Bridal shower invitation messages can be a tough call, as the bridal shower is often the first planned event of the whole wedding process—and therefore can set the tone for the whole affair. That’s why getting the wording right is crucial. You want to capture the bride’s mood and style, which means understanding her personality and how she wants these historical events to unfold.
Another challenge of bridal shower invitations relates to when to send them, and how. We’ve asked our panel of experts to let us in on their wedding planning secrets so that you can compose the perfect message (and quickly move on to all the other decisions that are just around the corner).
Just as importantly, we’ve created the best invitation maker to let you put all of the pieces together in one intuitive yet sophisticated online invitation maker.
Surprise Bridal Shower Invitation Wording
Start off on the right foot with a bit of planning around the theme of the bridal shower. Once you’ve got this essential information confirmed, it’ll be much easier to compose the invitation.
If the bride has given you strong hints about her dream event, this part is a no-brainer. But if you’re working on a surprise bridal shower, here are a few popular ideas. We strongly suggest that one person be in charge of the bridal shower invitation wording, but you might want to discuss the details with the bride’s close friends and family members.
Champagne Brunch
This is the all-time classic, so we suggest that your bridal shower brunch invitation wording also follow a traditional motif. Here we suggest formal wording with phrases like “we request your presence” or “in honor of this auspicious occasion.”
Tea Party
Bring out the young lady in the bride-to-be with a tea party invitation that brings her back to childhood fun. One idea for the invitation wording in this case is to write up your message as a menu in a fine English tea house.
South of the Border
This option is less formal than the brunch or tea party options. Scare up some tacos, fajitas, or tortillas, and choose wording that has an ethnic flavor.
Bon Voyage
Marriage can be like a wonderful Love Boat cruise, so in this case, your wedding shower invitation can take on a nautical theme. Set sail for blissful seas with wording in the style of a sea shanty or pirate’s poem.
Bottoms Up
A toast to the bride-to-be is in order! Here again, you can compose a bridal shower invitation message in the form of a poem to wish good health and happiness to the newlyweds, as well as give notice of the fine spirits that will be drunk in their honor.
Wedding Shower Invitation Wording Style
Besides the influence of the party theme, the style of your bridal shower invitation wording should suit the bride herself. For example, try to mimic her sense of humor or allude to any religious sentiments she might have. If she likes music, a wedding-themed poem might fit the bill. Of course, if you don’t feel comfortable writing anything too artistic, keep it simple and stick to the details.
Make Sure to Include These Details in Your Bridal Shower Wording
A Focus on the Bride
A couple of lines will suffice to introduce the bride-to-be, but ensure that they come before everything else. The bridal shower invitation message can refer to the guest of honor as “Miss” or “the future Mrs. _____”.
Mention the Theme
As we discussed for a surprise wedding shower, you should definitely include the theme of the event as a start for getting the bride warmed-up. Even if she has decided the theme for you, it’s still great to get the guests excited as well, and ensure that they arrive prepared.
Be Precise
Before you finalize the date and time, make sure it’s OK with the bride. No, you don’t have to give her all the details of the event, but you must check if your plans will conflict with hers. In your bridal shower invitation message, give the day, month, and year of the event, while the time should not be open ended; give an ending time as well (for example, from 11 AM to 2 PM), so that even the stragglers eventually make it.
Who’s in Charge?
It’s sometimes the case that not everybody knows who’s running the show (for example, the groom’s parents might not have that information), so it’s practical to give details about the host of the event. This will also help guests to RSVP.
RSVP
Knowing exactly who is going to show up is essential. You might get a greater response than anticipated, and you will also want to make seating arrangements to maximize everybody’s comfort level. The bridal shower invitation message should therefore include something like, “To RSVP, please contact [host’s name] by [date] at [phone number, email, or mailing address].”
Directions
Even in our era of smartphones, you should provide specific information about the event location. For example, is the event in a home or an event hall? Make mention of this fact in the invitation. If you have the time, include an accurate map.
Wedding Registry
If the couple has not yet decided on a wedding registry, ask about this when you inquire about the date of the shower (see above). Ask them for the name of the stores where they are registered, and put this in the bridal shower invitation. In case they don’t want a registry, you can ask (diplomatically, of course) about what types of gifts they prefer in case some guests wish to bring them to the shower, and include this information in the wedding shower invitation wording. Whether you’re listing registries or requesting other types of gifts, keep the point subtle and tasteful, near the bottom of the invitation.
Don’t Forget the Main Event
Most bridal showers are held just before the wedding, so make sure to include a short reminder about the big day in the invitation wording. If the couple has already made their own wedding website, you can refer the bridal shower guests to it.
When to Send out Bridal Shower Invites
The best rule of thumb for when to send bridal shower invites is six weeks before the event. People need time to arrange their schedules, and some overseas wedding guests might want to attend the shower as well. Besides knowing when to send bridal shower invites, you should also consider sending a reminder a week before the shower itself to all of the guests – even those who did not confirm (they may not have received the original message).
How to Send Out Bridal Shower Invites
Is a digital invitation acceptable? Actually, it’s essential, considering the time that it can take for paper invitations to arrive at the addresses of guests who might live far away. At the same time, paper invitations are a classy way to inform people about this important event. So we suggest a compromise – send both paper and digital invites to the bride’s absolute closest friends and relatives, as well as to those who might not be so comfortable with online communication. Everyone else can get a digital invitation. The added benefit of digital invitations is the built-in RSVP feature – letting guests easily reply with a click, and letting the organizer track attendance, send reminders, and more.
The Expert’s Tool for Wedding Shower Invitation Wording
What’s the easiest way to get more ideas for bridal shower wording? Just head on over to the bridal shower invitation page at Smilebox. There, you’ll find formats and designs to inspire you, while you’ll discover that inserting your invitation message is super simple. You will also find a lot of useful tools for making slideshows, collages, and other mementos of weddings and other special events. Create with Smilebox today!
