Bridal Shower Planning

Next up in my Wedding Wednesday series, I’m covering where to start when planning a Bridal Shower. So let’s get into it!

If you’re looking for Bridal Shower Venues in Cleveland, Ohio area, scroll down to the end of this post!

WHO HOSTS

Traditionally, the Maid of Honor (MOH) will host the bridal shower. Now, it’s 2022 so truly anything goes! I have been to bridal showers hosted by the aunt, sister, best friend - anyone who wants to. Sometimes the Mother of the Bride (MOB) and/or Mother of the Groom (MOG) may want to host. Other times, they may just want to be involved in the planning process. My advice? If you’re a bridesmaid or MOH and can swing it, contact the Bride or Mother of the Bride early-on and figure out if anyone has discussed hosting a shower yet. If not (assuming you can swing it) offer to help plan a shower to celebrate your friend!

In the case of the shower I am currently planning, I am co-MOH with the Bride’s sister. We’re actually hosting a ladies-only shower with the help of the MOB. So the three of us are sharing duties and planning a fun afternoon for our guest of honor!

WHO IS INVITED

Ask the Bride for the initial list of who she’d like at her bridal shower. After all, it is about her! If you’re hosting a couples shower - make sure you ask the Groom for his list, as well. Whether the MOB/MOG’s are hosting the shower with you or just attending, you’ll want to get their stamp of approval on the guest list to make sure you haven’t forgotten any important family members.

Groom’s Side: Whether you’re hosting a ladies only or couples shower, make sure any important friends and family of the Groom are included in the invite list (think: Groom’s sister, grandma, aunts, etc.) Unless of course the Groom’s side is hosting a separate shower. But in the case of just one shower, make sure his side is included in the event, as this will be their only chance to celebrate the Bride!

Rough Estimate Guests: Just like when planning a wedding, you’ll want to get a rough guest list before you start thinking about a venue. That way you know how many people you need to fit. As I’ve been planning a bridal shower this month, I knew we had about 30+ on the guest list. Unfortunately, a few venues were just out of reach because they had a 25 person capacity. I was able to easily eliminate a few venues based on guest list alone.

Kids: It is also important to know whether the Bride will want kids at the shower - flower girls, nieces, nephews, etc. I say this because as I’ve been researching wineries for the shower, a lot of them do not allow kids in their event rooms. This is something that will be good to know before you get too far down the planning process.

CHOOSING A VENUE

Once you have a rough idea of how many guests you’ll be inviting, you can start researching venues and narrowing in on a few top choices.

Venues: Great places for showers (bridal or baby!) tend to be: Wineries, Breweries, Parks, Restaurants with Private Rooms. I even looked into a green house, a warehouse operating as a venue, and a flower shop! You can get creative. The nice thing about having the shower at a venue, is that more than likely the food and beverages will be available for you there. Instead of you carting food and drinks around yourself. Keep in mind, this does add some cost on your end as the hosts.

In Home: You may also be in a scenario where a family member or friend wants to host at their house. As long as the home can accommodate the group size and any activities you have planned, that is always a nice option that allows for a bit more freedom! The caveat to this being you will need a plan for food and drinks - maybe you order catering. Maybe you bring food pot-luck style. Maybe you host it in the afternoon and just offer light appetizers.

For the shower I am planning, we decided to go with a venue to keep it more neutral ground. I am coming from out-of-town, so it made the most sense for us to choose a venue that had catering / beverages taken care of for us!

DISCUSSING COST

This doesn’t have to be awkward. Depending on who is hosting, you may just decide to split the cost right down the middle. The shared costs should include: venue fees, food and drinks, and invitations. If you decide to do any decor, party favors, or an activity, run that by the other hosts BEFORE you buy anything if you want to split the costs. Some extras you may decide to just cover the cost on your own (similar to when planning the bachelorette party). For example: I may end up doing custom wine glasses for the ladies at the bridal shower. This is something I’d like to do to surprise the girls, including the other MOH, so I plan to just cover this cost myself.

MENU / DRINKS / ACTIVITIES

I’ll keep this short because I’ll likely do a whole other blog post on Bridal Shower Activities & Games. Once the invitations are out, you’re in the home stretch. You’ll start working on a menu, decide on drink options, determine if you will play any games or do an activity with the group. Think about how you will keep everyone busy for two or so hours. These days, Brides tend to shy away from opening gifts in front of everyone. So you’ll need to get creative to keep everyone entertained. A good pace for a bridal shower would be:

Guest arrival / welcome

45 minutes to mingle / eat / drink

30 minutes for a shower game

30 minutes to mingle / thank guests

Shower ends / goodbyes

BRIDAL SHOWER VENUES (in Cleveland, OH)

I did the research, so here is the list of the cutest bridal shower venues I found in Cleveland area!

Michael Angelo's Winery - This place is gorgeous! A modern winery. I’ve been here wine tasting and loved the whole experience.

High & Low Winery - A bit more rustic, but their lofted space is great for a party!

Gervasi Vineyard - We got married here, so I am partial :) But they have many, many event spaces.

Mapleside Farms - We had our baby shower here, in the wine cellar!

Borrow Curated - Borrow specializes in unique furniture for rent for events like weddings. They also have this very cool warehouse space that you can rent out for your own event!

Henry's Barn - Lorain County Metro Parks - This barn is beautiful! Rustic and fits a large group.

Quarry Hill Winery - I love this winery. It is a bit out in the country, but we hosted an anniversary party for my parents in the private room and it was great!

Vermilion Valley Vineyards - I’ve been wine tasting here and it is beautiful!

Sarah's Vineyard - I have not yet been here, but it comes highly recommended.

Market Garden Brewery - My friend is hosting a couples shower here this Spring - a great casual venue!

Twin Oast Brewing - I highly considered this for the shower I am planning. I stopped by over the summer and it was beautiful! Perfect for a couples shower.

There are many more venues in Cleveland, but these were the ones that stuck out to me in my research. I hope this is helpful.

Happy planning!