host of the bridal shower can often opt to hold the celebration in their home. Suppose it is not possible due to various factors such as the size of the home or the number of guests expected, a venue can be sought from another guest or co-host. The theme selected by the bride also determines the location. The host should be sure to give the bride a choice of several locations for her to decide which is best.

Send invitations

The bridal shower invitations should be sent early to enable guests to make arrangements to attend the bridal shower. The invitations should be sent a month to six weeks before the bridal shower. Sending the bridal shower invitations in advance helps ensure the host can keep track of RSVPs to know how many guests should be expected, those unable to attend, and any issues such as a guest’s dietary restrictions.

Set the menu

The menu depends on the theme, the time of day, and knowledge of a guest’s allergies or dietary restrictions. The menu can also be based on what the bride likes. It should contain a selection of refreshments. The host can opt to cook the food or have a caterer take care of the menu.

Find shower décor

When considering the décor of the bridal shower, the host should consider the theme or color selected by the bride. The host can opt to leave the shower’s décor to a professional event designer. Importance must be placed not only on the beauty of the décor but also on making a personal impact on the bride—for instance, adding the bride’s photos in the décor.

Plan the games and activities

The bride and host should decide on fun games and activities for the bridal shower to make it lively. The host is required to exercise some level of creativity when deciding on the party games. Depending on the budget, the host can spend money setting up a fun, elaborate activity for attendees to participate.

Create a shower playlist

Creating a shower playlist can help boost the mood of the bridal shower. The music selected for inclusion in the playlist depends on the time the event takes place and the ages of the attendees. The host should also request the bride to send her favorite love songs and upbeat tunes for inclusion in the playlist.

Who Gets Invited to the Bridal Shower?

Traditionally the bridal party, close friends, and the couple’s family would be invited to the bridal shower. However, the host can invite other individuals to the wedding guest list in consultation with the bride. The guests were invited to the shower depending on the size of the gathering.

The following should be considered when deciding whom to invent for the bridal shower:

• Do not Invite Anyone that Isn’t Invited to the wedding: An invitation should not be sent to an individual that hasn’t been invited to the wedding. If the host does plan to invite such a person, then the bride must be consulted. The bride may have forgotten to invite the individual to the wedding.
• Keep It Intimate: A bridal shower is an intimate celebration of the bride by individuals close to her. The host must therefore keep the celebration small and manageable. Several bridal showers can be held with a different list of guests to help keep the bridal shower intimate.
• The Host Ultimately Decides the Number of Guests: The host is responsible for catering for the bridal shower cost and can therefore decide the number of guests to invite. If the bridal shower has more than one host, a consensus must be reached on how many guests to invite. The bride should be informed of the number to help make a careful selection of who should be on the must invite list.
• It is Perfectly Fine to Have Multiple Bridal Showers: Multiple bridal showers enable the bride to have an intimate interaction with the guests. It also enables there to be multiple hosts for each bridal shower. Each bridal shower can have its own theme, making it memorable and unique.

Following are some of the best bridal shower templates:

Are bridal shower invitations editable?

Bridal shower invitation templates are editable. Our templates are easy to use. They help ensure that your bridal shower invitation adequately conveys the details of your event. You can edit our bridal shower template to suit your needs. Download an editable bridal shower invitation template from our website and use them for your own convenience.

The information contained in the bridal shower invitation helps inform the guest of curial details concerning the event. The information should include the bride’s name to help identify her as the guest of honor. If it is a co-ed shower, the groom’s name must be indicated in the invitation. A bridal shower invitation should contain the date, time, and location where the event is expected to take place. An indication of the event type should also be written in the bridal shower invitation.

The following are event types that can be indicated in the invitation:

• Bridal shower
• Weeding shower
• Couple shower

The host’s name and contact information should be indicated for RSVP with potential guests. The bridal shower invitation can provide additional information such as theme, dress code, or the couple’s registry details. The following are bridal shower invitation samples: