The first thing you need to do is ask yourself if your guest-of-honor, the bride, would want to have a party thrown for her. Some people are against these events and simply wants to dine in with close friends and family before the actual wedding day.
If your bride-friend is not the kind who wants to party and celebrate the end of her singlehood, then you need to scrap the whole plan and just hold a simple dinner in her honor.
However, once you have pinpointed that she is the kind of bride who wants a shower party, then it’s time for you to wear your party hat and organize the best bridal shower ever.
There’s another problem, though. Who are you going to invite? You can’t very well ask the bride if it’s a surprise party. If it’s not, you’ve got your problem sorted out.
Ask the bride
If the bride knows a party is going to be thrown for her, then you’ve got no problem with the shortlist. Simply ask the bride who she wants to see there and who she wants to be invited. Then, it is up to you to contact these people and reveal your plans.
The trick, however, is to tell these guests that they should not reveal to their friends that they are attending the party. Yes, even to friends they think are also invited. That’s the whole point of keeping these events secret from those the bride does not want to see at her party.
If one guest opens her mouth and tells a friend about the party, the news will spread like wildfire and those who were not invited will feel bad.
Talk with the fiancé
Who else knows the bride better but her fiancé, right? He would know who she wants to see at her party. Of course, he may also ask discreetly. She will be honest with him and she will tell him who she doesn’t want to be there.
The dilemma, of course, if a close friend was on that short list of “no invites.” The fiancé and the party organizer should be able to decide smartly on this dilemma.
You would need the cooperation of her fiancé, too, since he has to block her schedule if it’s a surprise party. He needs to work together with you and bring her to the designated location on the date and time agreed upon by everyone.