Bridal Shower: Build a Scrapbook

As a host of a scrapbooking shower, the usually-stress inducing job of coming up with activities or games to play is taken care of. You're going to build a keepsake book; you just need to get everything ready.

• Buy a small scrapbook. A smaller size, like 8 x 8, is easier to fill up than the standard 12 x 12.

• Provide supplies such as glue, paper cutters, paper, stickers and embellishments.

• Gather sample pages to use as inspiration. You’ll find free templates at scrapbooksetc.com.

• Fix a basket to hold leftover supplies—plus some new ones—to give to the bride. She’ll have everything she needs to finish the book once pictures come in.

This is not a fancy shower, so traditional invitations aren't necessary. Use playful scrapbook-themed invites or simple flat cards in colors of the wedding. If you're feeling creative, make your own invitations using scrapbook materials and these ideas:

• Print out the bridal shower details on scrapbook paper trimmed to the size of the invitation and accent with a 3-D sticker at the top.

• On blank cards, attach a small picture of the bride surrounded by paper or ribbon. Use a fill-in-the-blank invitation stamp for the wording.

Be sure to let guests know that they will be creating a scrapbook. You can ask them on the invite to bring wedding-themed supplies such as paper, stickers and three-dimensional embellishments. 

Since everyone will be busy with scrapbooking, keep the menu simple with foods that guests can nibble on when they have a free hand.

To put a scrapbooking twist on plain finger sandwiches, cut them using cookie cutters in wedding-related shapes. Keeping with the bridal shower theme, serve cupcakes with handmade toppers crafted from scrapbook embellishments.

While all the guests are busy creating special pages for her wedding scrapbook, what is the bride going to do?

• She can make the title page for the book using the wedding shower invitation or a photograph with her fiancé as inspiration.

• Give her time to take a photograph with each guest to insert later in the scrapbook.
  

The scrapbook you make doesn't need to be a complicated project full of award-winning layouts. You and your guests can spend a couple of hours creating simple, modern pages that tell the story of important events surrounding the upcoming wedding.