Hosted by the Maid of Honor, Matron of Honor or a friend of the family, The Bridal Shower is an old custom started centuries ago with family and friends "Showering" the bride and groom with gifts since the couple usually did not have much to begin their new lives together. It is customary to have at least one bridal shower but many times a bride may have multiple bridal showers hosted by different friends. Furthermore, some couples today have co-ed showers, including the groom and his friends.Shower Gifts are customary to bring although traditionally they are not as large of a gift as the Wedding Gift. The shower gift is usually something practical and small, such as some of the more small items off of the wedding directory.
If you are planning the bridal shower it is important to work with the bride in who she wants to attend. If there are multiple showers, many times different people that are going to the wedding attend the different showers with some overlap. It is customary for the guests of any of the showers to be attending the wedding unless they are co-workers. As for the rest of the planning, it is sometimes nice to get a general idea of what the bride would like, although it is nice to plan many surprises (i.e., themes, games, etc) in which the bride has no idea.
Location: There are many great places to have a bridal shower. Traditionally, the shower was held in a home of the Maid of Honor, although now they are held in places such as restaurants, bars, hotels, halls, and country clubs. Regardless on where you have it, make sure it is convenient for most the guests.
Time: Bridal Showers usually take place a few weeks prior to the wedding. It is important to check out availability with the Bride, Groom and their families. In addition, it is important to take season and hour of day into consideration (i.e, Is it during the rainy or windy season which would make you have an indoor party).
Themes: Although traditionally there were no themes of Bridal Showers, recent times have shown different. Themes have become more popular with some ideas including:
- Lingerie Shower: Have the girls come over in P.J.'s or their nightime clothes and decorate the party as a "sleepover" Have the gifts of the bride consist of "bed and bath", lingerie, bikinis or anything sexy that her and the groom will enjoy!
- Recipe Shower: Have all the guests do a pot luck, serving their greatest meal while also bringing the recipes. Guests can either give kitchen items as gifts or serve the food in the bride and grooms gift (i.e., pot/pan, bowls, cups, utensils). This is a great way to feed the party as well as give reasonable gifts for the bride and groom.
- Multi-Cultural Shower: Have all the guests bring their favorite cultural dish "in" the bride and groom's bridal shower gift. Whether it is egg rolls and suschi on japanese plates (gift) or pasta fresh from a pasta maker (gift) it is a great way to give the bride and groom unique gifts. Decorate the party with decorations from different cultures.
Be sure to purchase your bridal shower favors, bridal shower invitation themes and bachelorette party supplies as early as possible.
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