Maid of Honor Responsibility - Bridal Shower/Bachelorette Party - Help!

[meliss8599]

I just got asked to be the MoH in my cousin's wedding and just read up on some of the responsibilities. One of them is throwing a bridal shower. Ummmm, I'm on a teacher's salary. Can anyone offer some budget friendly tips, activities, favor ideas, food ideas, ANYTHING?!

Also, DH is not comfortable w/my attending a "typical" bachelorette party but I know the MoH typically throws these. How did anyone in a similar situation work around that? Lingerie party or something like that? Too boring?

 

[mickeyluvr004]

Why don't you get all the bridesmaids together and also the men's side and have a Jack and Jill party.. Have all the bridesmaids and the best men all bring things that should help bring the cost down alittle have it at someones house?

 

[Tiggerish]

A joint party is popular with my family also. Particularly since we are not big on drinking and strippers at family gatherings. But every one bringing a dish to pass and a barbaque themed present was a big hit for our most recent wedding.

 

[3boymthr]

If the other bridesmaids are also on a budget, recruit the Mother of the Bride and Mother of the Groom to help you put it together as well. Most of them a very happy to help. Definitely host the party at a home. Saves tons of money as there is no fee for renting a room.

Make the food yourself and recruit others to help you. Do a brunch. You can save a ton of money on food just by doing breakfast foods as let's face it stuffed french toast with bacon, sausage, fruit and pastries is soooo much less expensive than stuffed chicken breasts, another meat dish caseroles and desserts.

For serving the food borrow china and silverware from relatives and friends. It holds up better and looks nicer and hey, it's free. And it's amazing how many of the older generation have HUGE sets of china with matching serving pieces. My DM has a 200 piece china dinnerware set with 24 dinner plates, 24 luncheon plates, etc.

 

[Tinker*Shell*Bell]

Alot of it depends on the bride. She does not plan the party but what kind of person is she?

A co-worker of mine is a party girl/cheerleader/out on the town gal. Her batchelorette party planned by the MOH was a wild stripper thing. Just what the bride expected it to be. Anything less and she would have felt cheated.

I am a quiet/stay at home/disney gal. My Batchelorette party was more like a baby shower style event. Canapes, finger sandwiches, and tea. I LOVED it. I would have been terribly uncomfortable with a stripper event.

Once you evaluate the bride's interests there are a zillion cheaper ideas for planning a nice party. I will start googling for you! I love google!!

 

[Evans Family]

A bridal shower does not need to be elaborate. Why not have it at 2:00 in the afternoon and serve cucumber sandwiches, nuts, mints and cake?

Don't feel like you have to do a big meal. Also, maybe a few of the bridesmaids would all like to go in on it with you.

If the bride is having a lot of showers you can do a theme shower. Kitchen, Trim a Tree, or if it's a couples shower how about "stock the bar".

Good luck and keep us posted.

 

[semo233]

You have gotten some great ideas already! I agree that elaborate and expensive does not = a great time! Getting the bridesmaids and mothers involved is not only a great idea, but necessary!! Even if they give you a hard time about helping out, asking for their input usually results in them helping out in some way.

How about an evening shower? You could serve dessert only and champagne or even bellinis. Make sure you know the bride's favorite dessert! (If someone threw me a dessert party, the best thing they could do is a banana split bar!!) Everyone could contribute by making or beinging one or two desserts.

Brunch has already been suggested and tends to be the most inexpensive meal to provide if you feel like you need to serve a meal. Mimosas and a pitcher of bloody marys make it a little special.

 

[tweedlemom]

My bachelorette party was my bridesmaids and I having an old fashioned sleepover. We ordered pizza, popped popcorn and watched all our favorite 80's movies. It was a blast!

 

[starann]

I just got asked to be the MoH in my cousin's wedding and just read up on some of the responsibilities. One of them is throwing a bridal shower. Ummmm, I'm on a teacher's salary. Can anyone offer some budget friendly tips, activities, favor ideas, food ideas, ANYTHING?!

Also, DH is not comfortable w/my attending a "typical" bachelorette party but I know the MoH typically throws these. How did anyone in a similar situation work around that? Lingerie party or something like that? Too boring?

As for the Bachelorette party....you can always do a girls night in...or a 'toy' party. This way she has fun (cause they are a blast) and you don't go out to see sweaty men and get drunk!


For a bridal shower....we did a brunch at a resturant...it was about $130 for each of the 4 of us and it was about 30ppl (that included tax and grat). We all picked something to 'do' as well...someone did the cake, another the invites, another the favors, another the games. WE had a Mad Hatter Tea Party and encouraged te guests to wear hats (like Brittish women do) but we had all sorts of hats...and hte bride went around and gave prizes for them!

If you do a wishing well...don't rent one, make one (I can email you apict of the one I made if you ask) it was made out of a big tub bucket, mop, broom, dish towels....all stuff she could use for the house.

You could do something at a church (usually they have rec halls you can rent, and all the girls can either make food or split the cost of coldcut trays).
Or someone's house. Find out from the bride the guest list. not everyone will show (we invited 50, had about 30).

You also could do a bridal Tea...serve finger sandwhiches, some fancy breads, scones, and cookies. Make it very relaxed and chatty!


Good Luck!

 

[Chelley00]

My bachelorette party was my bridesmaids and I having an old fashioned sleepover. We ordered pizza, popped popcorn and watched all our favorite 80's movies. It was a blast!

This is what my friends did for me. We watched all wedding related movies (Father of the Bride etc) We played all kinds of old games we had as teens (Dating Game, Mad Libs) and did Cosmo quizzes. It was hysterical.

We even crank called my then husband to be

 

[MickeynMinnie]

for a bachelorette party around here we go on Wine Tours!! rent a limo and then ask each person invited to chip in for the limo! Then afterwards we normally do food at someones house. We ask for people to bring a dish to share and then we sit around drinking wine from the winerys all night!! It's lots of fun!!
Good luck planning!!

 

[kpadalik]

I didn't want a typical bachelorette party. So my MOH, BMs, Mom, and MIL went to a local pottery painting studio and then had a nice dinner out. And they each got me a gift - jammies, some comfy, some sexy! It was a blast!

 

[britfish]

A fun theme for a bridal shower is the months of the year. Send each person a month on their invitation and ask them to bring a gift appropriate for that month. Its really fun because the end up getting everything from beach items to christmas decorations. I've also seen it done w/ the hours of the day but that was a little more difficult to come up w/ an idea!

 

[Lisa_M]

for a bachelorette party around here we go on Wine Tours!! rent a limo and then ask each person invited to chip in for the limo! Then afterwards we normally do food at someones house. We ask for people to bring a dish to share and then we sit around drinking wine from the winerys all night!! It's lots of fun!!
Good luck planning!!

Any wineries you could recommend? I'm planning a bachelorette party from out of town and this seems like it might be a good idea.

 

[metime]

As far as the Shower goes you could call local community centers and find out if there is a room you can use.

Most towns have a no fee or low fee room with a kitchen off it to use for events. Where I live now a lot of libraries take that on as part of beign a community building.

I would buy a bag of balloons from WAlmart and blow them up for decorating and then get a few helium ones. Big lots and the dollar Tree has some good deals on party decorations and plates.

For favors you could buy bulk of gum and chapstick and those purse tissue packs, tic tacs, mini santizers and the like to make cute goody bags of things people will use. You can do the same for the batchlorette party but throw in profalactics (sp?) or something.

Have the shower at 2pm and all you have to do is feed snacks and drinks. I find it is cheaper than a lunch time.

 

[englishteacha]

My bridal shower was held by my sisters in the church parlor. Mom made me a beautiful cake, there were finger sandwiches and punch. My shower was a complete surprise and I don't really remember it much, except that I looked like a slob! If you plan a surprise party, tell the bride you're going somewhere nice, NOT to go pick up a picnic table at a lumber yard!

 

[Shagley]

If you plan a surprise party, tell the bride you're going somewhere nice, NOT to go pick up a picnic table at a lumber yard!

 

[semo233]

If you plan a surprise party, tell the bride you're going somewhere nice, NOT to go pick up a picnic table at a lumber yard!

Oh that's funny!!

When my sister got to my house, I had on a T-shirt and underwear. She said "Oh, come take a ride with me." I put on a pair of shorts and a shirt and when we walked into where she was going, it was a surprise shower for me!!!

 

[aprilgail2]

A bridal shower does not need to be elaborate. Why not have it at 2:00 in the afternoon and serve cucumber sandwiches, nuts, mints and cake?

Don't feel like you have to do a big meal. Also, maybe a few of the bridesmaids would all like to go in on it with you.

.

That may work if the person is from down south but there is no way a cucumber sandwich would fly around here LOL- Bridal showers are typically held in a restaurant or catering place....
We also do the wineries tours as a bachlorette party- rent a limo and go on the tasting tour....or a overnighter to Atlantic City. But the maid of honor doesn't have to spring for the whole party- the briday party should all be splitting this one. Some bridal parties you can get to split up the shower to so its not that bad....last one I held cost us all only 200.00 each!

 

[estherhead]

I don't do bachlorette parties either. But we did something for a friend this spring that was cheap & creative. We rented a nice cabin with a big hot tub for a Thurs & Fri night. We split the cost (it was $31.00 per person) and each were responisble to bring a meal & a bottle of alcohol (or 6 pack of beer.) It was SOOOOO fun. We watched romantic movies & made girlie drinks and hung out it the hot tub and hiked through the woods. Then on Friday night we hosted a small lingerie party for 20 less close friends. I would say it cost me $50.00 out of my pocket and probably $100.00 out of the MoH's pocket. Plus the gifts we bought.