Italian Theme Wedding Shower

Are you of Italian descent? Are you marrying someone of Italian descent? Perhaps you and your betrothed are planning on honeymooning in Italy? Or maybe you just love the thought of an Italian theme for your upcoming wedding shower and need some great ideas to pass along to whomever is hosting your shower. Well, you’ve come to the right place! We’ve done some research and come up with a few terrific ways you can inject a little of "la buona vita italiana" (the Italian good life) to your shower – with style!

Mama Mia! Thatsa Some Tasty Tidbits!

Of course you’ll want to go Italian with the food you serve, but do something other than lasagna or spaghetti (we eat enough of that at home, right?). A platter of classic Italian meats and cheeses pleases just about everyone. Include thin slices of prosciutto, salami, pepperoni, and mortadella along with generous chunks of mozzarella, provolone, and friulano cheeses to make a sumptuous tray of finger foods that won’t stick around for long. With a dessert tray filled with Italian cookies such as almond and chocolate biscotti, your menu should do the trick.

No Godfather Posters, Please!

Decorate the room in which the party is being given with posters that say, “Italy” in one way or the other. It shouldn’t be too hard to find posters to decorate the walls of Tuscan villages, scenes of Venetian canals, or the eternal beauty of Italian cypress and olive trees growing in the countryside.

You might even choose ancient Italy as a poster theme: the Coliseum, Pompeii, the Pantheon, and others. Hang little, decorative Italian flags and use their colors (red, white, green) to complement the other decorations in the room – balloons, napkins, table covers, etc.

Gifts With Italy in Mind

Gifts for an Italian theme wedding shower should, of course, convey all things Italian: good-quality Italian wines, pasta pots, garlic presses, grape- or olive-themed linens for the kitchen; travelogues, English/Italian pocket dictionaries, and luggage (doesn’t have to be Italian, but still a good choice) for Italy-bound honeymooners; and Italian gifts for the home, such as majolica pottery or perhaps an Italian leather photo album all make good selections.

Gifts for the Guests

Party favors should also go along with the Italian theme. Engraved wine glasses make a very classy gift to present to guests, as do Perugina Baci chocolates (wrapped in fancy tulle and tied with a satin bow!), fine porcelain espresso cups, or tulle-wrapped packets of confetti DiMatteo almonds imported from Sicily.

Most Importantly, Enjoy!

Wedding showers are events to be enjoyed – especially by the bride and/or the groom to be. Whether they are Italian-themed or not, the main objective is to partake of the happiness that is soon to come in the joining of two people in love. So, with this in mind, however you choose to celebrate your Italian wedding shower, do so with gusto! And remember the toast (with your engraved wine glass upraised!): "Potete godersi per cento anni!" (May you enjoy one another for a hundred years!)