Bridal Shower Brunch Decorating Ideas

It can be a challenge to keep the costs of bridal shower decor within reason. However, considering that you may spend a fortune on the bridal shower menu, it is also very important. Unfortunately, cliché cutouts, paper wedding bells, and other cheap, plain decorations can take an otherwise perfect shower and turn it into something that even the most tolerant bride could dislike.

Sure, fresh-cut flowers and a champagne fountain could really brighten up the room, but you don't need to spend big for classy, quality ornamentation. Homemade and from-the-heart adornments can pack a big punch while being easy on the bank account. The bride never has to know that you skimped on spending, because everything is going to look perfect.

Affordable Bridal Shower Decor

A bride has enough to worry about. Her bridal shower should be an awesome experience with tons of friends, delicious food, fun games and activities, and a gorgeous venue.

Even if the shower is in your home, there are countless ways to transform the space on the cheap:

1. Cupcake Liner Poms

You've probably seen tissue paper balls at parties before, but a bridal shower calls for something softer and more refined. How about cupcake liner poms?

They're simple to make and require inexpensive materials. Start by grabbing Styrofoam balls from the craft supply store. For the best effect, snag a few different sizes. You also need straight pins and a few containers of cheap cupcake liners. Instead of getting them from the grocery store, buy them from a bakery supply – this allows you to save on bulk amounts and get a bigger selection of colors. Each pom is one color, so if you want two shades – say, peach and mint green – you'll need a package of about 100 liners for each.

Start by grabbing a cupcake liner. Twist the bottom until the liner makes a cone shape, and then stick the pin through the bottom of the cone. Use the pin to adhere the liner to the Styrofoam ball, and then fluff the liner a little to make it more full while still maintaining a cone shape. Continue the process until the entire ball is covered in liners. You can then hang them with ribbon or fishing line, depending on whether you want the string visible.

2. Bottle Vases

Fresh flowers are gorgeous for a feminine bridal shower, but you can swap flowers out for other materials to save a ton of money. You can also omit the pricey crystal vases in lieu of a more vintage look.

Instead of crystal and flowers, try bottles and twigs. Grab a few glass soda bottles (you can find them new in stores or vintage through garage sales). Then, head out into the wild and gather up different lengths of twigs, making sure they're already on the ground, since you don't want to pull them off of trees.

Next, bring what you've gathered home and ask the bride for some scanned and printed pictures of her and the groom as babies, teens, and together as a couple. Just be sure that the bride doesn't give you original prints. When you're ready to set up, just pop four or five twigs in the bottle. Then, punch a small hole in the pictures and thread them with ribbons, which you can hang onto the twigs. It's a sweet and sentimental way to celebrate.

3. Homemade Cake Plates

Vintage cake plates can cost an arm and a leg even at thrift stores. But you don't have to sacrifice a gorgeous food table because of a low budget. Instead, head to the dollar store and buy an assortment of glass plates and different-sized drinking and wine glasses. When you get home, you can hot glue the bottom of the glass to the bottom of the plate – you've got an instant cake plate. Load them up with cupcakes and other confections, and you can gift them to the bride after the shower.

4. Marriage Quotes

Wise people have given countless insights on love, romance, and marriage. Dress up some of these timeless quotes to use as part of your room decor. Start by searching the Internet for the best quotes about love – I like to search "love quotes" on Pinterest to find a treasure trove of genius remarks. Then, transfer the quotes into a word processing program, where you can dress them up in cool fonts and colors. Finally, print them out at home.

The next time you're at a craft or dollar store, pick up a bunch of cheap frames for $1 or less. You can then decorate the frames so they're more personalized, such as by adding acrylic paint or tying ribbons around the frame.

Finally, trim down your quotes to fit, and place them in the frames. You can then situate them on the foot table, by the gift table, and wherever else you think the bride and the guests need a little dose of romance for the day. You can send guests home with their own frame, or gift them to the bride to decorate her new place.

Final Word

Throwing a bridal shower isn't about spending a ton of money – it's about the bride-to-be spending time with the people she loves. Yes, you could break your budget by grabbing the most chic decor in stores and online, but when you take the time to make homemade decor, it means a lot more. Of course, it also means you won't spend as much money, but the bride doesn't need to know that, does she?

Do you have any other ideas for affordable bridal shower decor?