Rather than serving a full-fledged breakfast, lunch, or dinner at your bridal shower, make like many hosts and provide an assortment of appetizers, desserts, and drinks for your guests to enjoy as they celebrate the bride-to-be. Finger foods are a staple at these events because they're easy to eat while mingling and participating in other activities, like games. They're also less expensive than a formal meal—and are usually easier to DIY.
There are tons of small, simple, and creative options for bridal shower fare. You can settle on comfort food, offer refined, tea party-worthy treats, give your cuisine a cultural spin, or whatever else you (and the bride) want. For a truly unique carte du jour, provide a variety of refreshments (this also makes your party friendlier to different palates, diets, and allergies). Here, we've gathered more than two dozen delicious small-plate ideas to whet your appetite for the big day.
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Waffles
Enhance the fluffy breakfast food with fruit, nuts, syrup, whipped cream, or whatever else your heart desires. A brunch shower with a topping bar sounds like a genius idea to us.
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Macarons
Bite-size and oh so sweet, macarons stacked on your bridal shower spread ensures guests will be delighted. And it's something a strong baker could easily DIY—the mother of the bride actually made the delicious treats shown here.
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Arancini
Creatively served, gourmet crispy fennel and leek arancini is a unique option for any bridal shower. Guests will love picking the savory balls of rice from a branch.
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Watermelon and Feta
Part salty, part sweet, these refreshing appetizers are great for a summertime shower.
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Deviled Eggs
Deviled eggs are a party (and shower) classic. Give yours extra flavor with fun seasonings like sumac and Aleppo pepper.
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Assorted Sweets
Salted caramel cheesecake bites, mini puffed pastries, and colorful macarons make for great bridal shower finger food.
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Sautéed Shrimp
Sautéed shrimp with mint butter in orange sauce offers just the right amount of fresh, summery ingredients ideal for a warm-weather bridal shower.
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Root Vegetables
Chefs at Beach Plum Farm created this root vegetable mixture as a side dish. Light fare like this is great for a daytime shower.
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Donuts
Who doesn't love a donut wall? This setup offers a sweet treat guests can grab themselves, and doubles as a photo opp.
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Pizza
It's hard to find someone who won't indulge in a slice of this comfort food. If ordering from a pizza joint feels too casual, make special pies with unique toppings yourself, or ask your caterer to whip up an array of options for guests.
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Pulled Chicken Nachos
Guests can snack on pulled chicken and pork nachos before the bridal shower festivities begin.
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Elevated Sliders
Cru Catering provided a menu of passed appetizers, including mini braised pork biscuits with bourbon-peach jam for this event. Mini bites are ideal if you want guests to try a little bit of everything.
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Mini Pizzas
Modern Art Catering created these tiny, arugula-topped pizzas for an added twist.
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Caprese Bites
Tomatoes, mozzarella, basil, and balsamic are all you need to make these one-bite snacks.
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Wraps
Sandwich platters are popular choices, too. Make yours unique by offering less-common options, like chickpea shawarma wraps.
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Caviar Rings
These fancy treats (made of cracker rings topped with caviar) will be a cute nod to the bride's engagement.
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Soft Pretzels
Need proof that these carnival classics are easy to DIY? The ones pictured were made by a friend of the bride and groom.
See More of Our Favorite Carnival Food Ideas for Wedding-Related Events
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Crab Cakes
These hearty crab cakes, provided by Montage Palmetto Bluff, were topped with a tartar sauce aioli for an elegant twist on a classic. Serve them in mini size for an appetizer or alongside a salad for a brunch or lunch entrée.
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Fried Chicken
Don't be shy about greasy fingers—the best foods leave a mark! Just be sure to provide plenty of napkins so guests don't ruin their party attire.
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Welsh Rarebit
Never heard of this cheesy treat? It's time to read up. Claire Thomas made this version by combining grated cheddar cheese, eggs, paprika, dried mustard, Worcestershire sauce, salt, pepper, and pale ale, then spreading the mixture over bread. Broil the snack until golden brown to make it look as mouthwatering as it tastes.
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Steak Bites
A sit-down meal with a main dish of steak would cost a pretty penny. Stay on budget by serving small pieces of quality meat on skewers.
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Mac-and-Cheese Bites
For a healthier take on fried mac-and-cheese balls, put out small scoops of the noodle dish instead.
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Oysters
Oysters XO supplied these passed oysters, and servers walked around shucking the shellfish for guests.
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Devils on Horseback
These hors d'oeuvres were put together by wrapping dates and goat cheese in bacon.
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Pitas and Hummus
Chips and guac are yummy for sure, but so is this Mediterranean alternative.
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Baby Greek Salads
When filled with sample-size portions, disposable paper cups suddenly seem cool. Try serving mini salads (we like Greek) in them.