Bridal Shower Checklist for the Maid of Honor and Host

Whether you are the maid of honor or simply the person who said yes, a checklist keeps the shower from living in your head. This one is ordered by time, because that is how the work actually arrives: some things must happen weeks ahead, and everything else can wait until the final days. Print it, change it to match your plan, and give a copy to anyone helping.

If you have not started yet, read the step-by-step planning guide first, and use the timeline generator to turn the shower date into a dated list.

Eight Weeks Out: Decide the Basics

• Talk to the bride: date, rough guest count, what she does and does not want
• Agree who is hosting and who is paying for what, in writing
• Set one total budget (the budget calculator splits it by category)
• Draft the guest list and compare it with the wedding list
• Pick the place and book it, or confirm the home and the date
• Ask the other bridesmaids or the bride’s family who can help, and with what

Six Weeks Out: Choose the Look and the Menu

• Choose a theme or a pair of colors
• Decide the food style: brunch, lunch, light bites or cake and drinks
• Decide whether there will be a mimosa bar, and plan an alcohol-free option
• Decide whether there will be games, and which ones (all of them are optional)
• Ask guests to bring a favorite recipe or an advice card if you plan to use them

Four Weeks Out: Send and Order

• Send the invitations with the date, time, place, host names, RSVP date and the registry, if there is one
• Order the cake or desserts
• Order or print the decor, signs, food labels and favors
• Buy or print the game materials and small prizes
• Book any rentals, such as tables, chairs or a drink dispenser

Two to Three Weeks Out: Confirm

• Chase the RSVPs and write down the number who are coming
• Finalize the menu with the caterer or your shopping list, and note allergies
• Write the day-of schedule on one page (the timeline tool prints one)
• Assign the day-of jobs to named people
• Confirm the venue time you can arrive and the time you must leave

One Week Out: Buy and Print

• Confirm the cake and catering pickup times
• Run the numbers for drinks with the mimosa bar calculator and buy the non-perishables
• Print the signs, labels, game sheets and cards
• Buy plates, napkins, cups, flutes and ice for the day
• Wrap or prepare any host gift

Two Days Out and the Day Before

• Buy perishables and fresh juice
• Prepare make-ahead food
• Chill the sparkling wine and juice
• Set up the room, tables and signs if you can get in early
• Pack the bring-along box (below), charge the camera and test the playlist

The Bring-Along Box

Pack one box or bag so you are not looking for things at the venue:

• Signs, labels and a welcome sign, with tape or stands
• Tablecloths or runners
• Serving spoons, tongs, a cake knife and a server
• Scissors, tape, pens and a marker
• A card box and a guest book or advice cards
• A gift log (a notebook is enough) and a bag for wrapping paper
• Trash bags, wipes and paper towels
• A phone charger and a speaker
• Candles or lights, and a lighter if you use candles

Day-Of: Who Does What

Give each helper one job, and tell them in advance. Four jobs cover almost everything:

• Greeter: welcomes guests, points to drinks, hands out name tags if you use them
• Gift scribe: writes down each gift and who gave it, as it is opened
• Photographer: takes the group photo and a few candid shots, and sends them to the bride later
• Floater: tops up drinks and food, clears plates, replaces the trash bag

You take the schedule. Start on time, say a short welcome and a thank-you, and let the bride enjoy it. If you have the Who knows the bride best quiz, that is a good five-minute activity to run after the food.

During the Shower

• Open the mimosa bar as guests arrive, and make sure the alcohol-free option is on the same table
• Serve the food before the games, or after, depending on your start time
• Keep the cake until the end
• Write down each gift and giver
• Take the group photo before people begin to leave
• Hand out favors at the door

After the Shower

• Load the gifts and the gift list into the car first
• Give the list to the bride, and offer to help with the thank-you notes
• Send photos to the bride and to the guests who want them
• Settle any shared costs with the other hosts, with the receipts in one place
• Thank the helpers and the venue
• Return rented items and keep receipts

Common Problems and Quick Fixes

• A helper drops out: keep the job list short and written down, so you can hand a job to someone else in one message.
• More RSVPs than expected: cut the games before you cut the food, and set up a second drink station so no line forms.
• Fewer guests than expected: turn it into a longer, slower brunch and skip the formal activities. A small shower can feel warmer than a full room.
• Guests with dietary needs: put a small card next to each dish that names the main ingredients, and label the alcohol-free drinks clearly.
• The room runs late: the schedule has to give way to the venue. Know your end time and start the gift opening early enough that it does not get squeezed.
• Bad weather for an outdoor shower: decide on the rain plan two weeks ahead and put it on the invitation.

A Note on Gifts and Gift Opening

Many brides open gifts at the shower, and it is also fine to skip it, open them privately or ask for no gifts at all. Ask her which she prefers early, because it changes the schedule by up to half an hour and the thank-you work afterward. If gifts will be opened, the gift scribe’s list is the most useful thing you can hand over at the end.

A Short Version for Small Showers

For a shower of ten to fifteen people at home, you can cut the list to the essentials: agree the date and the guest list with the bride, send the invitations three to four weeks ahead, plan one main dish or a brunch spread, buy drinks and a cake, print a welcome sign, and ask one friend to write down the gifts. Everything else on this page is there for larger showers or hosts who like a fuller plan.

Using a Planner Instead

If you would rather have the checklist, RSVPs, budget and a gift log in one place that turns into a thank-you tracker, that is what the planner in the Everything Kit does. It is optional: a notebook and this page work too.