Pre Wedding Parties
Written By Colleen McCarthy
You can’t deny the magic of winter. From the amazing holidays to the perfectly chilly weather, some people wait all year long for the first snowflakes winter brings.
If your favorite bride has planned a winter wedding, then the bridal shower will have to be in that season as well. And it’s great because winter brings icy color palettes and gorgeous warmth.
Make sure you grab a hot cup of coffee themed bridal shower on your way out!
Top 15 Winter Bridal Shower Themes
Make the planning process easy by choosing the right winter bridal shower theme to tie all your ideas together and give your favorite bride the best party ever.
Let’s look at some of the best themes you can choose from and how you can customize them to put a smile on the bride-to-be’s face!
Snow in Love
What’s more winter than snow? Craft a winter wonderland with pine boughs, lots of white decor, and even some glitter to emulate the glittering snowfall.
A ‘Snow in Love” bridal shower theme works well for any venue and comes with a cute saying that looks awesome on an invitation. Add splashes of color you’d find in nature during a snowstorm, like burgundy, forest green, or chocolate brown.
Faux snow for table tops
White flowers with pops of pine
A hot cocoa bar
Edible white glitter for drinks
Snow Cones with sophisticated flavors for dessert
Tis the Season to be Married
If your bride is crazy about Christmas, throw her a Christmas-themed bridal shower! This theme is an excellent choice for organizers on a budget, because many already have Christmas decor in storage.
Plus, many homes and venues are already decorated for the holiday, so you’ll just have to add a few bridal touches!Make it bride by adding a banner with the saying “‘Tis the Season to be Married” along with some glittering golden ring decor.
Ask guests to wear red and green. Serve spins on popular Christmas desserts like fruit cake, gingerbread, and figgy pudding. You can even design mocktails, charcuterie boards, and more in these fun flavors!
A decorated Christmas tree
Pine garland with pine cones and berries
Wrapped faux presents
Red & green dress code
Red velvet table runner with gold accents
Winter Enchanted Forest
Whimsical brides will love an enchanted forest theme, especially with a winter twist! Envision a tranquil forest after snowfall and channel that vibe. Create centerpieces with holly berries and pine. Use log slices on your food table to add an earthy element.
You can also incorporate forest animals into the theme. Find small, elegant figures of foxes, deer, and birds to use around the space.
If they don’t already have some snow on them, use a flocking spray to add some! You can also add fairy decor if your bride loves all things fantasy.
Serve hearty, rustic foods like stew and sourdough. Spiced rum or mulled wine makes for great adult beverages as guests pretend to sit in an enchanted forest!
What also helps guests enjoy the mood are:
Tranquil music
Deer, fox, bear, and bird figurines sprayed with faux snow
Lots of pine accents in your centerpieces
Winter fairies dancing along the table
Deep forest green linens with gold charger plates.
Frost and Flannel
One of the best parts of winter is snuggling up in warm flannel PJs as you enjoy a roaring fire (or Netflix!) Run with this idea by choosing a frost and flannel bridal shower theme!
Add some frosty or cozy puns to your bridal shower invitation wording to carry the theme even further. Ask guests to wear some sort of flannel clothing, like a shirt or PJ pants.
Then, treat them to foods, beverages, and games that will ward off the chill and keep them cozy! You’ll need a top-tier hot cocoa bar complete with whipped cream, sprinkles, and chocolate curls.
Choose cups with a flannel pattern. Serve a delicious cheese fondue complete with little bites of bread, meats, and veggies.
This is an affordable way to accommodate lots of dietary restrictions and offer a warm, memorable meal.
This theme could include:
Flannel print accents
Snowflake decor
Plaid hot cocoa cups
A stocked hot cocoa bar with crushed cookies, whipped cream, sprinkles, caramel, and more.
Warm fairy lights along the walls
Golden Garlands
If your bride likes elevated, elegant affairs, channel winter with a white and gold theme. Craft stunning garlands using gold vines dotted with delicate white flowers. Have guests use gold utensils offset by white linens.
Tie your food table into the theme by topping confections with edible gold glitter and pearls. Serve golden beverages like champagne and ginger ale. You can have guests wear thin gold garlands in their hair or around their necks.
Have the bride wear a white and gold flower cluster to set her apart, with a gold and white balloon arch for the bride to pose beneath with her guests.
This winter Bridal shower theme includes:
Gold and white decor
Gold accents on the food table
Gold utensils
White linens and chair covers
White flowers with shimmer gold tips
Frozen Fever
If your bride is a fan of the famous Disney movie, plan her bridal shower around it! The icy blue and silver color palette of Elsa’s dress will transform any space into a winter wonderland. Use quotes from famous songs to channel the mood.
For activities, host a Frozen karaoke contest so guests can belt out the songs. You can also organize a viewing of the movie or a trivia contest with fun prizes.
Theme your food tables with blue and white items. For centerpieces, thrift covered glass vases and fill them with pale blue and white candies.
DIY some treats in the same color palette for an instant-themed treat. Help the bride stand out with a stunning tiara that mimics the one in the movie.
This cold bridal theme includes:
Pale blue, silver, and white color palette
Frozen trivia cards
Mini Olafs on your table
Quotes from the movie on signs (“Some people are worth melting for. “Can I say something crazy? Will you marry me?”0
A Frozen-themed playlist
Fill the Tree
Bridal showers are all about “showering” the bride with gifts. Add a fun winter twist by inviting guests to each bring a wrapped Christmas ornament to help the bride and groom fill their home’s first tree.
Set up a faux tree in your event space. As the bride opens each ornament, she can hang it on the tree for a beautiful display!
Extend the ornament theme to the decor by creating wreaths of traditional globe ornaments and placing them around vases of flowers. Use wooden beads, tinsel, and other traditional decor you’d find on a Christmas tree.
Transform the space with Christmas lights and serve guests punch from ornament-shaped tumblers. Need some entertainment? Have guests make their own Christmas ornaments to take home and hang on their own trees!
This theme could include:
A bare Christmas tree to fill
Ornament themed decor
Create-your-own ornament craft
Wooden bead garland on the tables
Tinsel wall for photos
Mistletoe and Mimosas
Hosting a winter bridal brunch? Center your theme around delicious mimosas and mistletoe! Serve a brunch buffet complete with French toast, quiche, and, of course, mimosas!
You can add your own mistletoe to the beverages by adding cranberries and a sprig of rosemary!
Stick with a green color palette with pops of pale red to mimic the colors of a mistletoe. Hang bunches in each doorway and craft a cute sign with the saying to hang on the wall.
To enhance your bridal shower theme, you could include:
A fully stocked mimosa bar
Shades of green with pops of red and white
A French toast bar with all the fixings
Mistletoe in every doorway
New Year, New Name
Christmas isn’t the only winter holiday! New Year's Eve is all about partying, so if your bride loves the nightlife, give her a New Year's-themed shower! Serve finger foods on trays and lots of champagne! Have guests dress to the nines in their most glamorous outfits.
Incorporate cute sayings like “New Year, New Name” or “RING in a New Era.” Hang balloons with the year of their wedding and hand out customized bottles of bubbly as party favors. You can also use clocks as decor since this holiday is all about counting down!
Here are some additional items to include:
Glamorous dress code
Finger foods and bite-sized desserts
Clock decor
Invitations that say “New Year, New Name”
Bottles of champagne with custom labels.
Winter Rose
Flowers aren’t just for spring! The lantern or Christmas rose blooms in the winter with rich jewel-toned petals and deep green leaves. So if the bride loves plants or flowers, this theme will give her a taste of that during the cold winter months.
Create centerpieces with lantern roses and lots of greenery. Have the bride wear flowers in her hair to help her stand out. Run with the rose theme by infusing the flavor and scent into various components of the party.
You can serve rose petal tea or rose cakes. As party favors, give each guest a small bouquet of this stunning flower!
Include some items to enhance your winter rose theme:
Bunches of lantern roses
Rose petal tea
Petals on the tables
Rose-scented napkins
Individual bouquet of winter roses
Snowed In
Get cozy by hosting a bridal shower pajama party! Invite guests to wear their comfiest PJs and get ready for some cozy fun. Serve family-style comfort food like mac and cheese, pulled pork, and roasted veggies.
Desserts can be just as cozy. Serve warm pie with ice cream or cobblers right from the oven.This is a great theme if you’re hosting from someone's home because everyone can relax on the couch or on pillows on the floor.
For activities, go low-key. Make friendship bracelets, watch movies, or play board games. If the home has a fireplace, fire it up for a comforting glow.
More ideas for a snowed-in bridal theme could include:
Comfy, flexing seating
Warm desserts like pie and cobbler
A comfy casual dress code
Nostalgic crafts like weaving pot holders and friendship bracelets
Family style comfort food bar
Bridal Shower Before Christmas
This theme is a twist on the popular Nightmare Before Christmas Theme and is perfect for a bride who loves all things spooky. It blends elements of Christmas with dark, gothic colors and scary imagery to bring Halloween into the season of joy.
Use imagery from the movie of Jack and Sally in front of the moon to bring in the romance. You can print out the silhouette and make a stencil that will glow when placed in a lantern with an LED light.
Stick with black, gray, white, purple, and gold colors to keep it spooky. Hang a sign with a cute phrase like “Til Death Do Us Part.” To make it Christmas, use faux snow, ornaments, and glowing lanterns.
Use table signs to name your dishes after characters from the movie or take inspiration from Sally’s potions. In fact, you can send home tiny bottles of candy, bath salts, or lotion with those same labels.
Apres Ski Lodge Retreat
Got a bride who loves all things vintage? Channel the vibe of an elegant French ski lodge. Borrow decorative lanterns, skis, and moose plaid throws. Have guests dress like they are ready to go out on the slopes, but offer them a fun lodge experience!
Host in front of a roaring fire with all the food and beverages Apres ski lodges are famous for, like truffle mac and cheese, alpine fries, poutine, and French onion soup.
Entertain guests with board games and traditional bridal shower games, like bridal bingo. Top your cake with a min set of skis! Don’t forget a glass of bubbly to sip by the fire!
Make this ski bridal theme even more special with these items":
Ski lodge decor (skis, lanterns, wood accents, moose plaid)
Board games
A cozy fire
Faux snow and fairy lights
French-inspired foods
Written in the Stars
One perk of winter is the crystal clear skies that allow you to gaze upon the stars. So, contrast the rich colors and lights of a starry night with the stark white of a blanket of snow.
Place fairy lights in large glass vessels and turn down the overhead lights to give the space a warm glow. Hang gold stars from the ceiling and sprinkle star confetti on the tables. Use plush white tablecloths to mimic a fresh coat of snow.
Create galaxy mocktails using Concord grape juice, seltzer, and edible glitter. Serve star-shaped sandwiches and fruits cut into moons and suns. If the bride is into astrology, have an astrologer or tarot reader on hand to give guests a glimpse of their future.
Present the bride with a (real) star named after her and her groom. This is an affordable surprise and a grand gesture she will never forget!
Stars are wonderful, and so are these items to help make your star bridal theme even brighter:
Star shaped decor
Fairy lights in glass for a romantic glow
Galaxy themed mocktails
Star shaped foods
Plush white fabric to mimic snow
Ice to Marry You
You can’t have snow without ice! If you’re hosting a bridal shower for a minimalist bride, she will love an ice-themed bridal shower.
Create bare tree forms using craft wire and wrap them with fairy lights to mimic ice-encrusted trees in a forest. Hang snowflakes from the ceiling and decorate tables with crystals that look like chunks of ice.
Use the phrase “Ice to Marry You” on invitations and signs to convey the theme. Serve food on crystal clear plates and icy blue napkins. Offer a variety of ice-themed foods. Use edible embellishments to make everything look like it’s frosted with ice.
Really want to make your party memorable? Offer designer ice cubes for beverages. Simply take items like edible flowers, fruits, and herbs and freeze them into ice cubes! Hit the dollar store for fun-shaped molds to take it to the next level.
Break the ice with these items to help make your winter bridal shower a hit:
Bare tree decor covered with lights
Icy plates and table settings
Designer ice cube ingredients and fun molds
Clear plates and utensils
Glass vase fillers to mimic ice
Making the Most of Your Winter Bridal Shower
Winter is such an underrated season. It brings so much beauty and opportunity for cozy gatherings. Before you start planning, ask the bride what her expectations are for her bridal shower.
Planning a surprise shower? Connect with her groom-to-be or snoop on social media to get an idea of what she likes and what theme would put a smile on her face.
Always do what feels right. Each choice you make should put the bride at the center of attention and show her how much her friends and family care for her.
Once you lock in on a theme, have fun researching, planning, and hosting the best bridal shower ever!
bridal shower themesbridal showerplan a bridal shower
Colleen McCarthy
