Bridal shower supplies, such as paper or china plates might not be a top priority on your "to-do" list, but these small items are important. It's the attention to detail that brings everything together to create a cohesive party theme that's memorable.
Coordinating Bridal Shower Plates
Picking up shower plates can really help tie your decorations together. Some hostesses like to shop for their bridal shower decorations with a theme in mind (colors, wedding bells, etc), while others like pick start with the plates and build decorations from there.
A number of plates often come with coordinating napkins and glasses. Otherwise, you could simply pick up complimentary colors that match the color scheme. Party supply stores may also have other matching decorations, like confetti, banners, signs, centerpieces, and balloons.
A number of decorations appear on shower plates. Choose the one you can most easily decorate with, or that you think the bride will enjoy. Plates could even be in shapes, such as a tiered cake, heart, or bells. The picture on the plates could include:
- Wedding bells
- Cakes
- Brides and grooms
- "Just Married" banner with car
- Whimsical/funny scenes
- Hearts
- Presents
Be sure to see if you can find coordinating invitations. You may also want to pick up a pack of thank-yous for the bride-to-be in a coordinating scheme; address them yourself to save her the time in her all ready hectic life. She is sure to be pleasantly surprised at your bridal shower gift's thoughtfulness.
If you are hosting a large shower luncheon or buffet, you may want to purchase two sizes of plates. The larger plate would be for the main dinner, while the smaller one would be used for cake or other dessert. You could either have the plates sitting on the dessert table, or plate the desserts yourself and serve them to your guests.
The smaller sized dessert plates could also be used to serve appetizers to your guests. Plate two or three and serve to your guests before the main party begins.
Paper Plates Versus Good China
A more formal bridal shower may call for a more elaborate decorating scheme. This will include your bridal shower plates to be fancier as well. Small parties, like tea parties, or medium sized formal luncheons may require taking out the fancier dinnerware. A heavier main dish, such as lasagna, might also require a sturdier dish than paper plates.
Use the following criteria to determine which kind of table service to use at the bridal shower:
- Is this a formal event?
- How many guests are invited?
- Am I hosting the shower at my home or at a rented hall?
- Will I have to hand-wash all of the plates, or do I have a dishwasher to make things easier?
- Do I feel obligated to be environmentally friendly?
Even if you opt to use your good plates, you can still pick up cute smaller cake and dessert plates at a party supply store. Choose colors of the bridal party, or wedding-related themes. You may also consider picking up paper plates with a dessert decoration on them.
Places to Shop
Discount retailers, like Target and Wal-Mart often have small selection of bridal shower decorations. For a larger range of plate choices and ideas, visit a local supply store or check out the following online stores:
To get the best deal on your bridal shower plates, you should check for sales at local stores or comparison shop online. You may also be able to find free shipping codes online or discount codes to get an even larger discount. Add bridal shower games or favors to your cart from the same store to keep your budget in line.
