Plan Wedding Showers Like a Pro...

As if planning a shower isn't enough, you have to worry about wedding shower gifts. Yes, the bride is registered, and yes, she will definitely appreciate gifts from her registry. But if you're really close to the wedding girl, you might want to give her something a bit more unique -- a bit more clever -- a bit more personal than a toaster.

Fortunately, the Internet is your friend when it comes to bridal shower gifts. You can find so many cool, clever, and interesting gifts online that you won't be able to decide which is best. No one will know how you thought of such unique bridal shower gift ideas, and the bride will remember your contribution for the rest of her life.

Sound good? Great! Here are some ideas to get you started.

Best of the web: unique wedding shower gifts

Check out these clever and unique gift ideas for any bride.

1. Something Blue anklet

Most brides forget the old 'something borrowed, something blue' rhyme -- until about a day before their weddings. Then they remember and start running around in a frantic rush to find the perfect items to fulfill the tradition.

Give her a head start with a gorgeous anklet with blue stones. It's so pretty she'll be able to wear it any time, not just for her wedding, and because it's an anklet, she won't have to worry about it matching her dress.

2. Wedding Blessing Jar

This makes a nice and inexpensive addition to any wedding shower. It's a pretty jar containing 31 inspirational sayings to get the newlyweds through any initial storms (while looking pretty on their coffee table). To really personalize it, open it up and invite guests to add their own words of wisdom before they leave.

3. Engraved Happily Ever After Recipe Box

Recipe boxes are standard bridal shower gift ideas, especially if everyone brings a recipe card to add. They make great 'starting out' presents for newlyweds of all ages. Why not add a bit of a kick to the tradition with a beautifully personalized wooden recipe box, rather than an impersonal cardboard container?

4. Design it Yourself Clock

This amazing gift is perfect for any bride. It comes with twelve circular frames to represent the twelve numbers of the clock. The bride can fill them with any pictures she desires and arrange them around the clock hands to create the perfect personalized clock and photo collage.

Don't get stuck in boring old bridal shower gifts. Yes, she'll appreciate them -- but next week, will she remember who gave them to her? Offer up something really special -- like these unique wedding shower gift ideas -- and watch her face light up, knowing you'll hold a special place in her memories forever.

Posted by Patti at 9:05 AM | Permalink

There are lots of wedding websites out there, but they're mostly for brides. Grooms too, I guess, although let's face it: it's usually the bride doing the planning, browsing hairstyles, and the like.

When we brilliant bridal shower planners hit the web, we're not usually looking for wedding websites. We're looking for wedding shower ideas and websites that detail games, invitations, and themes. But strangely enough, wedding websites can provide exactly the inspiration you need for the perfect bridal showers.

Using wedding websites to plan bridal showers

How so? Well, it's easy -- providing, that is, you know the bride well, and since you're planning her shower, you probably do. It's even better if you know her colors and the style of her wedding, because then you can make sure her shower matches perfectly.

Wedding websites are all about ideas. They provide flower arrangements, inexpensive favor suggestions, centerpiece ideas... any of this sounding familiar? No, you won't find games or recipes, but you will find a whole lot of beautiful suggestions for arranging the perfect bridal shower.

Obviously, you're not going to spend as much on wedding showers as on the wedding itself. But the centerpieces they suggest on wedding websites are going to be on upwards of 20 tables, so they're relatively inexpensive individually. The same goes for most other items: since they expect hundreds of guests, the individual prices are usually quite low. That works out well for you since the bridal shower will almost certainly have fewer guests than the wedding!

In addition, you can get great inspiration from wedding websites. You can look at their suggestions and modify them as you see fit. Many wedding sites have their ideas organized by color and style, making it quick and easy to access hundreds of wedding shower ideas.

Where to look

Browsing wedding websites is cheap (free!) and easy. Here are some great places to start.

1. Bride. Ca This Canadian site is chock full of decorating, pictures, and other great ideas to inspire perfect wedding showers.

2. KISS weddings. Keep it simple and sweet! The same rule should apply to the bridal shower. Again, you'll find lots of great inspirations here.

3. Real Simple Magazine. Real Simple is known for providing unique, inexpensive, and clever ways to turn the simple into the extraordinary. Their wedding ideas are no exception!

4. The knot. The Knot is a virtual extravaganza of well organized, clever, and beautiful wedding decorations with links to sites that sell inexpensive favors as well.

So you're not a bride. You're planning a bridal shower, and that's just about as important. When you set out in search of ideas, don't neglect wedding websites, the perfect way to find inexpensive inspiration for that special wedding shower.

Posted by Patti at 5:08 PM | Permalink