Bridal Shower Menu Ideas
Bridal shower planning can be a strenuous task as the maid of honor or a small group of organizers have to oversee an entire event comprising a total of twenty or more people from beginning to end. And one of the most colossal aspects to pull off at any party, the bridal shower being no different, is the food! After all, what is the point of a celebration without food? How do you fill up a menu for bridal shower with the most scrumptious delicacies? And how do you decide on the different dishes and their ingredients? Well, let us have a look!
Ideal bridal shower food
How do you decide on which dishes would be ideal for your bridal shower? Well, here are some factors which should be taken into consideration while planning out the menu for bridal shower:-
- Bride's choice. First and foremost, make sure what the bride likes. If you stack up the menu with dishes not to her liking, consider your bridal shower a failure
- Dishes preferred by the majority. Seriously, why even cater fish, chicken and steak to a crowd comprising mainly of green thumb vegetarians? Similarly, a veggie salad-heavy menu for a meat loving Southern crowd may not be the best idea either
- If you are aware of the individual choices of the guests Eg. If you know that the bride's mother is lactose intolerant, be a dear and include some dishes on the menu completely free of milk based products of any kind
- Bridegroom's choice. If the groom is attending the shower or if it is a joint shower for both bride and groom then whatever menu rules apply for the bride apply for the groom as well
- Location wise. Does the bridal shower venue allow for guests to sit at tables and dine properly? Is there place for a buffet table? Or should you simply opt for finger foods?
- See to it that the guests end up enjoying a full meal. Even if it is comprised only of finger foods, desserts and drinks, make sure that the finger foods cover everything- from appetizers to meat based main course treats.
- Most importantly, ascertain whether you have enough food to refuel the tummies of the entire guest list. Starving bridal shower guests make for a lousy ambience at the wedding
One of the most popular choices everyone is opting for when it comes to bridal shower food is having a menu containing almost entirely of finger foods. And there is a very good reason for this trend. Bridal showers are not meant to be actual weddings so unless it is specifically held at a restaurant or an eatery where guests are expecting a full blown meal, a general bridal shower may not focus on quantity of food but rather on quality and variety. And finger foods make for perfect additions to the menu for bridal shower as they are easy to eat, delicious to the core and people can move about and do stuff like playing less physically demanding shower games while at the same time, relish on their finger foods.
Bridal shower food courses - Includes Bridal shower finger food ideas and Cheap Bridal Shower Food
As mentioned previously, you do not have to serve large helpings of food to each person at the bridal shower but make sure that they get to pick from a decent variety where each dish has sufficient amount to please the entire party. For this reason, it is important that the food is served in separate, succeeding courses. Here are a few examples of some excellent bridal shower dishes which would not make a gigantic dent in your budget assigned in their respective categories:-
Bridal Shower Appetizer Ideas
You have to serve some kind of snacks and refreshments to the guests as soon as they arrive. Here are some fine examples of starter dishes (all of which double as finger foods as well)
- Nachos dipped in melted cheese. Okay, not really "wedding food material" but that is just the thing, this is not the wedding, and it is just the bridal shower. There should be a budget on these things. And these are just the appetizers. So relax
- Fish sticks with dip. Always tasty, always reasonable
- Cream and onion dip served with potato chips
- Cheese blocks and olives on a stick. Yes, we are now entering cocktail territory but that is the fun part about bridal showers. You may mix and match stuff up on the menu
- Omnipresent vegetable trays consisting of the usual suspects- cucumber, beetroot and tomato slices, carrot sticks, lettuce leaves and spring onions
- Fruit trays with grapes, apple slices, pineapple slices, pears, peaches and bananas
Bridal Shower Drinks
Here are some easy to prepare drinks which may be served to the guests from time to time and especially with the appetizer dishes:-
- Fruit punch. Easy to make and safe for everyone, including the grannies and some tagalong tots. A pineapple based punch is usually the most popular at shower parties
- Orange sherbet mixed with orange concentrate and ginger ale
- Mint flavored iced tea and mojito. So refreshing! A favorite for outdoor, summer showers
- If you are going to bring out the bubbly, then for an event as traditionally girly as a bridal shower, the most recommended drink would be pink champagne, possibly garnished with some lemon peel to give it that 'Mmmm..' edge
- Of course, if you are running on a low budget, it is perfectly alright to serve colas and flavored sodas instead of mocktails and cocktails
Bridal Shower Main Course Ideas
Once the starters and beverages are consumed, games are enthusiastically played and the guests have worked up their appetites for something bigger, it is time to roll out the bigwigs on the menu for bridal shower. The main course dishes:-
- Sandwiches. Keeping with a strong emphasis on finger foods, it is advisable that you stick to food which is not very laborious to enjoy but would still have the guests licking their fingers.
- Sandwiches do the trick, the most filling being- Chicken Salad Sandwiches, Pepperoni Salad Sandwiches, Chicken with Shredded Cheese Sandwiches, Tuna Sandwiches
- Sushi. For those with seafood cravings. Also, sushi rice, if attainable by hook or by crook
- Cheese Fondue. A staple at women-heavy gatherings
- Deviled Eggs. Another favorite at bridal showers
- Sometimes, you may just order Chinese, Indian, Thai or Mexican takeout. If you know of any good places offering these treats, then go for it. Reasonable, tasty and always reliable
Bridal Shower Dessert Ideas
For a girlie party, which is what a bridal shower is basically meant to be, the number of guests having a sweet tooth is bound to be large, so how could a bridal shower menu exist without the quintessential desserts? The most popular bridal shower desserts are as follows:-
- The bridal shower cake. Like duh! What defines a bridal shower event is that the cake does NOT have to be as elaborate as say, the multi-tiered wedding cake.
- Homemade cakes will more than suffice. However, care should be taken to make sure the cake is fresh, tasty and there is enough to go around for everyone. My personal favorite is chocolate truffle cake!
- Cherries dipped in chocolate sauce. Irresistible. Do I need to say more? Another variation is strawberries dipped in chocolate sauce
- Brownies and cookies. Try freshly baked chocolate walnut brownies served while still hot. Simply melt in your own. Cookies may include sugarcoated ones and cream-filled ones
- Ice cream! How can you not have ice cream at your bridal shower? Unless it is set in the coldest of winter. Still, something as simple and inexpensive as plain vanilla ice cream dollops immersed in piping hot chocolate sauce and sprinkled with almonds, cashew nuts and pistachio is more than enough to give the guests an instant sense of heaven
That is a great collection of decently priced, mouthwatering goodness! So what are you waiting for? Go ahead and elevate the taste bud experience of your bridal shower guests with these easy to prepare, cheap bridal shower dishes. Just keep one thing in mind- while cooking and presenting the food, make hygiene your topmost priority. And see to it that everyone's stomach sensibilities are well taken care of on the menu for bridal shower because it would be a shame to have a dampener on your bride's celebrations just because of an upset tummy! On that not very graceful note, bon appetit!