A bridal shower is a fun and exciting opportunity for the bride and her loved ones to get together before the big day. In a very real sense, the party is an opportunity for visitors to "shower" the bride-to-be with presents that can be used to help her and her future husband get settled into their new home.
Bridal showers have been celebrated since the days of the dowry. In cases where a lady wants to marry an unsuitable guy but her family refuses to provide a dowry, her friends and neighbours often pitch in to help her start a new life.
In today's period, the bride-to-be celebrates her impending nuptials with friends and family, where she opens gifts, hears stories and advice, and feasts on delicious food and drinks.
Before planning anything, make sure the bride is interested in having a shower. While the majority of guests look forwards to the afternoon of festivities honouring the bride-to-be, the bride-to-be herself may experience uncomfortable feelings of awkwardness or even greed if she receives too many gifts.
Who's Supposed To Host?
An ideal host for a wedding reception would be the maid of honour, a member of the bridal party, a close friend, or the bride's or groom's in-laws. Planning and hosting the wedding by the bride's mother or other close relatives used to be considered as a sign of ostentation, but this attitude has changed in modern times. The bride's mother, on the other hand, may feel overshadowed by her position in the wedding planning process and wish she had a lesser one. The location and who throws the shower for the bride are major aspects.
Whom to Invite?
Getting the wedding guest list is the only method to ensure no one is invited to the shower who isn't to the wedding. Make sure the women in the wedding party and the bride's closest female friends and relatives are invited.
Traditionally, only the bride's female relatives were invited to the shower, but today many couples opt for a "Jack and Jill" shower to honour the bride and groom. Make sure the groom-to-be is okay with attending a shower before deciding whether or not to invite male guests, and if he is, make sure to get his input on who should be invited.
What Happens During a Shower?
The majority of the wedding shower will be dedicated to socialising, eating, and exchanging gifts. Light nibbles, crudités, and sweets are perfect, but you may also go all out with a themed spread that honours the happy couple.
Play soothing music in the background as the bride opens her gifts. Delegate the task of keeping track of the gifts and their donors to streamline the process of drafting thank-you notes. Keep the celebration going with these lively bridal shower games, provided they are appropriate for the venue.
Should The Bride Be Involved In The Planning Process?
The bride probably has strong preferences, unless she specifically demands a surprise. While the host has last say over all event particulars, it's helpful to discuss the overall picture with them. This includes when/where/what the event will be. It's possible that she favours themed celebrations or that she strongly disapproves of them. You can't be sure until you ask her, but once you do, you'll have solid ground to build on.
Determine Your Budget
Creating a financial plan is a prerequisite. Ask the bride-to-be if any other family members or friends have offered to organise a shower or want to help out if you're worried about the party's budget. When there are two or three co-hosts, the workload is greatly reduced (and not just the financial ones). The number of expected guests, and hence the overall budget, will be provided by the bride.
Set-Up Time to Talk
The next step is to talk to the bride and find out what she intends to get out of the shower. You can use this information to help you plan a memorable day for her. Send your future wife a light-hearted questionnaire to fill out about her prefered cuisine, colour palette, fashion sense, and other interests.
Find the Venue
You and your co-hosts should talk about potential locations once you have more information. Is there a house that can accommodate large gatherings? If so, try looking into renting out a private room at a nearby restaurant or finding a space for a smaller celebration elsewhere. Feel free to use your imagination while thinking about potential settings. The atmosphere of a museum, a teahouse, or a cocktail bar at night during a dinner party is perfect for creating a lasting impression.
Choose a Theme
If you already have the location secured, you can use it to inform your choice of decor. Maybe it's just a play on her future surname, or a more aesthetically pleasing colour scheme. If she has a specific wish list for the party's gift exchange, she might make that wish the party's theme. If you want to throw a bridal shower she'll remember fondly, it's important to create a theme that reflects not only who she is as an individual, but also who they are as a pair.
Send Out Invites
Afterwards, we'll move on to the invitations. You have found a venue that is both affordable and available on the date and time you had in mind for your event. Ideally, the invitations would be sent out six weeks before the shower was to take place.
There is a wide window of opportunity between six months and a few weeks prior to the wedding for the shower. Electronic or printed invitations are acceptable (or a digital save the date and a printed invitation). Make sure she's registered ahead of time and add the information along with any other gift-giving instructions or themes to the invitation. If the shower is to have a "around the clock" theme, guests should be reminded to bring a present that corresponds to a specific time of day.
The invitations should include that attendees should bring a gift related to the couple's upcoming honeymoon (the various interpretations of this can be rather amusing). Alternatively, if the shower is more about the host's personal style than the guest of honour, choose an invitation that reflects that, and omit the theme. Since you're the host, it's your responsibility to collect the RSVP instead of the bride's. There is no need for a hard copy of the RSVP to be returned through the mail; instead, guests can simply give a call or send an email.
Perfect Designs & Plans
Now is the moment to finalise any remaining floral arrangements and other design elements with your florist. Put in your Etsy orders and buy your materials in advance if you plan to accomplish this on your own. This includes any and all games scheduled for that day. Find out from the bride if she wants any games during the party, and if so, you could want to interview her or her fiance for some interesting anecdotes to use in the decor or games. Ask her if she minds if you open her gifts at the shower now. It's expected, but not everyone likes following protocol.
Finalize the Guest Count
You'll be able to gauge attendance as responses come in. Make sure you have bought enough party favours and hard items, and confirm the final headcount with the restaurant or caterer (such as place settings, if needed). Although it is not expected of the host (because the party itself is the present), more and more hosts are choosing to also provide a gift to the bride when throwing a bridal shower. If you have made up your mind that you want her to open anything, a group present is a terrific way to ensure that she will.
Have Fun!
When the big day finally arrives, pop the bubbly and give the bride your undivided attention. Your role at the shower is that of a cheerful hostess; you'll need to greet guests, monitor the drinks, oversee any games, and make sure the bride is comfortable and cared for during the event.
Keep Track of Gifts
Bring a notepad and pen in case she plans on opening gifts during the shower, and then have her take the list home with her at the end of the day so she knows who provided what. Create a bridal bouquet out of the ribbons from the opened presents so the bride has something to carry while she practises her walk down the aisle. If you want to save yourself some time and effort during the party, bring a paper plate and a pair of scissors.
Menu
If we're talking about refreshments, it's important to coordinate them with the party's schedule. At a two o'clock in the afternoon shower, for instance, no one will anticipate more than a few appetisers and a slice of cake. However, if you send out invitations at 6 o'clock in the evening, guests may assume you'll be serving dinner. Consider the bride's food allergies and dietary restrictions. Because this celebration is in her honour, please ensure that she is able to enjoy the vast bulk of the fare.
Activities & Games
It appears that there is a wide range of opinion among friends regarding the best shower games. Some people love them and can't wait to get home and take a hot shower, while others can't wait to get the cake, present, and get out of there. You presumably know most of the people on the list, so you can assume their reactions. Forcing a gathering of young women to play wedding bingo will be the most boring thing you do as a hostess, ever. You should organise a wedding trivia night if you think your guests would enjoy it. Be flexible with the party plan if some visitors don't seem very enthusiastic. However, if the talk is dragging on, it's not a terrible idea to make a plan.
Thank You Duty
When a large group of friends is gathered around you and you're all chatting away, it's easy to lose track of who brought the wine glasses and who brought the cheese plate. To help out your friend, make a list of the names of the guests and the gifts they received. If you really want to impress her, it's a good idea to pre-address the envelopes for the thank-you notes. It will make it easier for the bride to get them out of the house quickly and easily.
Do Bridal Shower Hosts Give Gifts?
A wedding shower is a party thrown in honour of the bride and should be considered a gift. Yes! The custom of giving a present to the host has been abandoned. If you don't want to show there empty handed, you can bring a card or a modest gift like a candle. The bride may request that guests contribute to a joint registry with her and her future spouse. Make sure to check the wedding registry and ask the bride if there is anything else she has her eye on. Please share the bride's wishes with the invited guests so that they may shop accordingly.
Gifts for the Wedding Shower Guests
The focus of a bridal shower is, of course, the bride. However, according to standard bridal shower protocol, favours should be liberally distributed to attendees as they depart the party. Try to identify a shared meaning in recurrent motifs. For a spa-themed party, bath bombs would be a great favour to give out. A bottle opener or cork in the shape of a rose, a box of champagne gummy bears, or a miniature bottle of the sparkling wine itself would all be appropriate party favours in the absence of a specific theme.
To what extent there is mayhem at a wedding shower is directly proportional to how well the host plans ahead of time. Talk to the bride before making any major decisions. As the date of the shower approaches, it is imperative that you finalise plans with the venue and any other parties aiding you. You can never be too prepared; it's a genuine proverb.
Last but not least, remember to breathe deeply! There is a lot riding on you as the wedding shower planner. Don't forget how much the bride appreciates your help, and don't be shy about asking for it if you run into trouble.
FAQs About Bridal Shower
The bridal shower is usually hosted by the maid of honor, close friends, bridal attendants, or bridesmaids. No matter who is hosting, be sure to communicate clearly to make sure you aren't planning two separate showers.
Today it's the maid of honor and bridal party or the bride or groom's mother who throws the bridal shower. Typically, whoever throws the event is the one must cover the costs. Often, the maid of honor and her fellow bridesmaids throw the bridal shower and pay for it, and the mother of the bride contributes.
Usually grooms don't attend showers -- can you imagine what it would be like if you had to attend the bachelor party? Traditionally, a "bridal" shower is for the bride and her close female relatives and friends (and often female relatives on the groom's side, too).
Conclusion
The tradition of the bridal shower dates back to the dowry. Both the setting and the hostesses play a significant role in the bridal shower. To avoid any awkwardness, you should ask the future husband if he minds male guests attending the bridal shower. The bridal shower will mainly consist of mingling with guests, feasting, and exchanging gifts. The responsibility for keeping track of the gifts and their donors should be assigned.
Inquire if the bride-to-be has received any other shower invitations from friends and family. She might want the gift exchange at her party to revolve around a certain item or items on her wish list. Planning a bridal shower can be done at any time between six months and a few weeks before the wedding. Have your florist finish up any last minute touches on the flower arrangements and other elements of the design. If you want to open her gifts at the shower, you should probably ask her if that's okay.
Verify with the caterer that you have ordered enough food for everyone and that you have enough party favours and other tangible items. Planning the timing of the refreshments is essential for a successful party. Sending out invitations at 6 o'clock in the evening may lead people to believe you'll be hosting a dinner party. Think about any food allergies or restrictions the bride may have. The festivities surrounding a wedding shower are often seen as a form of gift giving to the bride.
Content Summary
- A bridal shower is a fun and exciting opportunity for the bride and her loved ones to get together before the big day.
- Before planning anything, make sure the bride is interested in having a shower.
- The location and who throws the shower for the bride are major aspects.
- Getting the wedding guest list is the only method to ensure no one is invited to the shower who isn't at the wedding.
- Make sure the women in the wedding party and the bride's closest female friends and relatives are invited.
- Make sure the groom-to-be is okay with attending a shower before deciding whether or not to invite male guests, and if he is, make sure to get his input on who should be invited.
- Delegate the task of keeping track of the gifts and their donors to streamline the process of drafting thank-you notes.
- Keep the celebration going with these lively bridal shower games, provided they are appropriate for the venue.
- Ask the bride-to-be if any other family members or friends have offered to organise a shower or want to help out if you're worried about the party's budget.
- The number of expected guests, and hence the overall budget, will be provided by the bride.
- The next step is to talk to the bride and find out what she intends to get out of the shower.
- You and your co-hosts should talk about potential locations once you have more information.
- If you already have the location secured, you can use it to inform your choice of decor.
- If she has a specific wish list for the party's gift exchange, she might make that wish the party's theme.
- You have found a venue that is both affordable and available on the date and time you had in mind for your event.
- The invitations would be sent out six weeks before the shower was to take place.
- Make sure she's registered ahead of time and add the information along with any other gift-giving instructions or themes to the invitation.
- Alternatively, if the shower is more about the host's personal style than the guest of honour, choose an invitation that reflects that, and omit the theme.
- Since you're the host, it's your responsibility to collect the RSVP instead of the bride's.
- Now is the moment to finalise any remaining floral arrangements and other design elements with your florist.
- Find out from the bride if she wants any games during the party, and if so, you could want to interview her or her fiance for some interesting anecdotes to use in the decor or games.
- If you have made up your mind that you want her to open anything, a group present is a terrific way to ensure that she will.
- Your role at the shower is that of a cheerful hostess; you'll need to greet guests, monitor the drinks, oversee any games, and make sure the bride is comfortable and cared for during the event.
- If we're talking about refreshments, it's important to coordinate them with the party's schedule.
- It appears that there is a wide range of opinions among friends regarding the best shower games.
- You should organise a wedding trivia night if you think your guests would enjoy it.
- To help out your friend, make a list of the names of the guests and the gifts they received.
- If you really want to impress her, it's a good idea to pre-address the envelopes for the thank-you notes.
- A wedding shower is a party thrown in honour of the bride and should be considered a gift.
- The custom of giving a present to the host has been abandoned.
- Common bridal shower etiquette, however, states that guests should be showered with favours before they leave.
- If the party has a spa theme, you could give the guests bath bombs.
- The degree of chaos at a bridal shower depends significantly on the host's level of preparation.