Tea Party Etiquette Article
Planning Food for the Bridal Shower Doesn’t Have to Be Difficult
When you have been delegated the task of planning a bridal shower, you should know that one of the hardest parts will be coming up with the food that you are going to serve to the guests. You want to make certain you make the bride happy, of course, that you stick to your budget, and that you don’t serve any potentially hazardous foods, such as foods that might cause allergic reactions, or foods that might not be safe for pregnant guests. While all of these issues can be hard to work around, it can be a lot of fun as well.
If you decide to do a bridal brunch, typically help on a weekend morning, this may be the easiest menu for you to plan. If you are going for a formal feel, you probably won’t want to go this route, unless the bride gives her okay. You can get by with serving breakfast breads, such as muffins and bagels, along with plenty of fresh fruits, such as apples, pears, bananas, etc. Quiche is also a popular dish for this type of shower as well. It would be a good idea to have a variety of drinks available, milk, juice, coffee, tea, and maybe even some sodas. You could even toss in a couple of alcoholic drinks as well, such as champagne, or even a Bloody Mary or two to spice things up. Any fruit filled desert will also work well here.
Evening bridal showers are also common, and typically, a meal is served at these functions. Try to keep the work and prep time down, so that you don’t have to spend all day in the kitchen. The best thing to do is use foods that can be prepared in advance, and then just heated up when the time comes. Casseroles are easy to make, and great all the time, even when reheated in this fashion. Choose easy sides as well, such as salads, or other veggie dishes. If you do salads, you can easily prepare them ahead of time. You don’t want to miss the shower because you are busy preparing food, so try to come up with easy foods that will still be a big hit.
If you would rather not go with the traditional casserole, you can do some type of grilled or broiled meat dish, such as salmon or chicken. With these dishes, you basically toss them together, and then just check them periodically, which will still give you plenty of time to spend with your guests.
It is a good idea to provide alternative foods as well, as you never know when a guest may be a vegetarian, or unable to eat certain foods for health reasons. There are many vegetarian recipes that you can easily toss together, to have along with your main dish.
The most common desert to serve at these functions is cake, but you have the power as the hostess to serve whatever you wish. Some people even do several different deserts and set them out buffet style, so that guests may serve themselves as they wish. Chocolate and fruit are always great!
You really don’t have to stick with the traditional when creating your bridal shower menu; you can think out of the box and do something truly unique, if you wish to do so!
