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Looking for bridal shower ideas? Here are some great books to help you plan the perfect wedding shower!

The Wedding Shower Book; How to plan the perfect celebration-including creative ideas for invitations, games, themes, decorations, gifts, and more (Paperback)


Editorial Reviews

Book Description
Giving a special wedding shower that's fun and memorable takes planning. Inside you'll find all the practical help you need, including creative suggestions for invitations, favors, and decorations you can make yourself. You'll also find recipes for special treats, innovative theme party ideas, and helpful suggestions to make the shower enjoyable for everyone. Open up and begin planning a great party!




Creative Wedding Showers: Homemade Invitations, Decorations, Games, Planning Tips, Menu Ideas and More! (Paperback)


Book Description
It's a snap to throw a stylish wedding shower with the wealth of ideas and crafts
found in this book. Covering everything a hostess needs to give the bride-to-be a
memorable day, Creative Wedding Showers:
*Features 10 inspired shower themes and 50 easy projects to match any bride's personality

*Provides information on invitations, decorations, entertainment, menus and party favors--all in one place

*Includes clear, step-by-step instructions that make these creative projects accessible for everyone

There's no reason for a hostess to stress out with this indispensable guide at her side. It's the next best thing to a party planner!

Review: great ideas
This book offers great ideas for shower themes, favors, games, menus, etc. including pictures and step-by-step instructions. I highly recommend it to anyone looking for some trendy wedding shower ideas.

Review: Beautiful ideas!
I don't know about you, but most of the bridal shower books I found before this all seemed to have the same old tired stuff. FINALLY someone came up with some beautiful, orginal ideas! The invitations, favors, and decorations in this book are really very creative and pretty, and most are fairly easy to make. She offers menu ideas, recipes, and activities that go with each party theme. I really liked the way she used color in her themes. I also liked the full-page color photos for each theme, and the step-by step instructions also had a photo for EACH step. Vey nicely done! Ms. Dewberry, if you are reading this -- I'd love to see a book on creative BABY showers as well!

The Best Wedding Shower Book (Revised Edition) : A Complete Guide For Party Planners (Paperback)

From Publishers Weekly
Cooke (The Best Baby Shower Book provides an encyclopedic look at wedding showers that includes a discussion of prewedding traditions in other cultures and a look at the roots of American customs. (For example, "The bridal veil originated in ancient Greece and Rome, where it symbolized youth and virginity.") There are pointers on planning the shower ("don't expect people to balance a sit-down meal on their laps"); checklists; suggestions for themes (kitchen showers, romance showers) with appropriate food, activities and decorations; and advice on "keeping the party rolling." Cooke is a tad cute at times, recommending, for example, that shower guests make a list of endearments for the couple to use in marriage"the more creative or ridiculous, the funnier." But readers can pick and choose among the ideas offered, and this book will help anyone stage a successful shower.

Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc.--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Book Description
This new edition contains more fun activities, party recipes, decorating hints, gift ideas, and planning tips than any other
book.

Practical party-planning checklists

Designs for invitations and name tags

Decorating ideas that don't cost a bundle

Creative ideas for "couples" showers

Engaging party games that won't embarrass your quests

Dozens of delicious, nutritious recipes and menu ideas

Attractive serving suggestions

Tips on choosing a party location

Updated planning section

More creative, contemporary shower themes

And much more

Review: Great for beginners
When my sister announced that she's getting married, I announced that I'd love to throw her a shower. I'd never thrown a wedding shower before, and I needed to find something to help me plan one--fast! I was pleased with Ms. Cooke's "Best Baby Shower Book" that I'd bought to plan my friend's baby shower a couple of months before, so I thought I'd try her again. I wasn't disappointed. This book offers instructions and tips for throwing fun parties in a straight-forward way, and none of the parties seemed overwhelming to plan or impossible to pull off. The theme I chose was fun to plan, and the party was a blast. This book is a new edition, and it seems as if the problems with the previous edition mentioned in the previous review were addressed.

Hosting Wedding Parties (Hardcover)

Book Description
From showers to receptions to bridal teas, you'll find everything you need to toast the happy couple in style. HOSTING WEDDING PARTIES offers the inspiration and the how-to instructions for planning and hosting unique wedding-related theme parties that will be remembered for years to come. Each party is beautifully photographed to show every detail, from handcrafted invitations to exquisite centerpieces to thoughtful and unique party favors. Decorations and specially crafted accents are explained in step-by-step instructions, yet all party elements are easy and affordable! Also included are complete party menus with easy but delicious recipes, along with suggested table settings and beverages. A special section on entertaining help includes etiquette tips, floral arranging ideas, and more. Whether you're the maid of honor, the mother of the groom, or the bride herself, this book has the details you need to plan the perfect party.

Just look what makes this book a must for your collection:

** Covers a wide range of parties, not just showers! Includes parties for rehearsals, engagements, and receptions.

** Perfect for anyone involved in a wedding - the maid of honor, mother, father, grandparent, bridesmaid, groomsman, uncle, or aunt.

** Contains complete menus and recipes for each party.

** Features easy and affordable party plans that don't require weeks of preparation.

** Includes a special section on etiquette tips, floral-arranging ideas, table setting, and more.

** It's the best book you'll find on the subject. Most "shower" books are one color, and don't have recipes. This one is full of full-color photos that help you make your wedding party a smash.

The Ultimate Bridal Shower Idea Book : How to Have a Fun, Fabulous, and Memorable Party (Paperback)

Review: Great Shower Planner
This book has given me such great ideas for the bridal shower I am planning. From the invitations to the games to the favors and more! I definately recommend this book!

Review: So fun! Excellent co-ed shower ideas!
The bridesmaids and I LOVE this book by Sharon Naylor -- we looked everywhere for some really great, non-cheesy co-ed bridal shower ideas and didn't find anything good. And then we found this book. Now we had so many good ideas, we had to choose between them. Finally, some original themes! And great favor ideas, decorating tips, budgeting advice. What worked best for us was the advice about how to divide up planning tasks when some bridesmaids don't have a lot of money. We couldn't have put this party together without this book, and we recommend it highly.

Wedding Showers: Ideas & Recipes for the Perfect Party (Paperback)

Book Description
Your best friend is getting married, it's up to you to throw the shower. Now what? Forget the paper plate-ribbon bouquet. Times have changed and people are delving into the old traditions with contemporary flair. With four unique party themes, Wedding Showers offers menus, decorating ideas, projects, and activities to suit a range of personalities and visions, making it the ideal guide for today's shower host. A traditional afternoon of tea invites guests to a selection of mouth-watering cakes, tarts, and cookies. A tropical cocktail party carries the festivities outside. The day-at-the-beach shower takes a fun and casual approach with its bountiful barbecue and brightly colored canopies. An intimate beauty shower centers around luxuriant home-spa treatments, followed by pretty boxed lunches. From making the plans to decorating the venue, the authors breathe new life into the long-standing tradition of the wedding shower.

About the Author
Michele Adams is a stylist and writer with a background in architecture and product design. She was an associate editor creating stories in gardening, weddings, and style for Martha Stewart Living before she moved with her husband to Los Angeles, California.

Gia Russo (left) is a stylist and writer with a strong background in interior and floral design. She was an associate weddings and style editor for Martha Stewart Living specializing in flower, jewelry, and craft stories before moving to Los Angeles, California with her husband.

Review: Beautiful ideas and recipes
First off, this book is written by two editors from Martha Stewart's Living, so you know the ideas and recipes will be wonderful. They are!

My problem with this book is that it is very limited. As a first time maid of honor (AND bridesmaid), I am completely lost as to how to throw a wedding shower. This book has a little bit on the history of the wedding shower and what goes on during one, but that's about it for basic info. After reading this book, there were still many aspects to a shower that I found unclear. I know that there are suppose to be activities/games during a shower, but none were listed. Another problem I have with this book is that all the ideas and recipes require a bit of money to pull off. Silk napkins? Bamboo sake cups? Rose petals in the punch? It's all great and wonderful, but for someone on a tight budget, it's just not going to happen.

So what does this book have, you ask? Four really beautiful themes for wedding showers. With a good amount of pictures. We have "An Afternoon of Desserts" where everything is sort of dainty and pink. Very elegant. There's "Tropical Cocktails" with fun island inspired recipes and decorations. "A Day of Beauty" lacks decoration ideas, but has wonderful favors. Last but not least, "Beach Barbecue" is great for outdoors. Each theme has decoration ideas, menu ideas, and favor ideas. There is also a timeline guide so that you have an idea of when to do things.

Overall, I would recommend this book, but I would *definitely* have other wedding shower books around. This was the first book I purchased for shower planning, and have bought two others since then. I'm now ready to throw a party. :)

Review: Creative and Modern Ideas
Creative and modern ideas for throwing a modern day bridal shower. Exquisite still photography showcasing each shower favor, table setting, food item, and room decor. Very different from the existing bland works that currently sit on the bookstore shelves. Some of the ideas are too posh or "stuffy" for middle America, but the ideas can certainly be adapted to your budget and tastes.

Review: Classy Bridal Shower Book
Very "Martha"; Elegant and modern day ideas for various themed bridal showers; not many classy books on bridal showers but this is an exception.

Review: A Perfect "Day of Beauty" For My Best Friend
My best friend was the Maid of Honor at my July 2000 wedding. She threw the most elegant bridal shower for me, so when she asked me to return the favor this fall, I freaked out. Jen is SO talented when it comes to stuff like parties and cards and decorating, so I did not want her to be disappointed. To add to my anxiety, Jen is a vegetarian, so I wanted the shower to be health-conscious. I think I bought about 4 books on bridal showers and the Maid-of-Honor duties. I ended up using the "Day of Beauty" idea from this book. I made all of the recipes in the section and I even improvised a little by making the Shrimp Spring Rolls, sans Shrimp. I bought a bunch of pedicure, manicure, and facial supplies from Origins, a paraffin wax dip machine from Filene's, and I hired a masseuse to demonstrate how to give a good massage. The party was such a hit and the best part was that we all got to know each other without those silly, embarrassing shower games.

Review: THE ONLY WEDDING SHOWER BOOK YOU'LL EVER NEED
If your best friend is clear about the man, be clear about the shower. This book helped me organize and execute a sassy, clever yet chic wedding shower. When they got the amazing invitations my guests knew this party would be different. My friends who have had to endure the traditional games at a multitude of showers over the years, were blown away by the shower born from this book.

Other Invitation Ideas:
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