All About The Bridal Shower

Bridal Showers - Niagara Wedding Planner

Where did the idea of having a Bridal Shower originate?  The first bridal shower took place centuries ago when a young and beautiful girl in Holland had been betrothed to a wealthy pig farmer.  The girl's father had refused to give her a dowry if she married the poor miller that she was in love with instead of the pig farmer.  The town they lived in was so touched by their love that they "showered" her with small gifts that ended up adding up to more than her dowry would have been.  The young girl was able to marry the man she loved.

Bridal Showers these days don't have the same warm fuzzy feeling as that one previously mentioned.  Unfortunately, more often than not, the invitee feels more obligated to attend than they actually want to.  Bridal showers have taken on this same old, same old kind of feel to them.  Guests arrive, they may have some snacks, some games are played(often dreaded) and then gifts are opened.

There are many ways to spruce up a Bridal Shower...

• Create a really fun theme
• Have a "round-the-clock shower" where guests are assigned a specific hour of the day and their gift must be relatable to that hour
• Make it co-ed and have couples able to attend together... This way your groom can also be a guest of honour and often more guests are likely to attend if they are able to bring someone
• Enjoy a casual get together such as a cook-out or BBQ
• Progressive dinner where a limo bus is rented and each course is served at a different restaurant
• Book a block of seats at a concert or the theater and after the show, enjoy a glass of wine

Traditionally the Maid of Honour plans the Bridal Shower with the help of the other bridesmaids.  Relatives of the Bride hosting this event is a definite etiquette no-no.  Therefore, if your sister is your Maid of Honour... someone else has to take the reins and plan one for you!

The bride should not assist with the planning of the shower.  The only thing she should get involved with is the guest list with addresses and phone numbers of all the invitees. 

If you are going to be having 2 Bridal Showers for reasons such as, location of where you live or family dynamics... be sure not to invite any guests to both as you do not want them to feel obligated to purchase 2 gifts.

Make sure that you have created a Wedding Registry.  If you do not, you will end up with 3 toasters, 6 bed sheets, and a whole lots of other items you may not need or do not like.  You may also want to consider creating a 2nd registry specifically for the Bridal shower that includes more personal items such as lingerie... Although it is not proper etiquette to include registry information on a Wedding invitation, it is to be placed in the Shower invite.

Anyone that you invite to the Bridal Shower MUST also be invited to your Wedding.  The only exception to this is if your office/co-workers would like to throw you a shower knowing they are not all able to be invited to the Wedding due to guest count.   Invitations for Bridal Showers usually should be sent out 4-6 weeks prior.  I suggest still using the good old fashioned snail-mail method of delivering invites.  Who doesn't love receiving a pretty little invite in the mail!

Some traditions you may want to consider doing for your Bridal Shower...

• Having your groom show up with flowers right before you begin to open gifts
• Using all of the bows from the gifts to create a bouquet that is used at the Wedding Rehearsal

What if the bride is from out of town and must take a plane back home after the shower?  Inform guests that each gift must fit in a shoebox.  If the gift they would like to purchase does not, most department stores give the option of having the bride be able to pick up the gift at the store nearest to where they live.

I hope this has given you a bit more insight on the Bridal Shower, where it originated and some proper etiquette.  If you would like assistance with planning one or have any further questions... I Love to plan them and would Love to hear from you!