Kitchen Shower

Regardless of how many kitchen gadgets two people have, they always want to start fresh when coming together. Most bridal registries are at least half filled with all the modern gadgets and tried and true staples of a fully appointed kitchen. Since the bridal registry is already filled with kitchen items, why not host a kitchen themed bridal shower? Here are some kitchen shower ideas to get you started:

• Venue: Depending on the size of your guest list, host your kitchen bridal shower at home or at a local restaurant. If the shower is on the smaller side, move extra chairs into the kitchen. After all, at any party guests tend to congregate in the kitchen. Why not make them more comfortable there? If you choose to host the party at a local restaurant, try to find one with an open-themed kitchen where diners can watch chefs and sous-chefs in action.

• Invitations: Once you have picked your kitchen shower invitation from our collection of stylish digital invitations, consider what information needs to be included with the invitation. For example, a great kitchen shower idea is to ask each guest to write out one of their favorite recipes to help the bride get started in the kitchen! If you plan to host the party at home, consider making the party a potluck (using Punchbowl's potluck feature, of course). Then, ask each guest to bring the recipe for the dish they bring to the party.

• Place cards: Create place cards that are also a parting gift for your guests. Buy cookie cutters and use them as napkin rings around kitchen towels in the bride’s wedding colors. Slip pieces of paper with your guest’s names through the cookie cutters.

• Guestbook: Rather than purchase a book that the bride will look at a few times, create something that the bride can use everyday! Buy a plain white chef’s apron and a box of permanent markers. Ask your guests to sign the apron so your bride will have the happy memory of her kitchen bridal shower every time she steps into the kitchen!

• Games: One fun kitchen shower game is “Recipe Mix-Up.” To play, take a multi-step recipe and write out each of the steps on separate slips of paper. Guests or teams compete against each other to be the quickest to put the recipe correctly back in order. Another fun game is “Guess the Ingredient.” This game is best played in two teams. A guest from each team is blindfolded and fed an ingredient, for example, apple or brown rice. They each have to guess what the ingredient is just by taste. After they have guessed, two more guests get their chance to guess the ingredient. The team with the most correct guesses wins!

Contrary to popular belief, all of the gifts at a kitchen-themed shower do not have to be items for the kitchen. Couples register for many items that don't belong in the kitchen, such as linens, luggage, outdoor items, etc. However, be aware that once guests see the kitchen bridal shower theme, they will likely scoop up those items first from the registry. The happy couple will certainly be prepared to cook up some delicious meals with all of their new kitchen items thanks to the kitchen shower!