What Should Go In Bridal Shower Invitation Cards?

Bridal shower invitation cards are the best way to get the word out about your upcoming bridal shower, whether you're hosting and planning it or you're the bride-to-be. If you've never planned a bridal shower before, you can find tons of helpful tips and tricks for games, refreshments, activities and other traditions, but there's little information out there for how to invite friends and family to join in the festivities. Here's what you need to know about what should go in bridal shower invitations cards.

Include the basic information

For starters, you need to include some basic information such as who the bride-to-be is, who she is marrying, and when and where the bridal shower is. Your bridal shower invitation cards should also state whether attendees should bring their own beverages and what types of refreshments will be on-hand. If you're serving a full meal, you need to indicate this along with a menu so attendees can plan alternatives in the event any food allergies exist. In the same vein, if you're going to serve a few snacks attendees will need to know they shouldn't come on an empty stomach since a full meal will not be served.

Include the gift registry

While bringing gifts to a bridal shower is not a necessary requisite for attendance, it can be stated that bridal showers are for that purpose: to shower the bride with support, affection and, of course, the things she'll need as she prepares for her new marriage. Your bridal shower invitation cards should include, at the very least, a list of places where the bride-to-be has a gift registry. Some might consider it rude for recipients to request specific gifts; however, most attendees desire for their money to be spent on gifts that the bride will use and appreciate and therefore welcome suggestions to that end.

Make it personal

Bridal shower invitation cards should also be personalized as much as possible. Remember that the invitations are more than simple invites; they commemorate a singular once-in-a-lifetime event and will likely be displayed for decades in wedding albums, scrapbooks and even photo frames. That's why it's a great idea to create a custom bridal shower invitation in a theme matched to the bride's personality, complete with a photo of the bride and her groom; with a poignant, affectionate or humorous slant if appropriate. Creating a custom bridal shower invitation card isn't difficult when you have the right resources at your fingertips. Start with a free invitation layout template so you know what size to make your design, what resolution it should be in, and what color mode works best for print. Such templates also include bleed lines, cutlines and a safe area so you can rest assured that your design will look as great off the press as it does on your screen. Now, all you have to do is open your template in your favorite editor, pop in a few photos and some text, perhaps add some clip art (try a Creative Commons search), and you're done with the design. Print your bridal shower invitation cards on super-thick 16-point gloss cover stock or 13-point recycled matte for a beautiful luster that lends elegance. All that's left to do is send your invitations - you can have your online printing company even slip them into envelopes for you and then address them and mail them out.