Something Blue Bridal Shower Ideas: Theme, Favors, Cake and Invitations

Something Blue is a classic bridal shower theme for a reason: it is calm, it looks good in photographs, and the idea explains itself. The old rhyme says a bride should wear something old, something new, something borrowed and something blue, and blue has traditionally stood for love and loyalty. A shower built around it needs only a color and a handful of motifs. This guide covers the palette, the invitation, decor, food, favors and cake, with notes on keeping it simple.

New to planning? Start with the step-by-step guide, and see the bridal shower hub for every free tool and guide.

The Palette

Three colors repeated across everything is enough:

• Dusty blue for signs, ribbons, napkins and flowers
• Cream or white for tablecloths, plates and cake
• Warm peach or gold as a small accent, so the blue does not look cold

Motifs to repeat: a bow, a tulip or a small flower, a ring, a heart. This is the look of our Something Blue printables. You can also lean toward navy for a more formal shower or toward pale sky blue for a spring one.

Invitation Wording

The tagline is the easy hook: “something blue before I do.” Some variations:

Something blue before I do. Please join us for a bridal shower honoring Charlotte.

Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue. Come celebrate Charlotte.

She has found her something blue. Join us for a bridal shower.

After the line, add the date, time, place, hosts, an RSVP date and the registry, if there is one. For more wording, including a recipe card request and a no-gifts line, see bridal shower invitation wording examples.

Decor Ideas

Blue Flowers in Jars

Use blue and white flowers, such as hydrangeas, delphinium or forget-me-nots, in jars and small vases. If real blue flowers are expensive or out of season, use white flowers with blue ribbon tied around the jars. One jar on each table, one at the entry and one by the food.

A Bow Theme

A bow is the easiest motif to repeat. Tie blue ribbon bows on chair backs, around napkins, on the cake stand and on favor bags. Ribbon in two shades of blue costs very little and goes a long way.

Something Old, New, Borrowed, Blue Table

Set a table with four small signs: something old (a family photo of the bride’s mother or grandmother), something new, something borrowed and something blue (a bouquet or a small gift). Ask guests to add a card with a wish. It also makes a good photo corner.

A Welcome Sign

A welcome sign with the bride’s name at the entrance sets the tone, and it can be reused at the wedding or in the home. Use a printed one in a frame or on an easel.

Food and Drinks

Keep the food light and pale, with blue only in the details:

• Savory: tea sandwiches, a salad with berries, a cheese board with blueberries and grapes
• Sweet: lemon bars, shortbread cookies with a blue glaze, vanilla cupcakes with blue frosting
• Drinks: a mimosa bar, with sparkling wine and two or three juices, plus an alcohol-free sparkling option. For something blue, add blueberries to the glass or offer blue-tinted lemonade for guests who do not drink

Use the mimosa bar calculator to work out the bottles and the juice, and the budget calculator to see what the food will cost against your total.

Cake

A white cake with blue details is the standard. Three options by cost:

1. A naked cake with blueberries and a blue ribbon. The cheapest and easy to make or order.
2. Cupcakes with blue toppers or frosting, which also take care of serving.
3. A decorated cake with sugar flowers or a painted look, from a bakery. Order about four weeks out.

Favors

Small, useful and tied with a blue ribbon:

• A mini jar of honey or jam
• A tea bag or a small box of tea
• A small candle
• Cookies in a cellophane bag
• A packet of flower seeds
• A mini bottle of sparkling water or juice

Add a tag with a short thank-you. A printed favor tag with the bride’s name and the date is enough.

Activities

Keep to one or two. A “something blue” wish card, where each guest writes a short wish on a blue card, is quiet and keeps the theme. A “Who knows the bride best” quiz takes ten minutes. See bridal shower games that are not lame for more.

A Sample Schedule

For a three hour shower starting at 11 am, one workable plan is: guests arrive from 11:00 and pick up a mimosa or lemonade, a short welcome at 11:20, a light lunch from 11:25, the “something blue” wish cards and the quiz after the food, a toast and the cake at about 12:30, gifts after that, and favors at the door by 2:00. The timeline generator builds the same list from your own start time, length and choices.

Something Blue for the Bride

A shower is a good moment to give the bride her “something blue” for the wedding, if she does not have one. Traditional choices are a blue ribbon sewn into the dress or tied to the bouquet, blue shoes, a blue garter, a blue handkerchief or a small piece of blue jewelry. A handwritten note from each guest tucked into a small box is another. If the hosts are giving a group gift, it can be the something blue. Ask the bride or a sister first, since she may already have one.

Common Mistakes With a Blue Theme

• Too many blues. Pick one dusty blue and one deeper accent. Mixing five blues looks accidental.
• Blue food dye everywhere. Blue food looks unappetizing to many people. Use blueberries, blue flowers and ribbon, and keep the food natural.
• No contrast. All blue and white can look cold. Add cream, a little warm gold or peach, and green leaves.
• Forgetting the venue. A blue theme looks best against a neutral room, so bring cream tablecloths if the room has strong colors.
• Over-decorating. A bow and a flower on each table is enough. The theme explains itself.

Keeping It Simple

The strength of this theme is that it needs very little. One color, one ribbon and a few flowers will do the job, and guests will read it as a theme immediately. If you are short on time or money, drop the extras: skip the decorated cake, skip the favors, and put your effort into the food and the welcome. A calm, well-run shower in one color looks better than a crowded one in five.

Printables for the Theme

Our Something Blue printables carry the palette and the motifs through everything: a welcome sign, the invitation with a recipe-card insert, a phone invite, menu signs, food labels, cupcake toppers, champagne and water bottle labels, favor tags, a mimosa bar sign, advice and wishes cards, table signs, a banner and thank-you cards. Edit them once on a laptop and print. They are optional, and the ideas above work with plain blue ribbon.