Bridal Shower: Around the Clock Theme

The invitation plays a critical role in an Around the Clock bridal shower. Many of your guests may not have attended one before, and the idea can be confusing if not properly explained. Make sure that invitation clearly explains the concept.

Don't forget to make sure the "time of day" or "occasion" you've assigned a guest is in an obvious place on the invite!

Brides and grooms often host their own wedding websites where they provide guests with information surrounding their big day. If a website is available, consider asking the bride and groom to include the details of your shower on their website. Guests can even RSVP this way making everyone's life easier.

Feeling poetic? Try the classic Around the Clock Poem (below) to explain the theme of your shower.

We're having a party! And won't it be fun

Many cheers and best wishes before we are done

A shower for (name), our esteemed bride-to-be

A reason to revel, we know you'll agree

The times of our life is the theme for this day

To help the new couple get on their way

Breakfast at home, lunch in the park

Playtime and funtime from morning til dark

Filling each second, each minute, each hour

That is our challenge for this bridal shower

We hope you can join us, we hope you'll agree

(address) is the place to be!

Your time of day is __________

Assign a wide variety of times to shower guests to

guarantee a fun range of gifts.

If you're feeling creative, the

"time" ideas are literally endless. Some fun options include:

Breakfast in Bed

Tea Party

Bath Time

BBQ Time

Cocktail Hour

Dessert Time

Bed Time

Sunday Brunch

Holiday

Time

Weekend Getaway

A more basic idea is to assign an hour of the day to different guests. Make

sure to leave two-hour intervals between assigned times. If you assign guests

times for each consecutive hour, you're likely to get confused queries from

people unsure of the difference between a "9 am gift" and a "10

am gift."

Feature foods that correlate with the different times on your invite.

For example:

• Breakfast time: serve mini waffles, small Danishes, little smokies and Mimosas.

• Lunch time: delicious finger sandwiches on mini croissants and rolls with old-fashioned glass lemonade and Coke bottles for beverages.

• Summer time: fresh fruit salad, bite-sized burgers with fries and margaritas.

• Cocktail hour: cover a table with rows of pre-poured signature drinks in martini glasses.

Decorating for an Around the Clock Shower can be a lot of fun. Create pretty centerpieces inspired by the different "times" listed on your invitations.

If you're planning a large shower, assign guests to sit a the table that corresponds with their time. So, there might be a morning table, an afternoon table, an evening table and a late night table.

Stop by a local craft or dollar store and pick up some cheap clocks. Choose different sizes - everything from an alarm clock to a wall clock - and place them throughout the room. You can even use them as table centerpieces.

Remove the batteries and set each clock to the different times on the shower invite. You can use the clocks as table cards. Tell guests to find the table with their time of day and that's how they'll know where to sit.

Not only is an Around the Clock shower fun to give, but it will also ensure that the happy couple receives a wide variety of gifts to get them started on their happy new life together.