Wedding Shower Feng Shui

Energize any bridal party with these simple Feng Shui tips

by Sally Philips

Feng Shui is a great way to enhance every aspect of your upcoming wedding season. If you're like most brides, it all begins with a wedding shower, your first official celebration. You can help make your party a truly unforgettable event by using the Chinese art of Feng Shui to guide your decorating. With just a little extra time and effort, you can create an energized, supportive environment where your friends will bond while you relax and enjoy the festivities.

The translation for the Chinese term "Feng Shui" is "wind and water." Feng Shui is an ancient system designed to help energy flow in every part of your life, just like these free-flowing elements. You can use Feng Shui principles when decorating any environment to help create favorable energy and keep it flowing, so good things can continue to come your way. In this case, your intention for the party might be to start creating energy for your new life with your husband -- energy that will work in a supportive way for both of you.

First, locate the southwest sector of your party room. This is the most important area for this event because it influences marriage. Plan on centering your party here. You might want to set up a place where you can sit and open your gifts while your guests gather around.

Pink and white are the most favorable colors for the marriage sector, so include them. If your decoration scheme calls for different colors, just place a few special pink or white objects here, or put a vase of pink and white roses in this area. If you can find a yellow vase, terrific: yellow represents earth, the element you want in your marriage sector because it symbolizes stability, patience and honesty - all vital to making your marriage last.

The next area to concentrate on is your prosperity sector, which is located in the southeast directly across from your romance sector. Set up an area here where your guests can drop off their gifts. A small table works well, especially with a tablecloth in purple or red – colors that enhance wealth. When it comes time to open your gifts, ask the givers to relay them one by one across the room to you in your marriage sector. This will put the focus on your guests for a few moments and give you the opportunity to express your heartfelt gratitude, always the best way to increase prosperity.

The element for abundance is wood, so it’s great to place a plant in the prosperity sector as well. Jade plants, with their plump succulent leaves, are a good choice, as are money plants and lucky bamboo.

Next to the prosperity sector, on your east wall, is your ancestors and family area. This is the perfect place to hang family photos and other images that remind you of your heritage. Be sure to include photos of family guests to let them know how important they are to you. Some brides also place images of inspirational figures in this area, including couples that serve as role models for successful marriages.

Finally, take a few moments to reflect on yourself and your personal goals. In any marriage, the happier and more fulfilled you are as an individual, the stronger the marriage will be, so taking time to nurture yourself is very important. Find objects and images that represent your goals and aspirations and include them in your party decor. Objects relating to career can be placed in your north sector and those relating to children in the west, but feel free to place these things in other areaes around the room as well. Some brides like to create a ritual ceremony using their objects, where they dedicate themselves to building a solid foundation for their marriages by keeping their own dreams alive.

Whatever you decide, remember these three secrets of Feng Shui: Small efforts can produce big effects, these changes work even if you aren’t sure why and it’s fun to do.

So why not use it?