How To Throw An Elegant Backyard Bridal Shower

How To Throw An Elegant Backyard Bridal Shower – 5 Tips

Celebrating your engagement is one of the most special times in your life. And it is definitely worth throwing a celebration for! Many bridal showers take place at an event venue. However, I would also consider throwing it in your backyard or the backyard of a friend or family member. I recently had the opportunity to photograph a “picture perfect” bridal shower and here are 5 tips on how to throw an elegant backyard bridal shower.

Make Sure There Is Plenty of Shade

My first tip on how to throw an elegant backyard bridal shower is to make sure there is plenty of shade. In terms of being able to capture nice images, and also for the comfort of your guests – shade is your best friend. Shade creates soft and flattering lighting for portraits. And shade will also ensure that your guests are comfortable 🙂 Many backyards have trees that can block some of the sunlight. But if there is not a lot of natural shade, I would consider large umbrellas instead.

The amount of shade in your backyard will also depend on the time of day of your party is at. The early mornings and the evening time will have the most shade – since the sun is at it’s lowest angle at these times. I recommend taking a look in your backyard, at the time that you’d like to have the party. If there is a good amount of shade, this is a good starting point 😉

Once you are able to identify the areas of your backyard that have the most shade, make sure to arrange your tables, bar, or any other important things in the shade. Again, adding umbrellas can help supplement shade that is not naturally present in your backyard.

Keep The Party to Under 3 Hours

Another tip on how to throw an elegant backyard bridal shower is to keep everything under 3 hours. Some guests may come a little late or have to leave early and so 3 hours is the perfect amount of time. I recommend not starting any important segments of your bridal shower until about 30 minutes into the party. And finishing up everything 30 minutes before the end of the party. This will ensure that most of your guests are there for all of the good stuff 🙂

If you hire a professional Photographer to cover the bridal shower, I would recommend getting all of your group shots taken by the middle of the event. By this time, all of your guests will have arrived and no one will have left early. The pictures can be taken all at one time or throughout the party.

Think About Hiring A Decorating Company And A Caterer/Personal Chef

Perhaps the best tip I can give on how to throw an elegant backyard bridal shower is to hire a decorating company and/or a personal chef. This is very similar to hiring a professional Photographer, in fact 🙂 Chances are, you can probably take pictures with your phone or even with a DSLR – but a professional Photographer is going to do a better job at it; and it will also take a lot of stress off of you – so that you can enjoy the party. As a professional Photographer myself, I would hire a Photographer to cover any important event as well 😉

When it comes to hiring vendors for your party, there are many companies that will provide not only decorating/staging – but they may also provide a Chef. Having one company that can organize multiple aspects of your event can simplify the planning of your party. I highly recommend going this route – if possible.

Customize The Party

Another great tip on how to throw an elegant backyard bridal shower is to customize the party. There are many ways that you can customize your party and I REALLY liked how Kristin did this for her daughter! For her party, she created customized stationary and thank you gifts. The stationary went really well with the elegant decorations and they were useful for one of the events. Part way through the party, Kristin had all of the guests use the stationary to write a special note to the Bride-to-be. This is something that she will be able to look back on as she prepares for her wedding and even after her wedding 🙂

End The Party With A Fun Game

Last but not least, I recommend ending the party with a fun game! After everyone has had a chance to eat and have had a few adult beverages – this is the perfect time for a game! There are a lot of fun bridal shower games that you can plan for your event. Kristin planned one of the best games I have seen at a bridal shower! She split the guests into five groups, gave each team 10 minutes, and had them make a wedding dress out of toilet paper 🙂 This made for a lot of fun images – but more importantly it made the event something that all of her guests would remember!

If you are planning a bridal shower of your own, hopefully this has given you a few ideas! Of course, it is ALWAYS recommended that you hire a professional Photographer 🙂 You will come away with a bunch of great images and it is also an opportunity to see if the Photographer would be someone you would hire for wedding photography!