Jessica Cole's Southern Living at Home

   How to Host a Bridal Shower
We’ve put together a simple plan to help you hold a successful Southern Living At HOME Bridal Shower

Step 1: The Bride’s Wish List
If you are hosting a Bridal Shower for someone else, you will need to provide the Bride with a current Seasonal catalog.  Ask her to mark the products and quantites that she wants. This can be done using small sticky notes or even a red permanent marker.  Have her then return the marked catalog to you where you will transfer all her choices to the Bridal Registry Form.
Step 2: The Bridal Registry Form
I have attached a copy of the Bridal Registry form below.  If you are a Bride and are wanting to create a Bridal Registry to send to your family and friends you can also do this.  Just attach a copy of this form to an email and email it to me.  I will get you set up online on my Southern Living at Home registry and send you a link that you can email to your friends and family where they can purchase things right there on the website and have it directly shipped to you!
Step 3: Filling Out the Form
Using the catalog that the bride has marked, the Hostess fills in the Bridal Registry Form.The Hostess is responsible
for filling in the following information: item code, item name, catalog page, and price. If the bride chooses more than
one of a particular item, that item should be entered on the form multiple times. For example, if the bride selects
three Versatile Vases, then the Hostess should add "Versatile Vase" to the form three times. Once the form is
complete, the Hostess should make three copies—one for her records, one for the bride, and one for you.
Step 4: The Party

Using a copy of the Bridal Registry Form provided by the Hostess, I will select items that are on the bride's wish list to bring to the party.  To do this I request you schedual your Shower at least 30 days prior to the date you want so I have time to get these products in.  At the party my focus will be on the Bride as it is her day!  There are several different ways a party can be held:

• Have the bride attend the shower.  While the guests are taking their turns signing up for the bride's chosen gifst using the Bridal Registry Form, the bride and the rest of the guests can play fun shower games.  After the party, when the order has been shipped and arrives at the Hostess's home, guests can choose whether they want the gifts sent to the bride "as is" or whether they want to pick up the gifts, wrap them, and deliver them in person.
• Have the shower without the bride present.  This option preserves the traditional element of gift-giving surprise and allows me to do a full Party presentation.  Guests will still sign up for gifts using the Bridal Registry Form, and those gifts will be distributed to the Party guests through the Hostess just like a normal Party.   The guests may then wrap their gifts and present them to the bride at their convenience.
• Outside Orders. There are two options for taking outside orders for a bridal shower, Pre-Party Orders and Post-Party orders.  If there is enough time before the Party, the Hostess can mail a catalog to any guest who cannot attend (we also have email  catalogs!), along with the bride's registry form.  If the guest calls me or the Hostess with the order before the Party, the item can be marked off the registry form.  If there is not enough time before the Party to get outside orders in, your Hostess can contact the guests who were not able to attend and offer then the opportunity to sign up for items on the bride's registry form that were not chosen by the Party attendees.

Also, at any Party, the Hostess may choose to grant her Hostess Rewards to the bride.  While this is definitely not a requirement, it's a nice touch.

If you are interested in Hosting a Southern Living at Home Bridal Shower please let me know either by contacting me directly or by booking it on my calander on the home page.