On top of causing weddings to be postponed, the Coronavirus is also affecting the ability to have bridal showers. Rather than postpone or even cancel your bridal shower celebrations, celebrating your shower virtually is a great alternative. Whether you are a bride, bridesmaid, or mother of the bride, here are some tips for planning a virtual wedding shower for the bride-to-be!
Choose Your Platform
There are a lot of options available when it comes to hosting a virtual celebration depending on how you want to run the shower. Some of these options allow for guests to interact with the bride via chat, while others can allow for other guests to speak as well. Furthermore, some platforms may be more limiting if you want to have a lot of people involved. Here are some options to consider:
Zoom
Zoom’s free account allows you to host a meeting or event of up to 100 attendees. All of your guests will have the ability to speak to one another and the bride. This is a great option to make all of your guests feeling included and like they are a part of the celebrations. One drawback to consider with Zoom, however, is with a free account meetings are limited to 40 minutes.
Facebook Live
Facebook live is one of the easiest ways to host a virtual bridal shower since most people are already familiar with this platform. The easiest way to set up a virtual event is to create a private group with the invited guests and have the bride go “live” when she is opening her gifts. Guests will be able to comment and react, but they will not be able to speak. Facebook live streaming can go as long as 8 hours, which means you’ll have plenty of time to host your event.
Skype
Skype has a maximum capacity of 50 people for video calls, making this a good option, unless you plan to invite a large number of guests. Similar to Zoom all guests will be able to speak and participate in the event making this a great option. There are no limits on how long you can meet on Skype.
Google Hangouts
Google Hangouts has a capacity of 25 guests for virtual meetings, which may be a too small of a number for some. One reason however to consider Hangouts over the rest is they offer better quality audio for video calls than the other platforms. There is no limit for how long you can meet on Hangouts, just be sure when you are creating the invitation you leave enough time for any activities or present opening.
Send Out EVites
Once you’ve decided on the platform you’ll be hosting the shower and have determined the date and time, it’s time to invite guests to the party. Sending out an evite is ideal since you can include a meeting link. It’s also important that you include step by step directions on how to login to the event for less tech-savvy users. Be sure to include a phone number of someone who will be able to help guests troubleshoot issues on the day of the event.
Plan Some Fun Activities
Activities for a virtual shower are possible, they just require a bit of creative thinking! For example, you can send out a word scramble via email to guests to play while the bride opens gifts. Another idea is having a trivia game where guests try to answer questions about the bride or groom.
Another fun game idea for those hosting the shower on a platform where all guests can be on video, you can ask your guests to all get an index card or small piece of paper and write down the name of the bride and groom. Then the host can read scenarios and have guests hold up the piece of paper with their guess. For example, you could ask who is more likely to take out the garbage or is the better cook. This is a simple, game that all guests can participate in easily.
Another activity idea is asking a handful of guests closest to the couple to prepare a word of advice for the bride-to-be and having them share it during the event.
Send Out Food & Drink Ideas
If you are feeling particularly creative, you can even send out menu ideas so everyone can feel like they are together celebrating. Remember to keep it simple and choose items that are accessible to everyone. For example, mimosas, french toast and eggs is a great idea for a brunch shower and something most guests will be able to easily recreate in their own homes.
Have a Plan for Opening Gifts
Since a large portion of a bridal shower is about opening gits, it’s important that you have a game plan regarding this. If the bride is going to open her gifts live, you need to ensure that the guests know to ship gifts to her home ahead of time, allowing plenty of time for shipping. Then you’ll need to coordinate a way for her to open gifts on video.
Having someone physically present with her will help make this a smoother process since someone can help hand her items, move them away after she’s opened them, and keep track of what gave what gift.
