The trees in Central park are starting to bloom, which means it’s finally springtime, which also means get ready for every spring weekend to be action packed with wedding festivities! If you’re lucky (or unlucky?), you’ll get the special privilege of planning a soiree for your best gal.

We know how stressful this can be, so we’ve compiled a guide to get you through planning the best shower ever in Manhattan. You can thank us later. And don’t forget to stock up on gift for the bride (and groom!) to-be with our helpful Gift Guide.

Venues with Character

Lady Mendl’s Tea Salon – When the venue’s afternoon tea offering gives you a foolproof shower theme, you can rest easy with your planning. We couldn’t think of a more perfect place to host a girls get together, from the free flowing champagne in dainty china, to the out-of-this-world finger sandwiches and international teas, this will be a shower all of your guests will remember. 56 Irving Place

Freshmade – You may remember when we featured Freshmade’s gingerbread making class over the holidays. We were big fans of the homemade snacks and mixed drinks and the festive environment, and I couldn’t help but think “this would be a great place for a culinary shower”! Space is available for rental, and you can work with the talented staff on a perfect theme/menu for your cooking school shower. 636 Broadway Suite 516

Aurora – We can’t resist mentioning this spot in Williamsburg for a family-style Italian brunch soiree. You don’t have to worry about bad weather raining on your garden party soiree with the glass enclosure! 70 Grand St.

Snazz up your Event

Flower Crowns

Source: Crowns by Christy

There is nothing cuter than a bride-to-be with a flower crown; she’ll thank you for the fun addition to her pictures. For all your fresh or faux flower crown needs, check out Crowns by Christy, a local, woman-owned business that we’re totally obsessed with! Prices vary from $65 to $120.

Table Bouquets

Ode à la Rose is an NYC-based flower delivery company, offering a wide catalog of products, including classic rose bouquets, seasonal arrangements, orchids, candles and even candy bouquets, ranging from $50 to $400.

Every bouquet is made to order in their NYC flower-district workshop. They provided a lovely mix of light pink and white roses, tulips, and snapdragons for a spring shower we threw recently, and received compliments on them all day. They arrived in simple glass vases, so it required zero maintenance – just removing the paper protection!

Photo Booth Props

Who says you need a full booth rental to get fun pics? We created our own makeshift photo booth thanks to a BYO-polaroid camera and these amazing felt props from Etsy shop, Minimun Studio. Super high quality and a big hit with guests.

Refreshments

We partnered with a fun wine company, The Drop, for a recent shower to provide super easy alcoholic drink options for our guests: wine in a can! Forget the corkscrews…these adorable canned red wines and roses are perfect for styling with a sparkly straw, have much lower carbon footprints, and were a big hit with our guests. Plus, they make for some pretty beautiful pictures!

Paper Goods for Pizzazz

Paper Presentation in Union Square is a mecca for paper goods. You’ll find everything from sparkly drinking straws to decorative streamers, which will cover all of your decor needs for the big event. We love a good one-stop shop that will keep us from dragging our tired, planning selves all over New York!

Gifts for the Gals

After hours of the bride being showered by gifts, the guests should receive something too! We’re fans of Macaron Parlour to offer a taste of New York to your favorite gals.