Sweet and Sour Showers' bargain shower hosting tips!

Good day bargainistas!  Today I am sashaying around Dallas helping Courtney with her make-up and dress for her bridal portraits.  I can't believe her wedding is 2 months away, eeeep!  Since I knew I'd be detained, I lined up a very special treat for you: a guest post from my talented fellow Texas ladies at Sweet & Sour Showers.  They wrote an awesome post about bargain shower hosting tips, so I'm just going to let them take it away ...

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Hey everyone!  We are Jac and Leah from Sweet & Sour Showers, and we are thrilled to be guest posting on the Bargain Blonde today!

We live in Austin, but we sort of feel like we know Lindsey in real life because two of her besties are our friends from college - shout out to Liz and Stefanie!  

So about us - we have been friends since high school (although you won't see any 9th grade pics any time soon) and recently took the plunge into the blog world.  Since we're at the age where tons of our friends are getting married and having babies, we have had LOTS of practice planning showers.  What we noticed through all this practice, though, is that while there are tons of wedding and totally over-the-top party-planning sites, there isn't a good resource to help girls our age throw a really special shower for our BFFs.

You know what else we noticed?  Sometimes planning showers sucks - especially the part about how being a bridesmaid can run you into debt.  So, we thought it would be kind of fun to blog about that, too. 

To help cope with the rising cost of life as a bridesmaid, here are our favorite money saving tips:

Don't be a shower martyr.  We can totally relate to all the control freaks out there, but taking on the entire shower by yourself can be time-consuming and expensive.  You should check with other bridesmaids or even family members to see if they’d be interested in sharing hostess duties.  

Lose the boys.   Couples showers are becoming the new norm, but you know what’s the quickest way to double your guest list?  INVITING THE MEN.  Encourage your bride to keep the party intimate (a nicer way of saying "cheap").

Hold the shower at home.  Paying for everyone’s food and drinks at a restaurant can add up fast.  Even if you REALLY don’t like to cook, catering food at home will surely save some cash.   

Engagement Brunch

Time it right.  Don’t throw your party at 6pm when people are expecting a full meal.  Try scheduling your shower for mid-afternoon (around 2pm), or after dinner (around 8pm).  This allows you to just provide snacks, appetizers, or maybe even try your hand at a desserts-only shower – we can certainly help you there!

Monogram Themed Shower

DIY décor.  We love to craft and try our hand at homemade party decor, especially on the cheap.  One of our favorites has been these paper rosettes - check out our tutorial here. Don't try to stock an open bar.  Drinks are one of our favorite parts of any shower, but as soon as you enter mixed-drink territory, the bills can add up.  Sticking to beer and wine is perfectly acceptable, and you can also find some fun recipes online that involve doctoring up these staples.   Our go-to drink has always been summer beer, a fun out-of-the-norm drink with simple ingredients and HIGH potency.  Check out the recipe here. 

Paper Rosettes

Create a shrine to the guest of honor.  This one is so simple we literally do it EVERY time.  Replace the photos in your home with pics of the guest(s) of honor.  Print out some of the couple’s engagement photos or silly pictures, and use the frames you already have at home. 

Tapas and Sangria Shower

Don't underestimate the power of a little competition.  We are big fans of shower games because they are basically free entertainment.  With a little planning and some cheap household items you may already have, you can easily try your hand at some of our favorite shower games and bachelorette party games.

Minute to Win It Couples Shower

To see more pics and read about our parties, visit our shower themes page.  

Did we mention we also love to bake?   We thought that blogging about all our showers would be a great way to feature our baked treats, many of which we have customized specifically for wedding-related events.  

Here is a look at some of our favorites:

You can check out more of our baked treats here, and feel free to contact us for a quote if you are in the Austin area.

So there you have it!  Thanks again to Lindsey for letting us guest post.  (Our husbands may or may not think you are the "biggest blogger in the world" - true story.)  

To all of Lindsey's loyal followers - we hope you'll come check out our blog, like us on Facebook, or follow us on Twitter.  Be sure to say hi! (This is Lindsey: y'all better get on it!)


Happy Planning (on a budget),

Sweet and Sour Showers