Wedding season has arrived! Is hosting an event for a bride to be in your future? We’ve got you covered! Let us be your one-stop shop for simple resources to get you through your hosting duties from food to decor. We have provided you with a general timeline, from the planning phases right up to the special day, that should help you stay sane. Passed the planning stages and looking for quick help? No problem, it will be easy to get caught up. The food can be the hardest part, and that is all done for you in our Bridal Luncheon Mini Menu complete with grocery list and instructions – so you can jump right to the fun stuff.
1. Choose your OAMM your theme:
6-8 Weeks Before This is a bridal shower freezer style. We have two themes you could do depending on your thoughts and your bride:
- Stock the Bride’s Freezer and Heart – This shower is for the bride who already has a stocked kitchen. Help her out by stocking her freezer with food that will keep her sane until her final dress fitting and even start the first weeks of wedded bliss. Guests will come together and make a few meals together for the bride to be to left with her that day. Guests can also focus on giving the couple a “recipe for success” or an actual recipe from their kitchen and you can make a pretty keepsake out of them for the new couple.
- Stock the Bride’s Kitchen and Heart – This shower is for the bride who loves to cook and/or entertain or is just starting out in her first home. Focus on making sure her kitchen is well stocked, with gadgets, recipes, spices, and of course freezer cooking tools for her first big cooking day as a married woman. Guests can also focus on giving the couple a “recipe for success” or an actual recipe from their kitchen and you can make a pretty keepsake out of them for the new couple.
Sit down and chat with your guest of honor about more general desires for the shower. It is her special day, and you want to honor her, find out if she has any special requests.
- What items does she need the most from her gift registry?
- Does she want it to be just ladies or does she want to include the fellas and receive some yard tools too?
- Who/how many does she want to invite? Can she provide you with updated address information?
- Does she like the recipes suggested for this menu? Are there allergies to be considerate of?(Remember, you can take advantage of Swappable if not!)
- Is she the type who would be embarrassed by baby pictures, games about personal preferences, or lingerie? She will appreciate that you asked before you put up that sweet photo of her first time on the potty for everyone to see.
2. Invite Your Guests
4-6 Weeks Before 
Now that you have the guest list and addresses from the bride, you can start licking envelopes. No need to go to the store or order – we have printable invitations for your right here! You will also see above we have created a printable recipe card and note card for marriage advice and fun for additional activity at the shower. Place these in a scrapbook or three ring binder with clear sleeves or into a recipe box. You can frame the bride’s favorites for her new kitchen or place them all in a pretty counter-top organizer so that she can read them when she needs encouragement or ideas.
- Stock the Bride’s Freezer and Heart Printable Invitation
- Stock the Bride’s Kitchen and Heart Printable Invitation
- Printable Blank Recipe Card
- Printable Blank Note Card
- Printable Registry Cards
Consider also what else you need to include in your invitation to inform your guests of the theme.
- Stock the Bride’s Freezer and Heart – Assign ingredients that will be assembled at the shower. Use the OAMM resources to customize the servings for the menu so there is no mistaking how much to get. Don’t forget to print off all the recipe cards for the bride so that she can make the ones she likes again! (Dump and Go recipes are best for this type of party, so check out our archives or our dump and go mini menus (Feb. 2014, April 2013, or Jan. 2013) Proteins are the most expensive item typically when freezer cooking. It’s best to give guests the other ingredients and purchase the proteins for the meals on your own and ask to split costs with others in the bridal party if it gets to be too much for your budget.
- Stock the Bride’s Kitchen and Heart – Assign a specific kitchen gadget off the bride’s registry to each guest so your bride doesn’t receive double of items she doesn’t need. You could also assign each guest to bring a spice or pantry ingredient. Maybe you even want to go in as a group and gift her an OAMM membership! For ideas and resources check out our Pinterest page.
3. Prepare Your Menu and Decorations
3-4 Weeks Before Cooking your menu is the easy part! See the instructions here. When it comes to decor, simple is best. We used mason jars as the design inspiration for our printables, so using them to decorate will give you a nice unified theme. Mason jars are inexpensive and as an added bonus you can pass them on to the bride to reuse in her kitchen. You can add candles, lace, ribbon, etc. (A floating candle in a mason jar with ribbon works nicely for evening events.) Or just simply baby’s breath flowers in a blue mason jar. 
The following are printables for you to use for the special day:
- Printable Meal Cards (for identifying items on buffet table)
- Printable Menu Cards for the OAMM Bridal Mini Menu
- Printable Dessert Tags
- Printable Mason Jar Wraps to fill with goodies or to give with centerpieces
5. Purchase Decorations and Supplies for Games
1-2 Weeks Before Purchase the supplies you need for the decorations you’ve planned, i.e. mason jars or vases, candles, fabric, etc. Print all of your printables that you will need for party day and start cutting them out and assembling. Don’t forget any other paper products you need (plates, cups, plastic utensils, napkins, tablecloths, etc.) And finally, be sure you have enough serving platters for your buffet table. It isn’t a necessity, but a drink dispenser is a nice touch (this one also holds ice and this one has a chalk label).
- Stock the Bride’s Freezer and Heart – Verify RSVP’s for any ingredients that may be missing and need to be picked up. Pick up freezer containers, and any other pantry items needed to complete assembly. Refer to our Group Cooking Series for more tips!
Want more activity beyond meal prep or presents? Check out our Pinterest page for more ideas.
6. Final Preparations
1-2 Days Before Time to thaw your cooked recipes, make sure you have all of your decorations and games ready to go, and purchase last minute items such as fresh flowers and anything you forgot. Enjoy the special day of honoring the bride, stress-free! Share Your Ideas! Please feel free to share links and suggestions for brides and those throwing them showers in the comments below. If you are a visual person, check out our Pinterest board for inspiration and additional games and ideas.