Bridal showers are fun and often sentimental events. Hosts need creative ideas for what to serve at a bridal shower to ensure everyone has a good time.
If you’ve attended a lot of bridal showers, you’ve probably seen your share of finger sandwiches. When your turn to host a bridal shower comes around, you may need some more creative ideas for what to serve at a bridal shower.
Play With the Time of Day
The scheduled time for the shower can inspire your menu choices. If the shower is before noon, consider brunch items. If it’s scheduled for the afternoon, you could go with a teatime theme. Evening shower menus might be a bit heavier, featuring charcuterie boards and hot foods served in individual portions. Bridal showers involve a lot of mingling and conversation, so it’s less likely you’ll be doing a sit-down meal.
Instead, select finger foods and passed bites that taste great, go down quickly, and allow the conversation to keep flowing. In these times when everyone is super-conscious of passing germs around, plan on plenty of single-serve items rather than bowls on a buffet everyone can dip into.
Smoked Salmon Roll-Ups: These arestrips of fresh-caught smoked salmon that are about one inch wide, spread with cream cheese, and sprinkled with capers and finely chopped red onion. They’re rolled up and secured with a toothpick and arranged on a platter. They eliminate the need for carby-mini bagels. If you’re not passing them, keep the platter on ice for freshness.
Bacon-Wrapped Shrimp: Luxury brunches almost always feature cold shrimp with cocktail sauce and an array of hot breakfast food in chafing dishes. Combine them into a delicious small bite.
Salad Boats: Sturdy Romaine lettuce can hold a dollop of chicken salad; or for a savory salad, arrange a bit of fresh spinach, a strawberry, a candied pecan or walnut, and a pinch of bleu cheese in a flat-bottomed spoon with a drop of raspberry vinaigrette.
Mini-Regional Sandwiches: Give traditional finger sandwiches a twist by serving mini-lobster rolls, Philly cheesesteaks, or New Orleans style po’ boys. Or you can swap the sandwich idea for serving mini-tacos or quesadillas instead.
Individual Dessert Cups: Guest will appreciate desserts served in individual portions, presented creatively in protective containers. You can make individual desserts in mason jars, or order individual small boxes with an assortment of mini-desserts like fruit tarts, cheesecakes, or other petit fours for each guest.
Being responsible for hosting a bridal shower can be stressful: if this kind of entertaining doesn’t come naturally to you, get the food catered. That way you’ll be able to concentrate on decorating the venue and greeting your guests.
