Okay. It Happened. Your best friend got engaged and now the onus is on you to plan… well… everything. One of the seventeen gatherings you, as the assumed maid of honor, are expected to help organize is that of the bridal or wedding shower. This can go one of many ways so it is best to choose a location that will help you make it the style of gathering for which you were hoping. You want someplace convenient yet exceptional, elegant yet approachable, and, most importantly, decadent yet affordable. The Winslow has you covered on all bases.
The Winslow, located conveniently amidst the bustling East Village and Gramercy neighborhoods of NYC is simply one of the best restaurants and bars for a bridal shower. It has something for everyone. Speaking of everyone, below is the potential VIP roster—and now it’s time for the breakdown:
The Mother of the Bride (codename: MOB). The Mother of the Bride will certainly be a welcome co-organizer for the bridal shower. Her strengths include: knowing what family members to invite to the shower, what family members are invited to the wedding, what flower arrangements to set up in the space, bridal shower ideas and themes, and wedding shower etiquette. Her weaknesses: not being able to decide which amazing Gin and Tonics to choose from on The Winslow’s amazing menu and featured gin selection.
Sister of the Bride (codename: SOB). The Sister of the Bride is a total asset and possible co-maid-of-honor. Her strengths include: bridal shower decorations, knowing what embarrassing photos to put up of the betrothed, how to fill out the guest list, and dirt on the bride and groom. Her weaknesses: cannot choose between whether to do an amazing brunch bridal shower or elegant night time bridal shower as she weighs the pros and cons of day drinking verses night drinking. As one of the best brunch spots or large party spots in NYC, The Winslow offers the solution either way, i.e. there is simply no wrong answer.
The Bridegroom (codename: Bae). We are past the point in society where gender segregation at these events is still a thing. He’ll be there as will many of his friends. His strengths: tells the proposal story in a charming fashion, organized a photo slideshow to be projected on the television in The Winslow’s semi-private back room, and gets helpful tips from the Mother of the Groom and other family members on how to make a fun wedding shower. His weaknesses: will probably insist on paying for several of The Winslow’s delicious specialty cocktails.
The Bride or Brides (codename: Anything She Wants). Her strengths: she is never wrong, she can play the bride card at anytime, she will know what wedding shower games she’d prefer, already has what flower arrangements and decorations in mind she’d like to go with, and knows what fun bridal shower games, ideas or themes she’d like to employ. Her weaknesses: being too grateful that the Mother of the Bride and Maids of Honor chose The Winslow for her bridal shower. It was everything she and her fiancé wanted and now is overcome with emotion.
The Winslow offers a variety of large party spaces. Any one of which has been, or can be used to host amazing bridal showers. As a NYC bar and restaurant you would expect to have to pay an arm and a leg to hold your wedding shower there. Yet, The Winslow refuses to do the traditional mark up of pricing and gouging that comes along with any wedding packaging. They don’t charge a rental fee or ask for any deposits. The only requirement of the space is that your group reaches the set minimum spend amount (which varies depending on which space your group reserves). The minimum spend does not have to be on one check and any food or drink items you or your guests order goes towards it. There is no limit to how many tabs your party can start, This makes it easy for you, the host, to have guests come and go and pay for their own items upon consumption, without having to worry about splitting checks or getting stuck with the entire bill. It is not to say any family member or friend would do such a thing, but there is always that outlying future in-law to worry about.
Something about bridal or wedding showers lends itself well to a brunch or daytime gathering. The Winslow can help you realize these aspirations while assisting you in organizing and hosting an amazing event. The brunch menu, served on Saturdays and Sundays (created by Executive Chef Nathan Pauley) vaunts a unique selection of fabulous, coveted and renowned dishes. Brunch is served from 11am-4pm so need to rush, and boasts such fare as their signature Chicken and Waffles (or try the new Waffle BEC), Black Pudding Eggs Benedict, The Pudgy Pancake, or more! One great thing about hosting your event in NYC is New Yorkers tend to view brunch as more a boozy lunch. Come early or later in the afternoon, as sometime the activities of the night prior to brunch will indicate how spry one is the next morning, and The Winslow understand that fact. The Winslow also has delicious Party Food menu options as well that are both tasty and large party friendly. Either way you can host an extended guest list consisting of the bride, the groom, the wedding party, the family members and friends for several hours while eating various yummy nibbles, and sipping on what ultimately turns into several mimosas. All this bridal shower bliss comes with no added hassle or stress.
The great thing about hosting or organizing a bridal or wedding shower at The Winslow is you can make whichever large party space you reserve your own. It is sort of like a blank canvas for you to paint your party on. They allow you to decorate to your hearts content. In fact the only décor they don’t allow is glitter or confetti because, well, those products are terrible nightmare to clean up and don’t be that guy. Other than that, balloons, signs, photos, a diorama depicting the bride or grooms single life, are all welcome and the more the merrier. Also, even though no outside food or beverage items are allowed (you won’t need to bring anything in as the food is scrumptious and the drinks, designed by Beverage Director Cait Moorhead, are also to die for) they do make an exception with cake or cupcakes. This way you can commission a cake from a local bakery that’s still within your theme of the shower, which is always a nice touch. You can also consult with the management team to pick a specialty drink that would also be specific and special to the bride, the groom or even an inside joke of the happy couple.
You successfully have completed the first step of fulfilling the duties of any solid Maid of Honor-- you have researched (and hopefully are planning on booking) a marvelous large party space to host a bridal or wedding shower in NYC. Not an easy feat, yet you nailed it. Well done. Now all you have to figure out is the engagement party, bachelorette party, airline tickets (because of course it is a destination wedding), Maid of Honor speech and how to convince yourself that you will in fact wear your bridesmaid dress again. Speaking of hosting engagement and bachelorette parties, is it too on-the-nose to suggest The Winslow? Word on the street is it is the place to be.