When it comes to bridal shower ideas, there can be so many; it's hard to know which one to pick. One thing's for sure, though, you'll want to choose a bridal shower theme that you can implement without causing yourself and your fellow planners hair-pulling and wringing of hands. That would be enough to send you running off to join the bride and groom in their pre wedding counseling!

A case in point were two women I met at the craft store the other day. They were planning a bridal shower for their friend, and it was coming up soon. Their friend wanted a laydbug theme. Seems innocent enough, right? Well, according to those women, they had been all over town looking for ladybug favors and bridal shower supplies and found them in short supply. With less than a week to go, one of them was so exasperated, she said,

"Why couldn't she just like butterflies? You can find those anywhere."

They ended up buying 14 juvenile-looking calendars with laydybugs on them. From the looks on their faces, I could tell those weren't exactly the favors they had in mind for their friend's special day.

So, rule number one: Do a little research before you settle on a theme. You just might save yourself some heartache and time. A quick Google search for the theme will tell you how available items for it will be.

Or, if you aren't too worried about narrowly defining your bridal shower theme, how about using some of the following ideas and creating a vintage shower?

A bridal shower with an old-time feel would be perfect for someone who collects antiques or just has an appreciation for days gone by. It's also a classy theme for the bride who says, "I don't know what I want!"

Bridal Shower Favors

You can give sachets, scented candles or soaps, dried flower arrangements or lovely antique-looking frames with the bride-to-be's photo in them. You might also want to check out the latest vintage-inspired (as well as modern) goodies at this great site that has an unbelievably large selection of bridal shower favors.

Table Settings

Instead of paper plates, why not go to Goodwill, or a Salvation Army or other thrift store and buy vintage plates, cups and saucers? They don't even have to match! If you can find cloth napkins and a lace tablecloth to go with them, even better. While you're there, see if you can find any other vintage items that will complete the theme.

Decorations and invitations

Use vintage images to create the invitations and decorations. Old-fashioned photos or artwork can be printed on heavy card stock, cut out and glued into centerpiece(s), as well as be printed on table placecards and napkin holders. Your local craft store probably has generic placecards and napkin holders, so just find a complementary color and glue the images onto them. The photos or art also can be incorporated into the wrapping and/or cards for the favors.

If you don't already have vintage photos from the bride's family, try using one or more of the images below.Or, if you decide to go modern instead, one or more of these bridal shower clip art images might work.

Click the thumbnails to see larger sizes, and then right-click to download. (PC users only.)

Don't worry if an image looks blurry at the enlarged size. That just means you can't use that particular image that large. It will look fine at a smaller size.

WEDDING AND BRIDAL SHOWER SHOPPING GUIDE