How to Plan a Bridal Shower Wishing Well
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If you want to make the bride feel extra special, you can plan a bridal shower wishing well. Adding a wishing well to her day will make sure that receives lots of fun and practical gifts for her home. Or for a non monetary theme, you can even set up a wishing well for literal wishes, advice or recipes.
What is a Wishing Well at a Bridal Shower?
A wishing well at a bridal shower is usually a small wooden or cardboard well that’s set up as a spot for an extra, small gift. The wishing well usually has a theme, like kitchen gadgets or cleaning supplies.
Sometimes, instead of a well, there will be a wheelbarrow, a laundry basket or other cute box that matches the theme of the shower.
Most guests will bring a traditional shower gift, plus a small gift for the wishing well. Typically, a bridal shower wishing well is not for money, it’s only for small gifts or advice cards.
Etiquette For a Bridal Shower Wishing Well
Traditionally, a wishing well at a wedding is for monetary gifts. A wishing well at a bridal shower should not ask for money or gift cards. The wishing well should be for inexpensive gifts that fit a theme. It’s also optional for guests to participate in the wishing well.
Bridal shower wishing wells are traditional in some areas, but not in others. If you’ve seen them at other showers you’ve attended, it’s a great idea to plan one. If you’re not sure, check with your parents, your bridal party or some of the guests. Before you plan one, make sure it’s common in your area to avoid a bridal shower faux pas!
How to Plan a Bridal Shower Wishing Well
Decide on a theme.
Choose and decorate your wishing well.
Include the wishing well on your bridal shower invitations.
Set up the wishing well on the day of the shower.
1. Ideas For a Bridal Shower Wishing Well Theme
Adding a theme will make sure the bride gets gifts that she actually needs. For example, if the couple is just starting out together, a kitchen gadget wishing will could be really useful.
If they’ve already got their kitchen set up, they might like to receive cookbooks, spices or bar tools instead. If they’ve just bought a house, you could even do small tools or garden tools. Think about the couple and what would be the most useful gifts for them to receive.
Kitchen Gadgets
Kitchen gadgets is a popular theme - and for a good reason! There are so many cute and fun gadget to give as a gift. Your guests will be able to find things in every price range. And you can never have too many spatulas!
Gifts could include:
Oven mitts
Measuring cups or spoons
Kitchen towels
Spatulas and flippers
Egg timers
Cookbooks
Cookbooks are a wonderful addition to any kitchen. If the couple is just starting out, they could use some basic cookbooks. Or guests can choose interesting cookbooks that suit their personality. If the couple are foodies or vegetarians, you could even add that to the theme.
Gifts could include:
Basic cookbooks
Vegetarian cooking
Gourmet food
Baking cookbooks
Fill the Spice Rack
Something that most people forget to buy, but love to have in their kitchen is spices. Giving your wishing well a spice theme will help the couple have a fully stocked kitchen as soon as they start out. Guest can even choose interesting and exotic spices to make sure the couple has lots of varieties.
Gifts could include:
Spices
Spice bottles
Spice sets
Labels
Stock the Bar
Stock the bar is a fun theme - especially for a coed or couples shower. If the couple enjoy having guests and parties a stock the bar theme could be the perfect choice. Guests can buy actual alcohol to help stock the bar. They can also choose gifts like bar tools, glasses or mix sets.
Gifts could include:
Bottles of liquor or mixers
Shot glasses
Bar tools
Bar towels
Gardening
If the couple is moving into a house together, they might need some things to spruce up their backyard. Choosing a garden theme can help them get everything they need. Guest could find gifts like flower bulbs, seeds or garden decor.
Gifts could include:
Seed packets
Flower bulbs
Yard decorations
Outdoor lights
Cleaning Products
Cleaning products is a popular theme for wishing wells - especially for a practical couple. Using a cleaning product theme can help the couple get everything they need for their utility closet. Guest can choose soaps, cleansers or small cleaning tools.
Gifts could include:
Sprays and cleansers
Cleaning cloths
Scrub brushes
Gloves
Plan the Honeymoon
If the couple already have everything they need for their house, a good theme might be related to their honeymoon. There’s lots of cute and fun travel gifts. Or you could use their honeymoon destination as the theme. For example, if they’re planning a resort honeymoon, guests can bring sunscreen, towels or beach toys.
Gifts could include:
Sunscreen
Beach balls
Pool floats
Flip flops
Travel pillow
Advice Cards or Recipe Cards
If you don’t want your guests to spend money on an extra gift, you can ask for advice cards or recipe cards instead. Include the blank cards with the bridal shower invitations for the guest to fill out ahead of time. They can bring them to the shower and add them to the wishing well on the day of the party.
Ideas For Cards:
Family recipes
Wedding advice
Marriage advice
Date night ideas
Ad libs for the bride and groom
2. Decorate Your Wishing Well
When you’re choosing the well, think about your theme and the gifts that guests will probably bring. If they’re going to be just cards, a small well, basket or mailbox could be the perfect size.
If the guest will be bringing gadgets or tools, you’ll need to find a bigger wishing well. If you check your local garden stores you can find a real, wooden wishing well to use for gifts. Or you could choose a large wicker basket or laundry hamper.
Once you’ve chosen your well, you can decorate it with flower garlands, greenery, wrapping paper, ribbons and bows.
3. Include the Wishing Well on Your Bridal Shower Invitations
Depending on your invitations, there might be space to add the wishing well information at the bottom. If not you can add a separate card.
You can write out the information in plain old sentences or you can write a cute rhyme. Either way is fine, as long as all the info is there. Include the theme plus any special instructions. Some hosts also like to mention that the wishing well gift is optional.
Traditions vary, depending on where you live. Some guests might wrap the gift and put a tag on it. Others might not. If you’d like the wishing well a certain way, you can include it on your invitations.
Bridal Shower Wishing Well Poem For Invitations
If you’d like a cute poem you find ready made templates to download and print. The easiest way is to choose an invitation set with a matching insert card. If you’re making your own invites, you can write your own poem, or choose one off the internet.
Sample Poems for a Wishing Well Invite
Mitts and towels and gadget galore,
You could always use just one more!
If you could bring one of these,
The bride to be, you’ll surely please.
Wrap it in paper, but your name don’t tell,
And she’ll love to find it in her wishing well.
At the shower we’ll have a wishing well
For our very special bride.
A small kitchen gadget
Is what you could drop inside.
We have a request that’s not too hard:
Please write a recipe on this card.
So the bride can try your favorite cake,
Or whatever it is you like to make!
Once you’re done, it would be swell
If you could add it to her wishing well.
4. Set Up the Wishing Well
On the day of the shower, set the wishing well near the gift table and let the guests fill it up. Most showers include opening the main gifts, but not the wishing well gifts. The bride will open these small gifts later.
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