My best friend is getting married this summer and I am the maid of honour. She is a having a very traditional wedding and really wants to have both a bridal shower and hen do (which the bridal party is responsible for hosting). I want to give her everything she wants to make the time leading up to her wedding extra special, but her wedding is already costing a lot of money for the wedding party. I have to fly across the world for her wedding (it's in the US) and the bridesmaid dresses she wanted are way over our budget. I really can't afford to spend a lot of money hosting the bridal shower and hen do and so I am trying to come up with a way to do both of these things without spending too much money. We have to have both events the weekend before the wedding, otherwise it would involve me having to fly to America twice over the summer. So far, for the hen party, I am thinking of just doing cocktails at the brides favourite cocktail bar where the bridal party would be responsible for buying the brides drinks and food but everyone else would responsible for their own food and drinks. The bride isn't big into drinking a lot or partying and her mum and the grooms mum will be attending so we want to keep it respectable and not embarrass her.
For the bridal shower, I am hoping that her mum will offer the use of her house for the shower as a free venue and if not seeing if we can rent out space in the local park (that has a lovely white gazebo) and doing just a two hour late afternoon gathering with her friends and female relatives. I was hoping we could get away with the event being alcohol free to keep cost down and then just baking lots of lovely desserts and doing sandwiches and salads. AIBU for doing this?
I am worried that we will come off as cheap for not spending loads, but to be honest I am feeling a lot of pressure already because the cost of this wedding keep going up.
I am also trying to come up with fun games for everyone to play at the shower (I hate shower games so I am struggling to come up with any) and I am worrying that the hen do will be boring.
Do you think we have to provide little party favours for the guest at the bridal shower?
What does everyone think?
Please or to access all these features
Please
or
to access all these features
AIBU?
To have a budget bridal shower and hen party for my best friend?
69 replies
Lifechanging2017 · 10/04/2017 09:27
OP posts:
Don’t want to miss threads like this?
Weekly
Sign up to our weekly round up and get all the best threads sent straight to your inbox!
Log in to update your newsletter preferences.
You've subscribed!
Please create an account
To comment on this thread you need to create a Mumsnet account.