Bridal Shower with Two Showers and One Registry - Tips and Tricks

[BeckyC5830]

The cool thing is that I have two bridal showers for the same bride. One of the showers will be a what I call traditional PC Bridal Shower - demo with the bride, apron, bridal board, etc. I'm a friend of the mother of the Bride and was approached by her for the Shower. The day after her mom approached me the Bride contacted me wanting me to do another shower for her Dad's side of the family. Yay! Two showers! Plus the Wedding Registry!

But the first shower for the Bride is going to be more of a challenge. The shower sounds formal, with a sit-down luncheon. Unfortunately the shower was already planned before the hosts was reminded by the Bride she wanted a PC Shower. The Bride gave the Host my phone number about two months ago, but didn't call me. The Bride kept on bugging me on whether I heard from the Host, so I called a week after the Bride gave the Host my number. That's when I found out that the shower had already been planned by the host and co-host. I told them I would work with them so we demonstrated a recipe that would compliment their menu. I offered the PC Shower invitations and apron. They don't want any of it. They just want me to come show products that are on the Brides Wish List. She said none of the guests are ignorant of kitchen products so don't waste time on products that everyone knows about. I told her I would show products and their versatility on the Bride's Wish List -- she liked my approach.

The Host is very nice and I feel that she was put into a position by this Bride of having a PC Shower. I will work with her to make the day special for the Bride. My worry is that not having the PC Bridal invitations sent to the guests that they will arrive with gifts in hand. The host realizes the point of a PC Bridal Shower of the guests purchasing off the wish lists - we've talked about it at length. I told her how the guests will order, she plans to give all host benefits to the bride. I'm traveling over an hour for this shower and the guest list is only 13. I want this shower to be worth my time, but the Bride only has one high priced item (Bamboo Knife Block) on her list. I am going to bring the DCB, although it's not on her list.

Has anyone else had this situation? What did you do to make it the best for both yourself and the Bride?

 

[Pampered Chef Mommy]

Good luck with that hunny. I had one of those too and I only had sales of $15. let me know how you do it. Some people dont care what the bride wants and they want it their way. If I could have done it differently I would have asked the host If I culd have a guest list and I would call the night before or a couple to remind them of all the fun we going to have at the bridal shower being put on my so and so and that they can purchanse and of their favorite products and a gift for the bride at the same time and help the bride out by filling up her kitchen even more. See if she will let you do that..

Best wishes my friend.

 

[lesliec]

Could you convince the bride to turn that shower into a registry and just send the registry info to those guests? If you are still having a PC shower for her, it might just be easier for everyone if you not do the formal one.

 

[BeckyC5830]

Wish me luck, for tomorrow is the first of the two Bridal Showers for this lucky Bride. I will not be demonstrating a recipe with the Bride at the first shower - and the Bride is really disappointed, but her Aunt is calling the shots. Luckily I can use my Bridal Boards. The Bride did tell me that the guests were told it was a PC Bridal Shower and that most of them were disappointed that there would not be a demo. At least I know that the guests knows it's a PC Shower, I was worried about that. I told the Bride that we'll do the best we can to have fun tomorrow and that at her shower on Sunday at her Mom's we'll have a blast! I love the comment the Bride said tonight, "usually when we're at this aunt's house the gatherings are pretty short because everyone wants to leave as soon as they can".... Yikes!

 

[raebates]

Good luck! You can have lots of fun even without a demo. I've done several open houses (though, not as bridal showers), and they've been big hits. The fact that the guests know it's a PC shower combined with their love for the bride should make this work out well.

 

[pampchefsarah]

Wish me luck, for tomorrow is the first of the two Bridal Showers for this lucky Bride. I will not be demonstrating a recipe with the Bride at the first shower - and the Bride is really disappointed, but her Aunt is calling the shots. Luckily I can use my Bridal Boards. The Bride did tell me that the guests were told it was a PC Bridal Shower and that most of them were disappointed that there would not be a demo. At least I know that the guests knows it's a PC Shower, I was worried about that. I told the Bride that we'll do the best we can to have fun tomorrow and that at her shower on Sunday at her Mom's we'll have a blast!

I love the comment the Bride said tonight, "usually when we're at this aunt's house the gatherings are pretty short because everyone wants to leave as soon as they can".... Yikes!

Apparently, the Aunt doesn't realize (or care) the point of a shower is to celebrate the BRIDE, and not her own event planning skills.

If everyone is disappointed about no demo, maybe one of them (NOT the Aunt) will decide to host a show of their own!

 

[darlinclem]

Any way you can make something and bring it along? That way you have an opening to talk about what tools were used to make it without having a demo?

 

[BeckyC5830]

An update on the showers for my Bride. The first shower with no demo went very well, but I felt like a teacher in front of her students. I talked about the versatility of a number of products on the wish list. I had most of the products with me, but the few I didn't I have I had everyone turn to the page in the catalog to see the product. 8 out of 13 guests order and the sales are sitting at $369 for that one. I talked about products, Host served her food and I took orders, end of shower. (I did mention that the mini-muffin pan would be great for individual jello servings and jello shots and the Bride and her sister cracked up -- no one else knew what we were talking about - so the next day the Bride told everyone she wanted the mini-muffin pan so she could make jello shots -- her friends loved that. And they bought it for her!)The Shower on Sunday at the Bride's mothers was a blast. The house was packed with women -- not enough chairs. The bride wore the wedding veil I made out of tuling and a twix-it clip, posed in front of my bridal board with the bouquet I made in her signed PC Bridal Apron. She loved the attention. She and I demonstrated the Triple Berry Mousse Trifle on a card table in the livingroom. She did a fabulous job. The day was much more relaxed and fun for both the Bride, me and her guests. Right now the Shower is sitting at $1,100 with 18 orders. So all in all the Bride had two lovely showers -- totally different from one another and she will receive a ton of Pampered Chef products for her kitchen!

 

[pampchefsarah]

Congratulations on a job well done (actually, two!).:thumbup::thumbup: And,

She and I demonstrated the Triple Berry Mousse Trifle on a card table in the livingroom. She did a fabulous job.

sounds like a new team member in the making to me!