Tips for the Maid of Honor: Luau Bridal Shower

Happy Friday, dolls! Today we say "Aloha" to you as we revisit our "Tips for the Maid of Honor" segment and provide you with some helpful inspiration. If you're hosting a bridal shower over the summer, a fun and easy option is to throw a luau! Theme based showers are a great way to get some color and energy at your soiree, and it's easy to find luau decorations at any party store this time of year. You can make it as over-the-top as you want, and your guests are sure to have fun and really hang loose.

1. Location: Once you have a theme, the next big decision is where to host your shower. We love the idea of throwing a luau because you have so many options in terms of location. You can throw it at a house, in a backyard, at the beach, or at a restaurant. Where you have it is really based on your budget, and you can easily transform any space into a Hawaiian getaway with some skillful decorating.

2. Invitations: Your invitations can be as formal or informal as you want. This really depends on your bride's style, your personal tastes, your guest list, and the overall tone you are looking to set. It's easy to find informal stationary at party stores, but for a more sophisticated look we suggest taking it to the web to find simple, invitations with maybe one or two bright tropical colors, modern graphics, and crisp, clean lines.

3. Decorations: You have so many options for decorating for a luau. Just walk into any party store, and you'll be bombarded with giant inflatable palm trees, grass skirts and table cloths, coconut center pieces, tiki torches, and everything in between. And, even if you don't have a huge budget to work with, you can make the biggest impact with colors. Luaus are all about bold and bright colors, so have fun with it!

4. Flowers: Flowers are important for any shower and are the perfect, natural decoration. While we don't expect you to get hibiscus flowers ($$$), try to opt for some "tropical" flowers. Our suggestion is to try to find beautiful and brightly colored lilies. Now, these aren't always readily available, so talk to your florist to see what you can arrange. Or take a trip to Ikea and get their fun and inexpensive little bamboo plants! Flowers and plants not only make a great table decorations, they can also pull double duty and serve as a party favor!

5. Food: You have a lot of great options when it comes to luau food as well. Not all of us are into roasting pigs over a fire (gross!), but you can definitely barbecue your meat of choice, have fruit salads, pasta salads, and of course some cute drinks with tiny umbrellas! Basically anything with pineapple, coconut, or mango is a safe bet, but here are some recipe suggestions to get your started:

6. Party favors: Party favors at bridal showers tend to be pretty standard: candles, flowers, candies, scented soaps, basically anything small and cute. To incorporate it with your luau theme, just get things in consistent flavors, scents, and colors: coconut candles, hot pink candy boxes, etc.

7. Attire: If your guests are party people, then you can really get them involved by having a strict dress code: Hawaiian shirts, coconut bras, and grass skirts only! Of course this isn't ideal for most of your guests (just imagine your boss or great grandmother in a coconut bra! yikes!), but most guests will come dressed for the occasion in pretty summery dresses and skirts. Plus, you can make a big impact on a little budget by channeling the island vibes and greeting your guests with colorful leis and flowers for their hair.