How To Host A Virtual Bridal Shower

Honestly, after looking into what it takes to host a virtual bridal shower, I kind of want to go to one now!

I’m not saying there’s not a lot of work and planning that goes into a virtual bridal shower compared to the traditional ones. Far from that. Hosting a traditional in-person bridal shower is a lot of work but also relatively simple in concept. You provide food, décor, and some entertainment. Gifts are opened. Everyone knows what to expect. 

Virtual bridal showers are definitely different, but have roots in the traditional way of hosting with some added nuances. 

When we have to have distance (because of a global pandemic or just because of ongoing life-related logistics), virtual is the next best thing to physically being there for sure. Family and friends still get to celebrate a bride-to-be, and good times will be had by all.

Now, let’s get some details out of the way.

First, the bride should provide and approve the guest list for a virtual bridal shower. Second, preferably that guest list should still go by the guidelines that the only people invited are those who will also be invited to the wedding. However, I’ll caveat this recommendation to say that in a pandemic-world, people will be a lot more lenient about not being invited to an in-person event.  In general, though, if you were to have a larger wedding, only invite folks to a bridal shower who would also be invited to your wedding. 

Also, due to the nature of the virtual world, I recommend that a virtual bridal shower only lasts about one and a half to two hours.  After this, people get fidgety.  It’s also recommended that guests use a computer rather than a phone if possible.  This will allow for a larger screen and more functionality. 

Alright, now that we have those items out of the way, let’s talk about the details!

HOW TO HOST A VIRTUAL BRIDAL SHOWER

HOSTING PLATFORM

You have lots of options as to where to host the shower. Let’s go over the pro’s and cons of some of the more popular forums:

• Facebook has a pretty cool virtual setting for groups of up to 50. It’s also is free of charge, but it does require that each participant have a Facebook account. 
• Google Meet (formerly known as Hangouts) will allow you to host up to 25 guests.  It allows for 60 minutes free of charge, and has some features for the hearing impaired and those with disabilities. 
• Houseparty is very popular for virtual “parties”, has great functionality for games and interaction, and is free for an unlimited amount of time.  It also allows for different “rooms”, which can be a fun way for virtual conversations to happen. The downside is you can only host 8 parties at once.  
• Zoom has been the virtual setting of choice for many since the beginning of the pandemic, and can easily host a lot of people, but it’s free version is only good for 40 minutes.  You can always briefly pay for an account if you want to go longer. 

All of the above have some limitations.  There may also be fees for longer parties.  Look into the one that is best for you and stick with it.  Also, be sure to research current features and prices as these companies seem to change their policies and offerings all the time.

Pro tip: When you do settle on a host, try to provide guests a little guidance ahead of time on how to properly use the platform in case they have never used it before.  Everyone experiences technical difficulties sometimes.  If you’re able to help guests learn about the setup before the event, you can create the best guest experience early on.

INVITES

For invitations, you could go either way with the virtual or paper invitations.

There is something really elegant about a paper invite and perhaps you still want to provide them for your guest of honor. This is an awesome and thoughtful touch.  However, you will still need to email or text guests in order to digitally communicate the platform details.  This is so they can access the “room” that you decide to host the shower in and easily arrive when it’s time to join the party. 

So, if you decide to send paper invites definitely follow up with an email or virtual evite to help guide guests.

FOOD and DRINK

You can get very creative here, and put in a lot of work, or you can really take it easy.

In order keep things simple, you can ask guests to attend the shower with their own choice of appetizers and drinks handy. If you want to step it up a notch, provide them inspiring recipes or ideas for both food and beverages.  It will make it seem like guests are sharing in the same experience.

To go way above and beyond, you could send each guest a package with ingredients, food,  or desserts for the actual shower. This last option could be very time consuming and costly, though, so beware before you go down this path!

DÉCOR

There are ways to have both physical and virtual decorations that create a cohesiveness among guests.

Virtually, you could ask guests to install or use a particular background. Physically, you could ask them to have a certain theme, color, or type of flower around them.  If you’re feeling super fancy, send guests a little “party care package” that they can use to decorate their physical room so it’s like they are at a party in their very own home.

CONVERSATION

At typical showers there are dozens of conversations going on at once, with mingling, hugging and catching up among friends and family. However, virtual settings can severely limit this, and most of the time only one conversation can go on at once.

To help reduce awkward silences, I suggest that the host guide the topics. You could start with having each guest take a turn introducing themselves.  Each one could provide words of advice or encouragement to the bride. Not only will this allow guests to get to know each other, it will allow the bride to have a special moment with each of them when they speak directly to her. After that, you could proceed to games or different activities.  

GUEST OUTFITS

A host could really have a lot of fun with this.

What if you asked guests to dress a certain way? Asking guests to wear formal wear, a particular color, or even their own previously worn wedding dresses could be super fun. It helps get guests in a certain type of mood.  It also creates an interesting conversation to have when they show off what they’ve got on.

GIFTS

This takes a little coordination and planning on your guest’s part, but can be very straightforward.

When you send out the invitations, also include registry information. Request that guests be sure to send gifts ahead of the shower, so when the shower occurs they can be ready for opening. During the shower, have the bride open the gifts on screen.

I will warn you, though, that packaging from stores can be much more difficult to open than regular gift bags.  Also, guests may not always know which package is from them (because they ordered it online to be delivered at the bride’s house), so this part may be a little clunky.

If you don’t want guests to spend time watching someone virtually open packages, I totally get it.  If this is the case, I suggest skipping the “on screen” part of this.  Alternatively, have the bride open the gifts before the shower and have them handy on screen to show everyone what she got and verbally thank the giver. 

ENTERTAINMENT

There are really so many creative ways to entertain your guests virtually.

From in-home scavenger hunts, to virtual “BINGO” (think squares that get covered when someone forgets they are on mute, or has technical troubles, or gets interrupted by a pet or child), to simple trivia questions and answers, there are tons of options for fun.

For more structured activities, you can download freebies, pay for access, and get super fancy with it. Check out this post that lays out a ton of details for Virtual Bridal Shower Ideas, Activities, and Entertainment. Really, there are so many options you can easily pick a few that fit your crowd.

So folks, I hope this helps.

While this was written with a Bridal Shower in mind, you can definitely make it apply to virtual birthday parties, baby showers, or just for fun. While a virtual shower many be different than a physical one, the thought and sentiment still remains the same. It’s a bunch of family and friend gathering to celebrate one special person before a big day, and that is really what matters most.

Did you find this post useful, inspiring?  Save THIS PIN to your Bridal Shower Board on Pinterest!