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XP; Throwing my first Bridal Shower

emmaaaemmaaa mod
First Anniversary First Comment 5 Love Its First Answer
in Chit Chat
I posted in Pre-Wedding parties also, but realized it is fairly slow over there.

TLDR; Didn't realize this would turn into a vent of sorts. I'm throwing my first ever bridal shower for my friend and am under a time crunch and budget. Ideas? 

One of my BFF's is getting married in September. She is one of my BMs and I'm one of hers. I hadn't heard her mention anything about a shower and when we asked her mom if anyone was throwing her one, she never answered. I was reluctant to throw her a shower. Not because I don't love her or because I don't want to. But because I have never thrown one before, my finds are limited, and I'm throwing one in August for my FSIL. I just have a busy 4 months coming up starting in August between works, 4 weddings (including my own), showers, bach. parties, and wedding planning. 

Well, I offered to throw her one. I asked for a guest list so I know where to hold it (hopefully at my dad's which is an old farmhouse with a beautiful backyard, deck, and wrap around porch) and we would talk about dates. Like I said, this will be my first shower and I'm planning it by myself. The other BMs offered to help with food or just give me money towards everything. 

Any reccommendations on how to make this a fun bridal shower? Any insight on how to be cost effective for a group of 50ish? TIA

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Re: XP; Throwing my first Bridal Shower

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    theartistformerlyknownastheartistformerlyknownas member
    First Comment First Anniversary First Answer 5 Love Its
    When I threw my sister's baby shower a few years ago (agh, nephew is almost 3!) what saved me was choosing food that could be prepped ahead of time and frozen, and making a bit at a time over the course of about a month. We had ham and cheese sliders (BIG hit), spinach/artichoke bread, baked "fried" ravioli, brie and pear tartlets, no-bake mini lemon cheesecakes, about a gazillion cake pops... then right ahead of time, caprese skewers and fruit skewers. I can send you the recipes I used, if you like. 
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    emmaaaemmaaa mod
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    Frozen would be a great idea! Sliders are always good, quick, and easy to eat. I would love the recipe for the spinahc/artichoke bread and no-bake lemon cheesecake.
     

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    pinkcow13pinkcow13 member
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    I've never thrown a bridal shower, either. My friend recently threw one for her friend though, and she gave me some details about it. The party was held at the brides home, and there were minimal decorations - yet it still looked lovely (I saw pics on FB) They set up a table with a small cake, a framed picture of the bride and her husband, cute paper plates/napkins. It had a parisian theme, so there waas a mini Eiffel Tower on the table, and a banner on the wall that read "Ooh la la!"

     It was an afternoon event, so they made Bellinis and I believe served appetizers. You can get a few bottles of inexpensive sparkling wine (I recommend Andre Cold Duck), and serve mimosas and Bellinis. For food, maybe you can go to Costco or BJ's and buy some appetizers, and a few cheese/meat trays.
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    emmaaaemmaaa mod
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    I'm hoping that we can have it at my dad's house. Her wedding is very casual and will be "rustic" so it would fit their whole theme. My dad's house (which is where I grew up and live 1 mile away from) is on a farm and a lovely farmhouse with a huge deck and wrap around front porch. The backyard is under huge maple and oak trees and has a nice open area for tables. There is also enough room inside in case of rain. This all depends on how many people she needs to invite because I'm not sure if she is having another shower.

    I was thinking of serving a sparkling punch and a non-alcoholic punch a swell as having water and sweet tea and sodas. Desserts are the easy part but the food I cook is not "shower" food. I think nice sliders and fruit/veggie/cheese trays would be perfect. Also, I'll probably make some chicken salad for sandwiches and to put on crackers. 

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    theartistformerlyknownastheartistformerlyknownas member
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    For these, I went through step 3 and then froze them. I think I reheated maybe 20 minutes at 350, from frozen?

    These came out a little bit runny, I would add an extra cream cheese with a bit more sugar. Super yummy though.
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    littlemushroomlittlemushroom member
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    I threw my BFF's bridal shower a few years ago and her baby shower a few months ago. Cost was always a big factor for me, so I found some things to keep them as low as possible.  I hosted them both at a township hall that had a very small rental fee (much cheaper than any hotel/golf course) and allowed any kind of food to be brought in (but no alcohol).  If you aren't able to use your dad's house, look into community centers/township halls for a location.  Also hosting in the middle of the afternoon, like 2-4, means you will need less food overall and less options for people since they will not expect a meal.  Do as much yourself as you can and avoid pre-packaged/ordered items.  You can make veggie trays, meat and cheese trays, etc, much more cheaply than you can buy ready made ones. 

     I made a non-alcoholic sparkling caramel apple punch at both her showers that was a huge hit.  Another go to is a non-alcoholic dreamsicle punch that we do for pretty much any other gathering we have.  If you can, make a big batch of iced tea and/or lemonade to have as well, instead of soda.  You can make a lot of those for minimal $$$.

    At the baby shower, we did chicken salad in lettuce cups that people really loved.  We mixed in some craisins (dried cranberries) into the chicken salad to make it a bit fancier.  Mini ham, cheddar and chive frittatas were another big hit.  They are easy to make in advance and are delicious warm or cold.  Cold veggie pizza was another crowd pleaser.  Crescent roll crust, smeared with a homemade ranch dip and topped with chopped colorful veggies like broccoli, red bell pepper, purple cabage, green or red onion, and carrot.
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    beetherybeethery member
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    @emmaaa I'd hit your local costco or sams or BJ's and take a look at their frozen party food. Costco has GOOOOOOOD STUFF (cream puffs!!!!!!!) and you can obviously get tons of it there.
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    theartistformerlyknownastheartistformerlyknownas member
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    beethery said:
    @emmaaa I'd hit your local costco or sams or BJ's and take a look at their frozen party food. Costco has GOOOOOOOD STUFF (cream puffs!!!!!!!) and you can obviously get tons of it there.
    Ooh those cream puffs are the shit. And the eclairs! Do you have a Gordon Food Service in your area? They sell those there too, with no membership required. And all the big plastic serveware you could ever need.
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    emmaaaemmaaa mod
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    lolo883 said:
    beethery said:
    @emmaaa I'd hit your local costco or sams or BJ's and take a look at their frozen party food. Costco has GOOOOOOOD STUFF (cream puffs!!!!!!!) and you can obviously get tons of it there.
    Ooh those cream puffs are the shit. And the eclairs! Do you have a Gordon Food Service in your area? They sell those there too, with no membership required. And all the big plastic serveware you could ever need.
    Hmmm, I haven't heard of that place but it is possible that there is one near by.

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    gmcr78gmcr78 member
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    I like the PP's suggestions. Also, pasta is usually a cheap and easy option for an actual meal. You might find a local restaurant that will give you a tray for pretty cheap and save you the hassle of making it and possibly freezing.
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    OliveOilsMomOliveOilsMom member
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    I hosted my sister's shower last August, with a similarly sized guest list.  I made baked ziti, sausage/meatballs in sauce, lunch meat & cheese tray, tomato & fresh mozz salad, pasta salad, and an antipasta tray.  I purchased some pretzel bites and dips that day as well. 

    The baked ziti can be made ahead of time and frozen, same with the sausage & meatballs.  I put the frozen sausage & meatballs in a crock pot in the morning, added the sauce and it set it on high.  The lunch meat I bought at BJ's and then rolled it myself and placed it on a tray with cheese (did this the night before and wrapped it up tight).  The tomato & fresh mozz salad and sangria were the only things I needed to make the day of the shower.  BJ's sells pre-sliced fresh mozz, so that made it easy for the salad.  The antipasta items were purchased pre-packaged (olives, cheese cubes, pepperoni, etc.) - so they only needed to be placed on the serving tray as well. 

    Generally, my food budget was $200 (minus the wine for sangria) and purchasing most things at BJ's helped me save a lot of money.  So use that, if its an option for you!  I also baked the cake for the shower, so that also helped me save on my food costs.

    Also, depending on the menu, look into crock pot mac n cheese.  It's pretty easy to make and can help feed a lot of people!

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    emmaaaemmaaa mod
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    That sounds deliscious!

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    wandajune6wandajune6 member
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    I've never thrown a bridal shower but I've hosted 3 baby showers. The menu's usually something like this:

    Chips, veggies, and homemade veggie dip. Or maybe pita chips, veggies, and hummus, depending on the crowd.
    Quiche of some sort (usually a few big ones, will do mini ones if I'm living near my parents and can borrow my mom's trays)
    Skewers of chicken and beef satay with peanut sauce on the side
    Honey baked ham with mini rolls/fixings on the side. Pulled pork is even cheaper if you do it in the crockpot.
    Pesto pasta salad (even better orzo instead of regular pasta)
    Lots of bite-sized desserts so you can have a bit of everything. I've frequently done cheesecake bars, lemon bars, brownies, and chocolate-covered strawberries (easy to make)

    I stink with punch recipes but I'll make ice with pieces of fruit or herbs (mint leaves or raspberries are popular) to put into drinks or in a huge chunk in the middle of a punch bowl (bundt pans are good for this).

    Have fun!
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    theartistformerlyknownastheartistformerlyknownas member
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    Ooh Paula Deen's crock pot mac and cheese is the best!
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    AngusaurAngusaur member
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    At my best friends baby shower, I got 4 XL pizzas and had them cut them into 16 slices. I did the biggest possible chicken nugget platter from Chic Fila and 3 sauces, the rest I did myself. I made a huge salad and had 5 different available dressings, I did loaded potato skins which I prepped the day before and only had to pop in the oven the day of. I did mini taco bites (tostitos scoops with taco seasoned ground beef, tomato, cheese, black olive) and cut up veggies and fruit for platters. I believe I also had a cheese and cracker tray. I went this route because I personally hate sandwich platters, I'm always going to prefer hot/warm prepared foods. :) Everything was a hit.

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    [Deleted User][Deleted User] member
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    For my sister's baby shower earlier this year, my mom and I made BBQ sliders (every family gathering I'm expected to make it) meatballs, potato salad, chips, and other little snacks. The food was a major hit and it was all pretty cheap. I agree with PPs, Costco saved my bank account.
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