Bridal showers, or more commonly referred to as Kitchen Parties in Zambia, are a rite of passage for brides as they begin their marital journey. The function is held to help a bride “build her kitchen” by showering her with household presents. Initially, this was mainly kitchen utensils and appliances such as stoves, fridges, pots, plates etc. but with time, this has evolved to include other household items.
For our featured function, the bride chose an orange and white colour scheme for her outdoor function. Although it had rained heavily the previous day, the heavens smiled upon her on her big day and 1st April 2023 turned out to be a bright and sunny day.
Front Décor…
The face of any bridal shower is where the bride sits. Decorating this area has evolved over time. Gone is the bridal hut where the bride would sit on a mattress throughout the function. This area has been replaced with straight and fancy backdrops and bridal chairs. The mattress remains a requirement traditionally but brides sometimes opt out of this. Our bride opted to not have a mattress as hers was not a full blown bridal shower but what she termed a Bridal send-off which is a smaller version of a bridal shower.
We accessorized the look with flowers, bright orange pillows and a fluffy carpet.
Guests sitting area…
The bride wanted a clean look. And for that, our white tiffany chairs and round tables delivered perfectly.
Tablescape design…
Orange can be such a bright and over powering colour if used in excess. For this reason, we paired white table linen with orange table runners and orange napkins. Other touches of orange were in the flowers. Gold rimmed underplates and a few gold accessories in the centre pieces and napkin rings completed the look perfectly.
And the red carpet completed the look…
Photobooth….
The look was completed with sequine photobooth for the bride and her squad to immortalize the day with selfies and group photos.
Planning tips for brides…
- If you are a fan of bright colours like orange and red, try to minimize the colours in your décor. Too much of such bright colours can be over powering and kill the décor.
- Photobooths are all the rage this season. Be sure to discuss with your wedding decorator what you want here including the message. Photobooths should be at least 2m wide to allow a number of people to stand in front.
- Do include some kitchen party favours as a token of appreciation for your guests and committee for supporting you on your big day.
- Some things may be out of your control but do try as much as possible to start the function early so as to give room for all the activities.
- Do hire a professional caterer. Some friends and relatives may offer to help but often times fail to accurately determine the amount of food needed to feed a certain number of people. Its always such a shame when servers start rationing the food to ensure that it everyone eats.
- Don’t forget to make sure that your soon to be mother in law also has the same fancy clothes as your mother. Sometimes this special lady is overlooked and the difference in the attires on the material day with the bride’s mother is startling.
Feel free to add more tips for brides as they are planning their bridal showers in the comments section.
