Welcome a New Chapter with a Book-Themed Bridal Shower
A book wall with floral decorations Via BarBaris
We are unconditionally and irrevocably in love with book-themed bridal showers and Edward Cullen. Whether you are the bride or planning a shower for a bride who is a true literary lover, hosting a classic shower with the greatest love stories ever told will be an instant classic.
Your wedding events should be designed around your interests, and for every book girlie, there are stories that inspire those dreams of true love. Having a book-themed bridal shower is the perfect way to celebrate those stories and share them with your friends and family.
Choosing a Theme
“Through love, all is possible.” Through a gorgeous, bookish bridal shower, romance is possible. The first step in your shower is to decide what exactly your theme is.
Theming a book bridal shower is the most challenging choice because there are so many to choose from. You should choose a theme that your bride will connect with the most. Does she binge Pride & Prejudice and Bridgerton?
Then she needs inspiration from a Bridgerton bridal shower and other vintage love stories like Wuthering Heights, Jane Eyre, and anything by Jane Austin with a regency dress code and gorgeous china.
Is she a romance booktok girlie? She needs a bridal shower draped in rich velvet fabrics dark colors with vibrant pink or deep red accents. Light some candles and get ready for a steamy book selection because we can’t wait to see the favors from that shower.
There’s also the option of a general book theme or a fairytale Happily Ever After theme. Narrowing down precisely the theme of the bride’s love of books will ensure she is the main character of this shower.
Bookish Themes to make any romance reader swoon:
-Classic Love Stories
-High tea (Alice in Wonderland)
-Regency Love Stories
-Spicy Booktok
-A Court of Thorns and Roses
-Outlander or Scottish Love Stories
-Happily Ever After Loves
Setting the Scene with Your Invitations
Book-themed invitations Via KoolCatDesigns on Etsy
Crafting a unique book-themed bridal shower invite has everything to do with the cover. Although we don’t want to judge books by their covers, invitations are the first impression for your guests.
They can be a statement of your bride and the theme, setting everyone up for a gorgeous story of love that you want to shower on the bride. Invites, of course, need to be informational with all the details and sent within the appropriate amount of time for everyone to be able to attend, but they don’t need to break the bank.
Custom invitations on single pieces of paper are trendy because they’re affordable and accessible. Implementing more DIY aspects to your invitations can reduce costs and elevate them from the single paper invite.
Using thrifted books or even pages from a novel specific to the theme, you can print white paper with your event information to attach to it and continue to embellish it with punchouts of the novel. You can even punch out specific quotes that draw the eye and give it such a sweet, personal touch.
Sending out bookmarks provides a keepsake and allows them to really “Bookmark the Date” of your bridal shower. You can order library cards, print the information there, and even use the cards as decor, thank you notes, or bridal shower games.
If you have the time and the tenacity, you can make mini books for invitations. Using thrifted book bindings, you can repurpose the inside for a stunning invite. Creating small pockets to hold information on library cards, pop-out elements in the center, and loose DIY book confetti, the invitation becomes an experience.
Decorations to Transport Your Guests
Grab some scissors, paper punches, and friends; it’s time to get our craft on. Using pages from your favorite stories and old books is how we start the chapter on decorating for your bridal shower.
Go to your local thrift stores and thrift as many gorgeous books as possible; bonus points if they come with beautiful covers or are love stories. We are looking for books that have a slightly old look to them, are love stories, and have nice bindings so that although we’re going to dismantle them, we will use as much of the book as we can.
Hit up your local craft store and buy the most prominent heart-shaped paper punch you can find, then buy it in a few different sizes. You’ll also need mini clothespins, ribbon in your accent colors, and a fishing line to start.
Using your paper punch, you can create garlands of book page hearts to stream from ceilings and chandeliers, confetti on the tables, and even table numbers or signage around your event.
Using large pages, you can wrap them around vases with a ribbon or print out menus to be attached to large pages.
For anything that is on tables or at eye level, we recommend using particular love stories as they can be read. You don't want a page out of War & Peace on your centerpieces; we want to save that space for Christian Grey.
The most difficult of the DIYs are the paper roses, thorny at first but quickly mastered. Don’t let them intimidate you. When using these as decor, you really want them to stand out, so only pair them with baby’s breath and greenery so that the blooms shine.
There are boundless opportunities for bookish decor, and if you are doing specific stories, make sure that you are familiar with them so that you know what quotes to use and little elements and details to really bring them to life.
Other Book Decorations for Your Bridal Shower
Vases wrapped in pages
Book confetti
Book page table runners
Book Table Art
Flowers in alternative vases like cauldrons
Book-themed banners
Activities and Games for Book Lovers
Activities for a book-themed bridal shower can get pretty wordy, pun intended. Our favorites are Wed Libs, which is a wedding version of MadLibs, and matching romance main character lovers.
Listing out your favorite love story main characters, you match them to their true love! Seeing how many of the guests have shared love stories with the bride. There are so many to choose from that will undoubtedly build any guest’s “to be read”, such as:
Book Swap: bring a favorite book wrapped in paper to swap like white elephant
Messages for the bride on library cards
Matching Love quotes from the bride’s favorite love stories
Book club: reviewing any recent reads as a group to grow your “to be read"
Favors to Remember
We also love favors that double as activities during the shower. Anything that gets guests mingling and they can design their favors is a win in our book!
Creating bookmarks or scenting their own book candles will always be a hit. You can decorate tea cups for a vintage love story theme or mix custom tea blends. If you are going for a spicy booktok or ACOTAR bridal shower, you could have a henna artist join the fun or make candles of citrus and jasmine in cauldrons.
Some of the best bookish favors come without the effort of winning it from the weaver (IYKYK). Mini books of the shower’s theme are the perfect touch to bringing the story to your guests. Bookmarks that are custom-made are sure to hold the pages of their romance novels forever.
Book scented candles can also be purchased to give to guests, and they’re already pre-made. Whether you design or buy your favors, it's always lovely when guests leave with a proper thank you.
Food and Drinks for a Literary Feast
Food at bridal showers is all dependent on the theme. Theme limits colors, flavor profiles, and even time of day, which also edits the menu. Bridal brunch and high teas are filled with pastels, bright floral arrangements, warm tea, and beautifully decorated petit fours.
Dark romance balls have sparkling cocktails, candles, and warm canapes. Bowls of apples for our Twilight brides will never surprise us, but we want things that can be on a budget and romantically transport us to our romance novels.
Ways to elevate your bridal shower food tables:
-Use edible glitter in your drinks
-Custom macarons
-Special cutlery and dishes
-Vintage tea cups
-Rotating food displays
Book-Themed Bridal Shower Inspiration Gallery
Mini desserts and pastries via Bakingdom
Pride and Prejudice silverware Via The Daily Meal on Pinterest
Outdoor book and tea party setting Via hwtm.com
Book table decorations and centerpieces Via Quirk Books
Book centerpiece art Via Braak on Pinterest
Book display decor Via Shakirova Julia
Conclusion
Loving your shower thorns and all is an integral part of the process. Don’t get caught up in all the many themes; don’t try to do everything. Pick one and stick to it because the bride will love it just because you cared to put in the effort.
Hosting a bridal shower is not for the faint of heart, but a beautiful bridal shower that your friends lovingly put together for you is the dream that is answered.