12 Ideas for a Virtual Bridal Shower (2024)

FAQs

How to do a virtual bridal shower? ›

Choosing the right technology to host a virtual wedding shower is a crucial part of the planning process. Some of our favorites include Google Hangouts, Skype and Zoom. Be sure to choose a site that allows you to all see each other so you can celebrate together.

A fun tradition for wedding showers is to have guests fill out cards with well-wishes and advice for the couple. For a virtual shower, have guests send their notes to the host ahead of time. Pending the couple's preferences, the host can read the notes aloud during the shower, or share privately with the couple.

Zoom is the best virtual way to host a bridal shower and be sure to schedule the Zoom meeting right when you download it so you can get the personalized code for the meeting. Once you have the code (and maybe even password) add it to your invitation and/or Facebook group you've made for this occasion.

News flash: Bridal showers don't have to be thrown in-person. In fact, hosting a virtual event—that is group video calling via FaceTime, Skype, Zoom, or another platform—can be just as fun!

I'm often asked how many guests should be invited to a shower, and I usually recommend keeping it to around 25 guests if possible.

Plan Activities

Offering something interactive and hands-on, or even hiring an outside pro like a sommelier or mixologist, is a great way to help guests who don't know each other feel more comfortable and welcome.

Bridal showers typically last 2-4 hours and are not considered an all-day event. Although, depending on the type of shower you are hosting the time can vary. Most showers will either take place in the morning and serve as a brunch, or in the afternoon served with lunch or finger foods.

So when's the best time to throw a bridal shower? Tradition (and Emily Post) states that the bridal shower should take place between two weeks and two months before the wedding.

What time should a bridal shower start? ›

Pick the right time of day.

A bridal shower usually starts between 10:30 a.m. and 3 p.m. and lasts between two and four hours. If the bridal shower theme includes brunch, you'd want to host the event on the earlier side, while an afternoon tea would be on the later side.

In short, the host is the one who pays for the bridal shower—or at least some of it. Most commonly, this is the maid of honor, but the couple's relatives, friends or even the to-be-weds themselves can all pitch in to cover the cost of the wedding shower.

The Traditional Bridal Shower Host

The maid of honor traditionally takes on the role of chief shower planner. But she isn't a one-woman show: She relies on the bridesmaids to help her with planning logistics. On the day of, the girls run the party, making sure everything goes smoothly and that guests are taken care of.

Just as you would with an in-person wedding, you and your spouse-to-be must decide on a date and time for your virtual ceremony before you can invite your online guests. One factor that makes work in your favor involves the fact that virtual meetings and events tend to be shorter than their offline equivalents.

The rule is that only wedding guests should be invited to showers, so as long as the guests are on your wedding guest list, they can be invited. But it would look gift-grabby to invite people as guests solely to include them in shower invitations if the bride or groom isn't close to them.