I would bet good money that if you are planning a wedding right now, either for 2020 or 2021, you have had to make some alterations to how you thought things would go. The global pandemic, unsurprisingly, has had a profound effect on almost all aspects of wedding planning. Some couples are having to postpone their weddings. Others, are having to hold off on booking vendors till things calm down.
Finding a "new normal" (hopefully temporarily) is super important during this time. Whenever possible I think we should continue to safely celebrate the good things that are going on. Love is definitely one of those good things! So don't add your bridal shower to the list of things you can't have because of COVID-19. Instead let's plan a virtual bridal shower!
Virtual Bridal Shower Logistics
The first thing you are going to have to decide is where to digitally host your virtual bridal shower. I recommend googling some of the below options and figuring out which one is best for you and your guests. Keep in mind that all of them have different quirks to consider. For example, guests might require an account or there might be a time limit.
Zoom
Facetime
Skype
Go to Meeting
Google Hangouts
Facebook
ooVoo
I recommend still sending physical invitations to your virtual bridal shower. This is something that corona hasn't changed much so let's stick with tradition! Be sure to include the following in your invites:
Date and time (with timezone)
Link to your conference/where it is being held
Brief explanation of how a virtual bridal shower works
A way to RSVP
Gift/Registry details
As people are signing on you can play some soft music and let people mingle. Then when you know most of the people that RSVP'd "yes" are on, you can start. I suggest you start by welcoming everyone to your virtual bridal shower and thanking them for coming. Now is an ideal time to make sure everyone is on the same page with conference call etiquette. Politely, explain that muting yourself when you are not talking helps to limit background noise and ensure everyone can hear. Then you might ask everyone to go around and introduce themselves and mention how they know you.
How to Handle Gifts
I think the easiest way to do this is to have people drop their gifts off to you or have them mailed to your house. You can then open or show the gifts and read the cards as you normally would.
Virtual Bridal Shower Games
Yes, you can still do non-cheesy activities at your virtual bridal shower. If a lot of your guests are nearby and you are willing to put in the work you can still do the super popular "sip and paint night" or flower arranging classes that are popular right now.
If that feels a little bit daunting you can do a casual cocktail hour and encourage everyone on the invite to have a drink with you. If you yearn for a little more structure try a "name that tune" game where you play a clip from popular songs and see who can get the most correct on their card. You might also do a "Let's Make a Deal" style activity where you ask guest to get up and find an item you are asking for in their house (ex. white sock) and see who can do it the fastest.
Often times at showers hosts will give out prizes to the winners of these games. This is still totally doable. Consider sending digital gift cards to your winners. You might also consider sending a favor to all of your attendees. Etsy has a lot of wonderful ideas that are inexpensive and support small business during this time.
The goal of a bridal shower is to shower the bride with love and community. These things are still totally possible during this time. Perhaps, they are even more important. Instead of canceling your shower consider hosting a virtual one. I think you'll find you are glad you did.
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