Breakfast at Tiffany's Themed Bridal Shower on a Budget

When my sister’s wedding approached, I knew that a Breakfast at Tiffany’s themed bridal shower was the perfect way to celebrate sending her off into marriage. Its fun, sophisticated style speaks across generations and I knew that I’d feel confidant throwing this type of party for guests ranging in ages 25 – 65. If you’re looking to throw a stellar Breakfast at Tiffany’s themed bridal shower this year, here are some party planning ideas to help make your event exciting and memorable while remaining under budget.

Before I began making any purchases, I had to put together a formal party budget. In doing so, I was able to stay under the threshold and enjoy the party planning process without the panicky feeling of overspending due to unaccounted for costs or overindulgence.

My youngest sister, Jessica, and I decided on a $600 budget for 27 guests including the bride and hostesses. With 6 months to plan this event, myself, Jessica, and our mother, Patricia, were able to save $200 each toward the cost of the party.

I used an Excel spreadsheet to organize every single party detail. From cost to seating charts, this spreadsheet had everything I needed to pull off this affair. It was so unbelievably helpful, that I highly recommend using it for your own event. Download your copy of this Excel spreadsheet here.

Here's an example of our food and beverage cost.

My food and beverage budget ate up over half of the total party budget. When I first started planning, I was excited to buy all kinds of pretty Breakfast at Tiffany’s party favors and decorations, but after breaking down the dollars and cents, I had to re-think my whole vision for the party. After more consideration, I realized that if I fed my guests good food and gave them delicious cocktails, they should really enjoy themselves. However, while I had several decadent breakfast danishes and croissants, my guests were not big drinkers. When planning your own budget, consider the audience. If your bride/guests drink like fish, account for enough alcohol. Likewise, if your bride/guests are more into appearances than food, or if your party will be a light meal (think afternoon tea), your budget won’t require as much attention to the food and drink section of the overall budget. Once I took control of the budget, I was then able to think about planning the cake, decorations, and games.

For weeks I went back-and-forth about whether to do a cupcake tower or a cake. A cupcake tower is significantly cheaper and very popular right now, but I really wanted to impress the bride with a Tiffany’s box cake. We used Jessica’s personal connections to get an impressive discount on a beautiful Tiffany-inspired cake from a prestigious local bakery. Don’t shy away from using your own or someone else’s contacts to help make your event magical. It doesn't look cheap. You look like you got your shit together.

Photo credit: Jessica B.

To add drama, height, and to clear counter space at the food display, I DIYed three 3-tiered stands using silver platters and crystal-looking candle holders found at my local dollar store. I found the inspiration for this project at Shelterness.

Photo credit: Jessica B.

Those blue boxes on the food table? Yeah. Those are emptied, old, square tissue boxes elegantly wrapped in blue gift-wrap paper I found at WrapAndRevel. To finish the look, tie them up with white satin ribbon.

DIY bottle labels were found at Michael's craft store:

Photo credit: Jessica B.

Photo credit: Jessica B.

I also made these simple little guys: Labels for wine glasses and champagne flutes. Just print the sheet out on signature Tiffany-blue card stock and cut. Don't forget to cut a slit so that it can slide on to the base of the glass.

Click here to print the free printable drink labels.

The decorations were simple and elegant with a black and white damask design with splashes of Tiffany blue.

Photo credit: Jessica B.

The center pieces were silk Tiffany blue and white daisies found at the local discount craft store. Recycled square vases and planter rocks were used to save money.

Photo credit: Jessica B.

To let guests know where they can hashtag their photos so that the bride can see all her images in one place from the Shower, I used a frame recycled from my own wedding and just replaced the photo with an 8.5"x11" sign I created in Microsoft Word.

Photo credit: Jessica B.

Want this unique sign for your next event?

Click here to print the Oh Snap! horizontal free printable sign.

Click here to print the If You Instagram vertical free printable sign.

The party favors were Tiffany-inspired boxes filled with a strand of faux peals found at the local dollar store in the party section.

We played a few games and passed out gift bags filled with spa items to each winner.

Click here to print the set of 4 free Audrey gift bag labels.

Need an idea for a game? We played He Said, She Said. Just ask the Bride and Groom your questions separately. Make a game sheet with several answers mixed at random. The guests have to guess who made each statement. The guest with the most correct statement pairings wins a prize. Of course the racier, juicer the answers, the more entertaining the game...

Click here to print the He Said, She Said free printable question sheet.

I downloaded a free game card from Everyday Dishes. Get yours here.

There you have it. A beautiful and memorable Breakfast at Tiffany's themed Bridal Shower on a Budget. If you're diligent in your search for freebies and you reuse items from past parties, you can pull off an air of sophistication that this theme calls for. If you're lucky, you might even find brand new or gently used favors and other decor at Recycle Your Wedding. For more Tiffany themed party inspiration, check out my Breakfast at Tiffany's Bridal Shower on a Budget Pinterest page.

*******

Quick list of all the printables in this post:

- Budget Excel spreadsheet 

- Diamond ring drink labels

- Oh Snap! horizontal sign

- If You Instagram vertical sign

- Audrey gift bag labels

- He Said, She Said question sheet

- He Said, She Said game card

 

  Erin Bettis