Irish Blessing Shower
Is the Mother- or Bride-to-Be of Irish ancestry? Or does she enjoy Irish history? Then throw an Irish Blessing Shower! It’s perfect for the Irish among us and the Irish in all of us!
Decorations and Invitations
Irish linens turn any room into an elegant setting, and work very well with any color scheme you might choose. Try accent colors from the Irish flag (green, white and orange), or, if the Guest of Honor is from an Irish family with a coat of arms, choose colors from their family crest.
Popular Irish symbols you can incorporate into your décor include shamrocks, the Celtic Cross, leprechauns, the Celtic harp, the Claddagh, Celtic knots, the peacock, and the hound of Cuchulainn. Pick a favorite Irish symbol to use in a large way and accent it with another small symbol. For instance, if your Guest of Honor loves music, purchase a miniature harp to use as the table centerpiece. Use a pretty cake plate to raise the harp off the table a bit and tuck small pots of shamrock plants around it.
Place pots of shamrocks adorned with ribbons and bows around the room, grouping them with tea lights to bring a bit of shimmer to the occasion. If you own Waterford candlesticks (or can borrow them from someone), by all means, bring them out for this special occasion!
Create invitations using the symbols you have chosen for your décor, or buy pre-printed invitations that reflect your Irish theme.
Refreshments
Serve Smoked Salmon on Horseradish Potato Farls with a selection of Irish cheeses such as Coolea, Dubliner, Durrus, Gubbeen, and Cashel Blue. Of course potato dishes are a big favorite, so you can’t go wrong with potato wedges or mini potatoes stuffed with sour cream, bacon and chives. Trays of fresh vegetables and fruits will brighten up the table and provide some lighter fare to balance things out. For dessert, apple cake is a traditional favorite among the Irish.
Offer cold Irish ale, a good quality tea (try Barry’s Gold Blend, available at ethnic groceries and online) with sugar and milk, and some of Marlene’s Delicious Homemade Irish Cream Liqueur.
Entertainment
- Put a little Irish dance music on the CD player. The upbeat rhythms will keep the energy level up!
- Play Getting to Know the Mom or Getting to Know the Bride. Give a prize to the guest with the most correct answers.
- Have guests prepare an Irish blessing – either a traditional one, or one they write themselves in the Irish style – and bless the Guest of Honor.
- Play “What’s Your Irish Name?” Print out a list of Irish names and see how many people have names with Irish origins. Read the meanings out loud – everyone likes to learn the meaning of their name. Give everyone with an Irish name a raffle ticket. BadaBadaBINGO.com has a version for Baby Showers and for Bridal Showers and they are really good about creating custom designs! Draw a raffle winner and award them a prize.
- Play Irish Trivia and award a prize to the guest who answers the most questions correctly.
Favors
Give the pots of shamrocks you used to decorate the room to your guests as favors, or give packets of organic seed personalized with the Guest of Honor’s name and special day.
Looking for more baby shower theme ideas? View our complete list!
