Sarahritchie17 A couple weeks ago, my bridesmaids and mom threw me and Eddie a bridal shower in the town where I grew up, and it was pure perfection. From the food to the games and guest list, my ladies thought of everything, and I was able to just show up and enjoy. Here are 6 must-steal ideas for your own.
1. The Pittsburgh Cookie Table
The Pittsburgh Cookie Table is a wedding tradition in southwestern Pennsylvania believed to have started during the Great Depression when couples couldn’t afford a wedding cake. Loved ones would bake age-old family recipe cookies and bring them to the wedding for guests to enjoy at the reception. Today, the Pittsburgh cookie table remains a treasured tradition. Since we’re having a New York wedding, but a Pittsburgh bridal shower, we decided to incorporate this into the shower instead. I think the cookie table ended up almost as big as the food table! Even if you’re not from southwest PA, who doesn’t love cookies?
2. Home-Cooked Bites
Instead of catering, my mom insisted on cooking for the event. We stole this idea from my cousin’s bridal shower actually. We loved the idea of having small bites of all my favorite things. She baked pretzel bites and mini quiches and prepped various dips, salad, a veggie tray, charcuterie board, caprese skewers, avocado deviled eggs, a fruit tray with watermelon and kiwi, and croissant deli sandwich bites. It was quite the spread and all tasted delicious!
3. Afternoon Tea
I love the classiness of afternoon tea with the ladies. My bridal shower was actually in a church and was alcohol free. The ladies set up assorted tea cups and kettles and had all kinds of options for teas. My sweet grandma gifted us tea cups from England and Ireland. The favors were tea bags and mini spoons. So cute!
4. Build-a-bouquet
Another favor for the guests was the bouquet bar. This was an idea I fell in love with on Pinterest, and my bridesmaids brought it to life. People loved crafting their own unique bouquets to take home with them at the end of the event.
5. The Invitation List
Traditionally it’s the females on the wedding guest list that gets invited to the bridal shower, but we broke tradition on this one. Eddie had actually never been to Pittsburgh, so I really wanted him to join me for this trip so I could finally show him around where I grew up. It’s not traditional for the groom to go to the bridal shower, but I wanted him to have the opportunity to meet some of the people who raised me. We also decided to invite some ladies who are not on the wedding guest list. I know that’s controversial, but our wedding guest list is limited to 80 due to venue space, and a lot of my friend’s moms were super understanding but still wanted to celebrate us.
6. The Games
My maid of honor prepared some fun games for the event including prizes. One game was emoji phrases we had to decode. Another was an envelope game—everyone got an envelope with a photo of a celebrity couple inside. The person who got Eddie and I in their envelope won.
The third was the shoe game. The bride and groom exchange one shoe and sit back to back. Someone asks questions like:
- Who is the better shower singer?
- Who is more likely to steal all the blankets?
- Who is more romantic?
- Who is the better cook?
The bride and groom answer by raising one shoe or the other. It was so fun, and people loved seeing how we answered each one. There were a lot of laughs and aww’s during this one. You can have people throw out their own questions, but definitely have a list to get it started.
I had the best time with all the lovely ladies who have stood by me throughout my life. It was such a nice opportunity for us all to get together before the wedding, for me to catch up with old friends, and for my grade school friends to meet my college and post-college friends. One friend even flew in from Florida to be there for the event! My only complaint was that it went by too fast! Good thing there are more wedding events to come.
Cheers!
Sarah
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