Okay so the title of wedding shower planner has been dropped in your lap and they don’t want it to be the usual ho-hum cake, games, and gifts thing. There are a lot of great things you can do.When you host a bridal shower, you really want to focus on making the event special for the future bride. However, you also want to make it fun and exciting for those attending.

One very non-traditional wedding shower theme is, of course, the gift-less shower, which is becoming very popular these days. Many couples just don’t need the help to set up a new home like they once did. These showers can still bring the guests together for a fun afternoon of wedding chatter. Games can be played and food served. You may need to get a bit more creative with the planning so you’ll be sure to fill up time when the bride would normally open gifts. And getting a wedding shower invitation that says don’t bring a gift is music to the ears of some ! Click here to see the book that really speed things up for me.

Is the idea of guests showing up empty handed not for you? Instead, try one of these non-traditional themes, perhaps taking your cues from the bride’s interests or hobbies.  A few ideas:

• Garden Party – This theme works well if you’re having an outdoor gathering, but you can also bring the garden inside by using potted plants or flowers as centerpieces and giving seed packet favors. Give the plants away as prizes or as favors to save money, plus you won’t have a dozen centerpieces to find homes for afterwards. Your games can be garden-themed as well – try putting a tablespoon of different flower and vegetable seeds into sealed bags and passing them around to quiz the guests’ gardening know-how. Serve fresh fruits and vegetables, either grown in your own garden or purchased at the local farmers’ market. Encourage the bride to register for gardening tools and supplies at the local home store, and if guests call you for gift ideas, suggest potted plants, seeds, gardening tools and gadgets.

• Travel Shower – This is a great theme if the couple loves to travel! It can be tied in with the honeymoon destination, if one is planned, or it can focus on other places the couple hopes to visit. For a really unique touch, create invitations that look like boarding passes. Decorate in keeping with the featured locale, and consider serving cuisine from that part of the world. If the bride has already traveled extensively, games could test the group’s knowledge of the places she has visited, perhaps even using some of her own travel photos. Put together a scrap book (with plenty of room for the couple to add photos later) and encourage guests to jot down their travel advice. Ideas for an on-the-go bridal registry can range from luggage pieces to travel mugs.

These are just a few bridal shower themes to get the juices flowing. Remember to use your planner and be sure everyday involves one less thing you have to do for the wedding shower.