Bridal showers can be expensive. As the hostess, you're in charge of invitations, food, decorations, drinks, games and prizes. There are discount stores where your expenses will be cut down considerably, but it's important to go in with a checklist and a game plan as to how you want the baby shower to go. Pick a theme and then go from there. To begin with, always have a bridal shower at the bride-to-be's home, or the home of a close friend. And send invitations through a service like Evite to avoid the cost of printed invitations and postage.
Food
This is going to be the biggest expense, and it's not fair to ask your guests to bring food potluck style, because bridal showers are not traditionally potlucks. Since your bridal shower will likely take place during the day, buy cheap foods for salads, sandwiches, cheese and crackers. Also prepare vegetable and fruit plates, but never buy those pre-made; always buy the fruit and vegetables in the produce section and prepare the platters yourself.
Drinks
You can save a considerable amount of money by making the bridal shower alcohol-free. You can set out waters and juices instead. If this is totally unacceptable, consider buying $2 bottles of wine or champagne in bulk. Another idea is to discreetly ask some of your friends who will be guests to bring wine or alcohol to the bridal shower; it's not unheard of for guests to bring wine to a party. Just don't specifically request it on the invitations.
Decorations
The best cheap decorations for a bridal shower party are flowers and votive candles. Candles are very cheap; you can often pick up a dozen or more at a discount store. Find cheap flowers by visiting farmer's markets just before they're about to close. This is when many merchants give away heavy discounts on their goods.
Games and Prizes
Some games you can play that cost no money are poker, scavenger hunts, the purse game (where you make a list of items and whoever has the most items in their purse wins) and bingo. Cheap prizes include candles, small bath items (like tiny bottles of lotions, shampoos and conditioners) and picture frames.
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