Wedding season brings (bridal) shower season and it’s time to break free from the norm and shower your bride with the best gift at the party.

One of my favorite things to shower on a bride-to-be is a fun open basket of goodies that she’ll love to use but probably wouldn’t or couldn’t buy herself. We tend to think that gifts have to be wrapped and concealed, but I think an open basket to be a fun twist on traditional shower gifts.

To give the perfect bridal shower gift, I suggest that you pick a theme centered around what she loves and/or wants to learn. Once you have your theme, include your favorites related to the genre of your gift to represent your personal taste and give her something she will love.

The basket pictured here is all about food and my bride has one year left at university, so I included a to-go french press mug for the on-the-go lady. This style is perfect for both tea and coffee, so I included both in the basket as well. Some of my most-loved gourmet treats along with my favorite book for a newbie cook rounded out this basket perfectly.

A few more theme ideas: bath/spa, garden, camping/outdoor, candle/scents, cocktail, wine, spices, movie-lover, honeymoon, regional/location-based. This concept of course works well for a baby shower, too.

Here are my thoughts about what to include in your basket. Make sure that everything is:

• Something she will use! I like to include things that I personally love and use, but make sure she will too. For instance, if she doesn’t bake, don’t give her cookie cutters and a rolling pin.
• Fresh and not close to an expiration date. Check all food product expiration dates.
• Not related to the diet industry. Even if the latest health & wellness book is your favorite new obsession, double check that you’re not accidentally sending a “diet” message to the blushing bride.
• Something a little fancier than the every day commodity. Look for something that’s a step up from what she would buy herself, like a fancy chocolate bar that she can share with her groom.
• Relevant. Check her registry for things to include, too.

A few more ideas for items to include:

• Any book she would love. For the food genre, How To Cook Without A Book by Pam Anderson is my absolute favorite to give to a newer cook who wants to become more proficient in the kitchen. If the bride is already a kitchen all-star, then I include a specialty food book like Healing Spices by Bharat B. Aggarwal PhD.
• A bottle of organic wine and a dark chocolate bar.
• High-quality olive oil with a specialty vinegar.
• A short bouquet of fresh flowers in a mason jar.
• Your favorite spice blends.
• A jar of homemade granola.
• A beautiful picture frame with a shot of you and the bride.
• A gift card to a local restaurant, spa, or one of her favorite stores.

There really are no rules to this, but a few other things to consider:

• It’s fun to include a few local items to represent where you live and support the local economy.
• Choose a fun basket or box that she can display and use, it’s part of the gift, too! I got this one at World Market in Bozeman. A wicker basket works great, too.
• I also include a gift receipt at the very bottom of the basket, because brides tend to get doubles.
• If you need help propping things up in the basket, use clean toilet paper or paper towel rolls wrapped in pretty gift tissue paper to prop things up in the back.

Happy Showering!