Long story short, last year I had to plan a last minute bridal shower for a very dear friend of mine. I had 6 days to do it in, so I had to plan fast. I knew finding a venue was going to be tricky, so I decided to throw the party in my home. The guest list consisted of close friends and family and all women, so I thought, why not try a spa bridal shower?!
Whether you're planning a bridal shower, girls/moms night in or a birthday party, you can pick and chose from the list of ideas I came up with.
Step 1: Plan what spa activities you want to do and what materials you'll need (including party favors if you want). Try to incorporate items you already own.
Step 2: Meal planning; as a hostess of a spa party, you'll already be pretty busy as is, so don't overwhelm yourself with over complicated recipes and food prep. Try to prep as much as you can ahead of time so you're not stressed out when guests arrive. It's also thoughtful to inquire about any food allergies the guests may have. I don't think it's necessary to avoid all foods that people may be allergic too, but it's nice to have options for them and to be able to point out which recipes contain ingredients they're allergic to.
Step 3: Decorations and props; try to find a few items for both, you don't need to get a ton of stuff. With a pretty table set up, flowers, balloons, candles and a banner, you have all the decorations you need. It's also fun to take pictures with props. Try to use what you already have and go from there.
Step 4: Games; you don't need more than a few games when you're doing a spa party because there's so much to do already. Know your audience and plan accordingly.
1. Paraffin Wax Bath
- this is a spa item I already own and have definitely gotten good use out of it. Make sure you have plenty of wax and plastic hand covers. It's also nice to have hand towels handy. I soaked mine in warm water and a few drops of lavender oil.
2. DIY Coconut Oil Lip Balm-there are many recipes for diy lip balm. I used a simple one that called for only 3 ingredients (coconut oil, beeswax and essential oil). I put out some bare mineral eye shadow for the option of added color to the balm.
3. DIY Shea Butter Hand Cream
-one of the only reasons I decided to do the hand cream on top of everything else is because I found another simple recipe that called for most of the same ingredients as the lip balm. The hand cream recipe called for 4 ingredients: shea butter, essential oil, coconut oil and vitamin E oil.
4. Tin Foot Bath-I do own a home spa foot bath that I was originally planning on using. But when I really thought about how much work it would be with each guest, I quickly changed my mind. Cleaning and changing out the water would be a nightmare. I needed something easier. I found these tin water basins at Michael's that I thought were a great alternative. With some nice bath salts and floating flowers, it turned out very pretty. Make sure to put a towel under each one. We all soaked our feet while playing the bride and groom trivia game.
Spa Party Favors
I used little white buckets from Michael's ($1.99) and filled them with cotton balls, nail polish, a nail file (which were all used during the party) and the lotion and lip balm were added after each guest made theirs.
Food and Drinks
-For the spa water I did strawberry, lemon and lime. It looked nice on the table and went well with the spa theme. I also provided white wine and champagne as it seemed fitting for the occasion.
2. Finger Foods and Salad
-It's nice to have a little salad with finger foods to balance it out a bit. I did a goat cheese and roasted beet salad with a vinaigrette on the side so it wouldn't get soggy.
-Bread, crackers, cheese, fruit and store bought spinach artichoke dip. These are all easy to put together and prepare ahead of time.
-Per request of the bride, I made my cilantro jalapeno dip (which I will post soon) and mini taco bites to go with it.
*I always put out way too much food and this event was no different. I could've put out half of the amount of food I prepared and it would've been more than enough. Don't overdo it like I did.
3. Cake and Cupcakes
-You don't need a giant cake (quality over quantity). I found this pretty pink champagne cake that seemed perfect for a bridal shower. For those of you living in or near Kirkland WA, I found this great little bakery called SweetCakes downtown that I absolutely love. This is one of their signature cakes and the bride liked it so much she ended up getting her wedding cake there. -I also made some chocolate cupcakes to add variety, but honestly, they were unnecessary because everyone loved the cake.
Decorations
1. Flowers
- I think flowers are a necessity for a bridal shower and add such a nice touch. I try to get mine at the farmers market when possible to support local florists (plus, they always seem to be less expensive and better quality then store bought).
2. Balloons with Pictures
- This was an idea I got off of Pinterest that I altered a little bit (using tape instead of a hole punch so the bride could reuse them). I got 15 gold balloons and taped pictures (downloaded off of Facebook) of the bride and groom on the ends of them. I wish I took a better picture of the display, but they looked really pretty hanging down all around us.3. Banner and Tissue Paper Pom Poms
- I chose a Mr. and Mrs. with the wedding date banner, gold balloons and tissue paper pom poms at Party City.
1. Chalkboard Love Story
- This was another Pinterest idea. I already had a chalkboard so it was nice to be able to use this. I got mine at Michael's for $7.99. We use it for special occasions and school pictures and it's always a nice little touch.
2. Mini Heart Chalkboard Wishes
- I thought it would be nice to have the bride take home a special wish from her family and friends. I bought these mini heart chalkboards at Michael's and each guest wrote a wish for the bride's marriage. You can also order these online for discounted price when you buy a dozen.
3. Bride and Groom Props
-It was fun to have bride and groom props for pictures. I already had a black and white boa and I found the tiara with veil at Michael's and the top hat and wedding garter at Party City. 1. Booty Cookies!
2. Toilet Paper Wedding Dresses
This is probably one of the most popular bridal shower games and pretty self-explanatory. All you need is toilet paper, a timer and a little imagination. Wait, does that sound wrong to anyone else? Moving on...
Our bride-to-be wanted to be the judge instead of the model, so we did all of the toilet paper fashion while she sat back, relaxed and enjoyed the silliness. 3. Bride Trivia
I wanted to put a little spin on the trivia game. I had my husband call the groom and they came up with series of quirky question for the groom to answer.So the trivia was "what did the groom answer". Some were sweet, some were embarrassing, but mostly they were adorable questions and answers about the bride. This game was a blast and the bride got to participate in the fun!
Overall I feel this party was a success and we had a lot of fun! Please feel free to ask any questions about prices and recipes as I didn't list them all.
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