Bridal Shower Food Ideas That Don't Need a Caterer
A bridal shower menu should look beautiful, be easy to eat while standing and chatting, and not keep the host in the kitchen all day. The secret is individual portions. When every guest gets their own cup or mini dessert, the table looks catered, the line moves fast and there is almost nothing to clean up. Here are the shower foods our customers make again and again.
1. Individual Salad Cups
Salad is the one dish every shower needs, and it is the messiest to serve from a big bowl. Layer greens, toppings and a crouton or two in a clear cup, and add a small bottle or pipette of dressing so the salad stays crisp until it is eaten. Caesar, Greek and strawberry spinach salads all work beautifully. Our salad appetizer cups with dressing bottles and salad cups with dressing pipettes come with mini forks, so there is nothing else to set out.
2. Charcuterie Cups
Charcuterie cups are the crowd favorite at almost every shower. Fold salami into a rose, add cubed cheese, grapes, a breadstick and a sprig of rosemary. Plan on one cup per guest if you are also serving a meal. Not sure how many to make? Use our charcuterie cup guest count guide.
3. Mini Soup Cups
For a fall or winter shower, a warm soup shooter feels cozy and special. Serve tomato bisque with a tiny grilled cheese, or butternut squash soup with a swirl of cream, in mini soup mugs with wooden spoons.
4. Fruit Cups
Fresh fruit balances out the savory food and gives the table color. Mix berries, kiwi, pineapple and grapes, and add a mint leaf on top. If your shower has a garden or picnic theme, tiny wooden picnic baskets filled with berries double as a favor.
5. Mini Cakes Instead of One Big Cake
Skip the cake cutting and give every guest a personal cake. With a DIY cake wrap kit, you stack sponge, frosting and fruit inside a clear wrap and tie it with ribbon. They look like they came from a bakery, and guests can take them home.
6. Parfait Cups
Parfaits are perfect for a brunch shower. Layer yogurt, granola and berries in the morning, or go dessert style with mousse, crushed cookies and whipped cream. Our acrylic parfait cups with mini spoons make every layer visible.
Make It an Activity
Want guests talking about your shower for weeks? Add an interactive station. A DIY perfume bar or a build your own bouquet bar gives guests something to do between games, and they leave with a favor they made themselves.
A Simple Shower Menu for 30 Guests
- 30 salad cups
- 35 charcuterie cups
- 30 fruit cups or parfaits
- 30 mini cakes
- A drink station with lemonade and a mimosa bar
Everything except the cakes can be assembled the morning of the shower. Make the cakes the night before and keep them chilled.
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