Your Bride wants an extravagant shower-- how do you pay for it??

This blog is for all of my fabulous bridesmaids out there who are trying their absolute best to give their brides the shower of their dreams. 
You asked her what she would like, you have talked about it a few times and now it is time to get planning the shower. You are planning an event just like a wedding. You need to answer the first 3 questions just like the happy couple did: What is your budget? Guest List? And when? Well we know the couple gives you the guest list- so check. That is done. The when is easy. Any time before the wedding. Ok that can not be that hard to figure out, you gave yourself plenty of time to plan and let people know. Ok so that too is done. Now the budget. Oh the budget. Your bride wants a "simple" wine tasting for a shower. At a local vineyard, It goes along with her wine themed wedding! It will be amazing :-) But how are you and the 4 other bridesmaids going to pay for it!?! The bride gives you a 100 person guest list. Her wedding is 200 people…

       OK first get up off the floor. I am going to help. It seems like this is too much. You have your own bills. Maybe you just got married or you are planning your own wedding. You just started going back to school or changed professions. So unless you win the lottery you need to get creative and FAST! 

Think about your options. 

1. Time of year: Where do you live? Are you in one of the area which has an "off season"? Venues are much more likely to discount their booking fees if you book offseason. 

2. Time of day or day of week: is your bride hell-bent on the oh-so-common Sunday brunch or can you get creative? Could you do an afternoon soiree and save yourself some money? What about a Thursday night cocktail party? 2pm on a Saturday? Not really lunch time, not really dinner time so just serve some appetizers and you're done! All great options and you will have a blast!

3. Menu items: Most reputable venues will work with you based on the "Per Person" cost you can afford. If you find a venue you like try to work with them before you book to see if they can work the menu to fit your budget and the $$ you are looking to spend. 

4. Skip the invites and send an email instead! Today everyone is connected to some sort of electronic device and will probably lose the invite anyways. Keep everything online and save yourself some $$ and time! This will make it easier for the guests to find the information when they need it too! If you have a few people who will need the actual printed invite (think Grammie) then send out a couple of hand written cards. This will make them feel nice by getting something in the mail and still save you $$!

5. SKIP the favors!! Who really uses the mini-frames anyways? I can not say it enough and I will not even waste time explaining this one- skip the favors and save some money! NO ONE will be offended. If you do not have a lot of money to work with this is a no-brainer. 

6. Throw the shower at your home! Or the private residence of someone you know! Save money on site-fees and there will not be any limits on how long you can be there. You will be able to make all the food for the shower and save some serious $$!

There are so many ways to get creative with a  shower and save you money but my biggest piece of advice I can give you is - JUST ASK! Just like anything else the wedding/event industry is sales too! See something you would like but just seems a little out of your budget- just ask for a discount! Haggle if need be. People will work with you and it never hurts to ask for a "better" price. You might not get it but the answer is always no unless you ask!


Hope all of this helps!
Good luck  and happy planning!
Talk soon, 
~Tiffany  
 

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