10 Tips for Organizing a Virtual Wedding Shower

10 Tips for Organizing a Virtual Wedding Shower

Social distancing may have curtailed in-person gatherings, but your wedding shower can be saved by going virtual. We have tips and tricks to ensure you can still celebrate with loved ones, all from the comfort of home.

Covid has changed life as we know it, for now at least, and everyone has been forced to adjust. With guidelines in place that restrict gathering in person, many weddings have been postponed, and some wedding showers have been canceled altogether.

The good news is, your bridal shower can be saved! Virtual wedding showers have become a joyous part of the new normal. Here, ten tips and tricks to ensure you can still celebrate with loved ones and make the most of social distancing while you’re doing it.

1. Designate a Host (Other Than the Bride/Groom)

No party is truly well-organized without a host. It’s best to have a close friend or relative fill this role. Just make sure whomever takes it on is a meticulous organizer and dependable communicator: It won’t be an easy task keeping up with all the guests via phone or text in advance, let alone wrangling them on shower day!

After the party, show your host your appreciation by sending a gift. Keep to the theme with a Jonathan Adler Champagne Pop Candle, giving off that familiar scent from a reusable copper-colored pot. They’d also get lots of use out of this sleek Crystal Wine Decanter, both elegant and functional. For something in the self-care line, try this Bath Bomb Set, with an assortment of different fragrances, including Honeysuckle, Spanish Lime, and Sugar and Cream.

2. Send Actual Invitations

Although invitations can easily be created online, it’s fun to go with something a bit more personalized. These Mason Jar Bridal Shower Invitations are sweet, while these warm Wood Grain Bridal Shower Invitations are the definition of inviting.

Be sure to include the following:

  • Date and time
  • An easy way to RSVP
  • Video conference link
  • A short and sweet explanation of how the virtual event will work

3. Designate People for Specific Tasks

No one person should take on too much responsibility. Enlist family members and friends to help keep things moving smoothly.

Is there a tech wizard in the group? Put them in charge of managing Zoom or Skype. Google Hangouts, Facebook Messenger, and WhatsApp are also options. All these services have video-calling capabilities, but does everyone use them? Have your techie figure out who uses what and coordinate accordingly.

Someone else will keep things moving during the actual event. Is it time to open gifts? Time to toast the bride and groom? Having a loose schedule and a list of activities will keep guests engaged.

Of course the bride will want to send thank you notes, so someone will need to keep a list of gifts and gift givers. Order thank you cards in advance and they can be sent out quickly after the party. These Bridal Shower Thank You Cards have a sweet modern-bride look. And if it’s a big gathering, these Gold Foil Watercolor Cards with Envelopes and Stickers come 100 to a pack, with flower stickers in dozens of styles, so each card will be unique.

4. Ask Guests to Dress Up

Just because you have to respect social distancing doesn’t mean you can’t see your friends at their best. Convince everyone to dress as if they’re attending the actual event — because they are! Take it a step further and choose a theme. A black tie event will bring old-school glamour. A tea party theme is a bridal shower classic, or make it a “garden party” and ask everyone to dress in florals.

5. Encourage Everyone to Interact

With a smaller, more intimate group, getting everyone to interact should be relatively easy, but planning some ice breakers in advance is never a bad idea. Have the host ask each virtual guest to offer a piece of advice to the bride and groom or recount a funny story about the couple. The communal experience will make everyone feel included, and guests who don’t already know each other can get acquainted.

6. Play Games

Games are a bridal shower staple, and even virtual wedding shower games will get everyone into the spirit of the day. There’s always Bride and Groom Trivia There’s always Bride and Groom Trivia. Have a few friends who know the couple well compile ten random, funny (okay, embarrassing) questions about them; guests can write down their guesses for an easy way to share. Have a prize to send to the person who gets the most correct answers. A classic game of charades is always good for laughs, and all the more so when you add the confusion of watching via video. Take it up a notch and make all the clues wedding themed.

7. Opening Gifts

It’s not a shower unless the bride is showered with gifts. Encourage guests to order their gifts well in advance so they can be delivered to the bride and opened during the party.

Consider getting creative with the gifts. “Around the clock” gift giving is one way to do it: Each guest is assigned an hour, be it 10 a.m. or 10 p.m., and the guest chooses a gift that fits the assigned time of day. Someone giving a “morning gift” might choose a breakfast cookbook or coffee maker, while someone assigned a “late evening gift” might give lingerie.

8. Consider Making the Shower Coed

It’s 2020, and we’re in unprecedented times. Since everyone’s home anyway, why not invite all the guys to join the party? More really is merrier.

9. Check the Video Platform in Advance

There are a few options available for hosting a virtual shower, some more effective than others for a large group. We mentioned some specific video platforms above, but consider your options carefully, because this is the most important aspect of pulling off a successful virtual event.

You really can’t go wrong with Zoom. Up to 100 people can join a video chat, however, there’s a 40-minute time limit for conferences of more than three people. Consider getting the Pro version for a limited time to get around this time limit.

Other trusted video platforms include Skype, which has been around for years, and up to 50 people can join a video chat. Facebook Messenger also allows 50 people to be on a video chat at once. If the shower is more intimate, consider WhatsApp, which limits the number of people to 16 per gathering.

If you’re the bride and plan to use your smartphone to participate, consider getting the Selfie Stick & Tripod Fugetek. This all-in-one adjustable tripod suitable for Apple and Android devices comes with a fast-connecting wireless Bluetooth remote. Once you choose where to set yourself up, you can customize the space however you wish.

10. Record the Party

Chances are, not everyone will be able to make it to the shower. By recording it, you can share it with anyone who wasn’t able to attend live. Both Zoom and Skype video calls can be recorded, for instance. Bonus: The bride and groom will be able to watch it back later as well.

Do You Have a Universal Wedding Registry?
A virtual wedding shower is much more fun when you have a wedding registry all filled out for your guests to browse before your party. You can make a wedding registry at MyRegistry.com.

Looking for More Wedding Registry Ideas?
See more on our Wedding Registry Inspiration Boards.

We are a universal gift registry website where people can create a registry and add gifts from any store in the world. If you buy any of the products listed here, we may be compensated. Thanks for reading — we love you!

14 Claps
Applause from you and 13 others
Comments are closed