Whether you’re the bride-to-be, mother of the bride, or a member of the bridal party, wedding shower ideas are something to start thinking about as soon as the date has been set for the big day. Of course, there’s the usual guest list, the day and location, and the food and drinks to decide on, but many tend to forget some of those other details that with a creative twist, will make the shower an extra special day to remember.

Seating Arrangements

In some cases, trying to decide on the best seating arrangements for an intimate, formal wedding shower can be one of the most difficult tasks to complete. For an event with assigned seating, take the guesswork out of trying to figure out who should be seated near who, and instead, consider one of these two creative wedding shower ideas:

1. For a bridal shower where many of the guests may not really know one another, randomly select the seating arrangements in order to encourage mingling and meeting new people. This will make the actual wedding more enjoyable for those who now have met some of the other guests. The entire shower can be based around this "getting to know you" theme, incorporating how the happy couple met and fell in love with photo montages, and artfully decorated sheets of paper with anecdotes from the couple’s courtship placed in pretty picture frames.

2. For those wedding showers with the need for assigned table arrangements where most everyone knows everyone else, it’s still possible to make things interesting by using a few pictures and frames, and a bit of ingenuity. Include different photos of the couple depicting them at varying ages throughout their life. The ages should correspond with the table number, so that those sitting at table number 1 will be looking at pictures of the couple’s first year of life, and those at table 16 will be reminiscing and sharing stories about that particularly special age.

Wedding Shower Theme Ideas

Home Sweet Home

For this theme, all guests are assigned various rooms of the house and asked that their present be appropriate to that area. For example, guests assigned to the kitchen would bring appliances, cookware, or things such as utensils or dish sets, while those with the living room would buy gifts including throw pillows, picture frames, lamps, or candles.

A Day at the Spa (my favorite!)

For the smallest of wedding showers, guests would be asked to bring spa related gifts and be prepared for an afternoon of fun, relaxation, and pampering. Decorate with potted plants, soothing water fountains, baskets of lotions and towels, and plenty of candles. Ask guests to come dressed in their most comfortable clothing, or provide soft robes and sandals for everyone to wear. Have "stations" set up for things such as manicures, pedicure, massages, facials, or even aromatherapy and meditation.

Some other simple, but fun wedding shower ideas include: garden party, pajama party, tea party theme or a wine and cheese tasting party.