by Uppereast.com Staff
Just one of the many traditions before the wedding day, a bridal shower is a rite of passage for a woman before her wedding. “It used to be simple,” Donna said. “Back in my day, when we got married one of our bridesmaids would host a small reception at one of their homes. Now, the sky is the limit.” Now planning her own daughter’s bridal shower, Donna finds herself scouring the Internet for new fangled ideas. Traditionally, the bridal shower was to help a young woman build a home for herself and her new groom. “Most young women didn’t have pots and pans or a blender; they didn’t have the necessary tools to make a house a home.
In the past, brides were very young – leaving their parents home for life with a new, young husband,” explained Donna. “The bridesmaids would get together and host a shower at someone’s home. One bridesmaid would make a meatloaf and another bridesmaid would bake a cake,” Donna reminisced, “but things have changed; now bridal shower can be as elaborate as wedding!” Hosting a Bridal Shower on the Upper East Side.
Located on 64th Street and Lexington Avenue, this whimsical tea house is tucked away just off the corner. Inside, an entirely new world comes alive. As if you fell down a rabbit hole and were transported into the fabled Alice in Wonderland tale, there is a magic to this place. Specializing in fanciful tea parties, Alice’s Tea Cup can host up to 20 people in a private upstairs room. With a gracious staff and kitschy fare, this fun spot will shower any bride with some magic.
Ooh la la. Nothing says love like a good French brasserie. Leave it to the French to know both love and food and to combine the two with perfect accord. Orsay’s private banquet room is available for parties up to 70 people. The mahogany paneled room makes for an inviting and sophisticated setting where a bride and her dearest friends can dine on delectable French cuisine while marveling at the newly gifted fondue set. If your one-bedroom apartment won’t cut it as the location to host the bridal shower, look no further than right down the block. The Upper East Side is rich with locales to host this momentous event. From fancy tea parties to sophisticated luncheons to a modern take on the something old, there is something new – there are wonderful venues and concepts designed to impress any bride.
Not all brides are created equal. Some brides are more in tune with their wild side than their domestic one. So while bridal showers are a “no rules apply” area, those planning a bridal shower for a bride who is more interested in beer mugs than coffee mugs, may seek out a more unusual location. Forgo the brunch or the tea and treat the atypical bride to an afternoon or evening at The Saloon. Leave those dowdy bed linen gifts at home and try showering the bride with some engraved barware.
Oh, the Games We Play
“There is nothing more boring than watching a bride open 50 gifts of formal china and tea sets – her smile glued on, her eyes glazed as she rips open frilly packages,” said Jamie, who as attended more than her fair share of bridal showers over the years. The “standard” bridal shower usually includes some passed appetizers, a sit-down meal portion which quickly rolls into the gift-opening segment. “I have been to bridal showers with nearly 90 people. Do you have any idea how long it takes to unwrap that many gifts?” Inventive brides and their team of handlers (bridesmaids, mothers and future mother-in-laws) have stepped in to help eradicate the boredom which is inevitable. Enter – Bridal Shower Games.
Bridal Bingo
Just like the bingo you once played on rainy days at camp or at your grandmother’s retirement home, bridal bingo is much the same. Rather than a card filled with random numbers, this specialty bingo has cards filled with typical bridal shower gift items. There is no B19, but there is a “toaster” and “spatula” box. This game keeps the attention of the guests by giving them something to keep their minds and hands busy.
Recipes for Love
Whether it is your Aunt Louise’s famous peach cobbler or Uncle Tony’s Fettuccini Alfredo, everyone has a favorite family recipe that is handed down through generations like an heirloom. Bridal party organizers can create their own recipe book with the help of the shower’s attendees. “We personalized 3 X 5 cards with stickers and quotes and handed them out to everyone and asked them to jot down their favorite recipe,” Lisa said, as she explained one of the games she did for her sister’s recent shower. “People really seemed to like it and my sister, who is the worst cook in the world, really appreciated the help. In fact, she made her fiancé dinner from the recipes and served it on her new china.” Package it in a pretty notebook and it becomes a memento that is not only beautiful but also as handy in the kitchen as those new salad tongs.
Sex, Lies and Videotapes
For the more zany brides, try your hand at producing your own version of the Newlywed Game. Pre-record a video of the groom as you grill him with questions – “Where did you guys meet?” “What is the bride’s favorite restaurant?” “What is the most embarrassing thing to ever happen to your bride?” At the bridal shower, cue up the tape to his answers but first ask the bride what she thinks his response would be. Guests love this interactive game since they can play along by guessing some of the answers on a score card too. Keep the questions light and funny – and a bit of irreverence is always a crowd-pleaser.
Presents for All Thank goodness for registries! Picking the perfect present is never easy, but here, all of the guess-work is removed since the brides have registered for what they want. Most brides register at a variety of stores which can easily be found online, www.theknot.com and www.weddingchannel.com are helpful tools to see all of the stores where the bride has registered. “I call 58th/59th street corridor bridal alley,” said Amanda. All within a 3 block span are Bloomingdales, Crate and Barrel, Williams Sonoma, and Pottery Barn – by far, the most popular stores for registries. It is customary to bring a present to the shower, so having it sent from an online vendor may not work out time wise if you are a late shopper. “I am usually running over to one of these stores on my way to the shower,” confessed Amanda.
Sometimes hosts specify a room, or a time of day, or a color for guests to tailor their purchases. “I just attended a very cute shower,” Keri said, “the invitation instructed me to get a gift for the ‘kitchen’ which would be used at ‘7am,’ so that made me think. What would someone be doing in the kitchen at 7am? And I came up with the idea that she would be getting up and needing coffee. I bought her a Braun coffee maker.” It is creative infusion such as this which can make the bridal shower enjoyable not just for the bride, but for the guests as well.
And speaking of guests, no one should leave the shower empty handed. “It is proper to say thank you to your guests who may have traveled a distance to be there and who spent time and money selecting a gift for the bride. Giving all of the guests a token of appreciation is always the correct thing to do,” said Donna. Since it is an all-woman event, something girlie is the way to go. Lip balms, compact mirrors, scented lotions, personalized tea-bags – these are some popular gift ideas though a dash of spice is also nice. “We gave lingerie bags to everyone. They were really adorable. They were pink mesh and had a drawstring. A lot of people carried their bathing suits and underwear in them when they came to my bachlorette party in South Beach the following month,” Alissa said. “It was nice to see people using them.”
Other fun ideas include scented candles, a bag of Hershey kisses, custom wrapped candy bars and special mints. “I just went to a shower a few weeks ago and it was a bedroom-themed shower,” said Anabelle. “You know, everything had to do with the bedroom, from gorgeous new linens and a down comforter to some slinky negligees – that was the theme. So as a gift to the guests, we all received potpourri hangers. My closet now smells like lilacs and lavender instead of my husband’s dirty sweat socks. It was the best shower I ever went to!”
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