Good Day beautiful people! I trust you all are doing well by the grace of God.
Back in March when the pandemic first began, we never expected that it would continue as long as it has. We also couldn’t have imagined the impact it would have on social gatherings. Initially, all things were paused, but now, we must adapt because love isn’t canceled (or cancelled depending on your preferred spelling). With that, comes virtual and hybrid pre-wedding celebrations!
Soooo, let me tell y’all. I’m blessed to be surrounded by some of the most amazing ladies that you will ever meet! Although hubby and I opted for a very small bridal party, as in just maid of honor and best man, my tribe of amazing friends, fam, and sisters stood by my side from the beginning to the end. When the pandemic continued to affect my wedding plans, they were patient with hubby and I as we worked through all of the details and many assured me that they would still have my back even if they couldn’t be present in person on the big day. One of the things they did, led by my AMAZING maid of honor was…they threw me a surprise virtual bridal shower on my original bridal shower date! Then another amazing group of ladies, my ladies of True Worshippers, threw me a second virtual bridal shower! The love was so overwhelming and made me feel soooo special! Pics below:
Let’s talk virtual bridal showers then! How can you make a virtual shower an awesome experience for the bride? Please see below for a few ideas from my celebrations:
1. Theme!– I know what you’re thinking. How do you have a themed virtual event? Themed outfits and themed backgrounds can truly make for an amazing vibe! My TW ladies themed my shower around candy/sugar…do you get it? I know. I chuckled too. So everyone had colorful candy backgrounds which was super cute! You can also look at centering the celebration around an activity like a virtual paint night or game night!
2. Food and/or drink– An in-person shower would generally involve food and drinks, but a virtual shower definitely can too! For one of my showers, Hawaiian BBQ was delivered to my house via a food delivery service (shoutout to my bestie MOH on this one. If you know, you know lol). Another feature of one of my showers was everyone had their favorite beverage by their side for a toast during the festivities.
3. Gifts!– First off, if you know me, you know I LOVE flowers! For both showers, there was a bouquet of flowers delivered to my home which warmed my heart like no other! Great gift to start off a shower! For one shower, in the midst of the event, I received a list of monetary contributions that the ladies had sent to my MOH to give me as their shower gift. This made me ugly cry, like forreal forreal. For the other shower, as the event was going on, my mom brought a bunch of boxes next to me which were gifts surrounding three themes which were cooking, romance, and travel. These gifts were sooo thoughtful and are things that I actually use!
4. Games– during both showers we played some really fun games. If you’re Zoom-savvy, you can share your screen so everyone can see the questionnaire OR play simpler games that just involve talking or music in the background. See below for the list of some of the games:
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Guess the Love Song- Some one played “old school” love songs, and we had to guess the name of the song and the artist. No this was NOT as easy as it sounds lol
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Guess the Movie- A quote from a love movie is mentioned and we had to guess which movie it was from
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Who’s More Likely To- This is a questionnaire game. There is a list of things and you select who is more likely to do that thing between the bride and the groom
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Who Know’s the Bride Best- Before the shower, one of my friends sent me a list of questions for me to fill in. During the shower, the questions were asked for guests of the virtual shower to answer. The person with the most correct answers won!
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Date Night Ideas- People go around giving the bride create date night ideas! DOPE game! I reference this list frequently!
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Wedding Advice- Friends and family that are already married give marriage advice to the bride-to-be
5. Good vibes! – listen when it comes down to it, good vibes make for a great time. If everyone comes on the line with positive energy, you all will definitely have a great time!
If you’re having a hybrid shower (some people in person while the rest tune in virtually), that’s awesome as well. Please make sure that all those present have the proper protection (i.e. masks or face shields). Also, please do me a favor, and don’t forget about those who are joining in virtually. Involve them in the games, ensure that the celebrant greets them, and find other ways to incorporate them into the celebration, so they aren’t just spectators.
The reality is virtual and hybrid events will be a part of our lives for a little longer, so let’s do our best to make them exciting! The great thing is, everything I’ve mentioned above can apply to any type of virtual celebration, so let’s get creative! Listen, the fact that we have breath and life is a reason to celebrate, so let’s keep doing just that!
Please don’t forget to send me notes of the topics you would like for me to touch on next!
Toodles for now, SugarBees!
