Three Totally Not-Boring Themes For Your Next Bridal Shower

So you're planning a bridal shower -- and everyone says you need a theme. "Around the Clock." "Home and Garden." Yawn!

There aren't many times we get to be silly and girly in this world, so a bridal shower shouldn't be wasted. Make sure it's genuinely fun. It's simple --- just think about what makes your bride special, and let yourself loose with the theme. Here are a few ideas to charge up the noggin and organize something unique.

"Like High School — But Better."

Revive some great times by tipping your hat to the bride's high school days. Look up all those slightly embarrassing hits from the year she graduated -- let's say the 80s. (Create a gift CD of same for all your guests -- they'll secretly savor them when no one else is around.) Yes, they still make banana clips! Pass them out, along with big, dangly inexpensive hoop earrings and loads of jelly bracelets (remember? You wear about a hundred on each arm, a la vintage Madonna). Slather on the pink, blue and green eye shadow, metallic nail polish and bright blue mascara. Play the soundtracks from Pretty in Pink and Sixteen Candles.

Now for the games: segment a flashback classic, such as Madonna's "Holiday," into three or four CDs. Divide your guests into the same number of groups, and challenge them to come up with a dance routine to fit their part of the tune. Bring them back together in 10 or 15 minutes to perform their mini-masterpiece before a video camera you've set up for the occasion. Tape everyone's routine in order. Give a prize to the best choreographers (actually, give a prize to everyone for being a good sport). Together, you've created a music video that no one could forget. With any luck, it'll mysteriously show up at the reception.

Wine and Chocolate

Sometimes, when you tour a bunch of vineyards in wine country and you're really lucky, you hit upon "wine and chocolate" day. But you don't have to wait to hit the jackpot -- you can organize your own. Plan an easy afternoon of popular, easy-drinking wines like Merlot and champagne, and ask each guest to bring a creative form of chocolate. Some of our favorites: chocolate croissants, chocolate papaya crepes, chocolate-covered ginger, and yes, jalapeno brownies.

But don't stop with the food -- make an outright bordello of it. Pile lots of velveteen pillows around the room, drape the walls with heavy fabric, burn a bit of incense. Put on some soothing Moroccan music, and arrange a few flowers in plum colored pails or vases you've dressed up with groovy gold fringe. Now pass out those beverages in pretty glass flutes, dropping a rose petal in each one. Then dig in! (Have doggie bags at the ready for blissed-out guests who want to enjoy the spoils later at home).

Occupational Hazard

Few things are more flattering than having your friends develop a party around your job. After all, you spend day in and day out there, and what you do is probably pretty important to you. Is the bride a teacher? Hand out apple-shaped candles as favors ... and place them in brown paper lunchbags. Give her a chalkboard eraser "to erase any grudges" after she's married: spray paint the top gold or silver, and have everyone sign it with a Sharpie. Sew or glue together a quick clip-on or bandana for her dog's collar that reads, "Teacher's Pet."

Is your bride an attorney? Hire a Judge Judy impersonator (yes, they exist!) to make a showing. Ask each guest to "submit a brief" -- a gift of lacey underwear for the honeymoon, accompanied by a personal note to wish the bride well.

More Ideas for Exciting Showers

Christmas in July: Place the bride's gifts under a big, frou frou artificial tree you've hung the guest favors on. Serve iced eggnog and mocha-cinnamon smoothies. Everyone loves Christmas ... especially when you've had a break from it, and don't have to agonize over what to buy the boss.

Dancing Queens: Dress up in big, pouffy prom dresses from the past (you'll find them at every thrift store), super-glam makeup, even tiaras. Lay on loads of body glitter. Head out en masse to your neighborhood restaurant or karaoke bar and toast the bride as she opens her gifts.

Cheesecake Party: Ask your guests who their favorite hunk is. Serve mini-cheesecakes in lots of different flavors (Baileys and orange, amaretto, chocolate fudge), and place a framed photo of their favorite "cheesecakes" next to each serving platter, with a special label: "Brad Pitt Blueberry," "Creme de Menthe Mel." Get inventive with the descriptions. Borrow or rent the biggest espresso machine you can find, and serve up steaming coffee drinks.

Whatever you end up going with, don't be afraid to be creative. The less you go by the book and the more you think about what makes the bride special, the more fun your shower will be for everyone.

Coffee Themes for Your Morning

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Coffee is something that we now take advantage of. You will find that back in the day, it took awhile for the coffee to brew over fresh grounds; however, you can now make a cup of coffee within ten minutes. You don't have to wait forever for the water to cover a basket of grounds and then brew a fresh cup of coffee. You will also find that the coffee has become better. The coffee is more ideal because you don't have to worry about the hassle of making coffee. You will also want to consider the fact that you don't have to worry about coffee grounds making it into your fresh cup of coffee either. So much has changed over the years.

Today, we have a drip method that has made coffee inexpensive and quick to make. You will also find that the grounds are now filtered through paper so that you can have the great taste of coffee, but you don't have to worry about the grounds in the cup. You will also notice that coffee is now served in a nice glass pot.

If you don't want to measure out the grounds, then you can always get pre-measured packets and slip it into the coffee maker. You will want to make sure that you watch your mouth with freshly brewed coffee. You may not know this, because coffee comes out of the make at least 200 degrees F.

Now today, we don't just have coffee. You also have something known as the espresso. The espresso is actually from the European culture and it has now begun to work through American society. You will find that it is made within minutes and you use finely chopped dark coffee beans. It is extremely strong coffee. It has a very strong aroma, but it is a wonderfully delicious drink.

If you would take espresso and then add steamed milk, then you will have a cappuccino or latte. You will want to consider the difference between the two is simply a change in milk to coffee ratio. You will find that there is definitely an improvement on the taste of old world coffee.

There are also a lot of methods that you can use to make coffee. The first is the French plunger where there is a rod in a glass pitcher. This is used so that you can get a very dark and few flavored drink. There is also something known as the vacuum brewer. This method works great for a dinner party. Then there is the old world way to making coffee. It is known as the Ibrik. This is where you heat water in a brass or copper container. The coffee and the water are heated together. It is then poured and filtered. This is a very strong version of coffee.

You will want to consider producing a delicious cup of coffee each time because of all the love and hard work that was put into making that single cup. You have to consider the fact that the history of coffee tends to make it taste even better.