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How to plan a COVID-friendly bridal shower
The past year has been a famously tricky time to plan and execute a wedding. Couples have had to restructure their guest lists, vendor plans, venue ideas, bridal showers and bachelor/bachelorette parties. When it comes to bridal showers, it’s important for many brides to celebrate their upcoming wedding with those they love most. A wedding is, of course, for both the bride and groom, but many brides dream of this celebration for their whole lives. The good news is, there are many ways to remain safe and still have fun at a COVID-friendly bridal shower. After all, it’s important to many brides to still try and celebrate their wedding as normal as possible, as long as everyone feels safe. Here are a few tips:
1. Matching masks
One way to encourage safe COVID practices while still staying in the bridal shower spirit is by providing your guests with matching masks. They could match the wedding theme, say something cute like “Team Bride,” or perhaps individually cater to the guest to make them feel special. Either way, making mask-wearing a lighthearted, fun part of your bridal shower experience prioritizes you and your guests’ safety.
2. Share the plan beforehand
According to The Knot, “communication is key” when planning your bridal shower. Don’t expect guests to show up aware of the COVID practices that you want to implement. Instead, perhaps send out some guidelines or expectations with your bridal shower invite or over text beforehand. If you expect mask-wearing, social distancing, COVID testing, or anything else related; let them know! Clear communication will be effective for a successful and safe bridal shower, and you’ll feel more comfortable knowing that everyone is on the same page.
3. Socially-distanced games
If you intend on playing games during your bridal shower, there are plenty of socially-distanced options! You can space chairs out across a room, encouraging interaction without requiring guests to leave their seats. Charades, Hedbanz and other acting/guessing games are always a good idea. Everyone also tends to enjoy games where they can participate from their phones and project answers onto the TV.
4. Individual snacks
When it comes to food, most bridal showers include a table full of community, make-your-own-plate hors d’oeuvre options. However, for a COVID-safe shower, brides could provide their guests with individually packaged snacks like custom cookies or sweets to match the wedding theme, a package of colorful macaroons, or something a bit larger like catered meal boxes. Guests can enjoy their food from their seats.
5. Delayed gift-giving
Not to worry, gift-giving is not canceled this year! Instead of each guest offering individual gifts, they could pre-order gifts to be delivered directly to the bride’s home to make the exchange as hands-off as possible. Although the gift exchange experience might be slightly different, this could be a way for a bride to make a cute activity of opening wedding gifts with the groom or a few of her closest friends, continuing the excitement of the shower.
Although it’s not ideal to plan a bridal shower under challenging circumstances, these tips make it possible for a bride to still enjoy a special day with her closest loved ones while maintaining safety and comfortability across the circle. Each bride deserves their dream wedding experience, even if they don’t want to push their shower or wedding back from the original date.