| Bridal
showers are one of many pre-wedding parties and
are great fun. They are known as parties with a
purpose. The purpose of a shower is to assist
the couple in equipping their new home or for
the bride to assemble a trousseau. Not only
that, but they are a good excuse for the bride
to get together with her friends and family to
play hilarious games and to enjoy the food and
wine. Did you know that a trend has started
for ‘couples showers’? This is sometimes termed
as the ‘Jack’ and ‘Jill’ shower where you shower
both the bride and groom with gifts and good
wishes. Either way, if you are having a
traditional shower party for just the bride, or
decide to have a couples shower, then the
planning and the checklist will invariably be
the same.
Here is an outline of a wedding shower
checklist to get you on your way to organising a
great shower party.
Who should host the shower?
Traditionally the maid of honour tends to
plan the shower party. But today, anything goes
and it is perfectly acceptable for both family
and friends to work together to organize, host
and share the cost of the wedding shower. It
doesn’t really matter who actually hosts the
party as long as it is planned well in advance
and normally in consultation with the bride. If
the shower is planned to be in someone’s home,
then it’s always a good idea to choose the
person with the largest home or garden.
When to have your party
Because of the busy schedule the bride and
her family will have in the lead up to her
wedding, it is best to hold the shower about
four to six weeks before the wedding. A growing
trend is that more wedding showers are no longer
a surprise and statistics show that 4 out of 5
brides are employed, therefore it is necessary
to include the bride in the planning when it
comes to setting a date and time. A traditional
’girl-only’ party could be a Sunday brunch, a
midweek lunch or an afternoon tea garden party.
Couples showers are best held on a weekend
day or evening. The majority of people tend to
work between 9-5 Monday-Friday, therefore a
weekend is a safe bet in that most of the
couples’ friends and relatives can attend. If
you are having a shower party with work
colleagues, then the ideal time would be in your
lunch hour or straight after work.
Who to invite
Apart from your family members, the host
should invite people you know well whether it be
friends, relatives or work colleagues. You don’t
want to invite too many people, as a large group
tends to split off in small separate groups. You
want everyone to interact with each other and be
a manageable size for everybody to play the
hilarious shower games and not feel left out.
Taking all this into consideration, a
comfortable shower should involve about 10-20
people.
You don’t necessarily need to buy expensive
shower invitations. Another growing trend is
that many brides are doing their wedding
research on the Internet. The internet has
opened up many ‘cheaper’ avenues and you can now
get some great
printable-wedding-shower-invitations. These
invitations are customized with your own wording
and design, and are printed directly from your
own printer.
What’s your Theme?
As with the actual wedding, it is wise to
choose a theme before sending out the
invitations. The theme can then be used
throughout the shower and incorporated in with
the invitations, decorations, favors and
refreshments.
There are literally dozens of topics for a
shower party theme. The most popular is the
‘kitchen’ theme as there are endless pieces of
equipment and accessories you can buy for the
kitchen. The host knows the bride well and will
surely fit a theme around either what the bride
and groom need, or their lifestyle. For example
if the happy couple are both into health and
fitness, then a fitness theme could be an
option.
One good idea for a couples shower is a wine
tasting theme. This is ideal for a Saturday
night party and I am sure the men will enjoy
this one and easily get into the swing of
things!
Food, Favors and Games
Food: It depends on the theme and location
for which type of food to prepare. For example,
if you are holding a ‘wine tasting theme’, then
a finger buffet with crackers, nuts and other
nibbles goes down well with wine. If you are
holding a garden shower party, consider light
finger food - cheeses, crackers, fresh fruit,
mini-quiches, blueberry cream puffs, crab dip
and a bacon, egg and cheese casserole and
salads.
Favors: Some people choose not to give shower
favors. It really depends on where you live and
if it is a tradition in your area or not. If you
do, you don’t have to go overboard with favors
if you want to keep the expense down. Give
something small and useful like a scented
candle. Most people like scented candles and
they are practical. A potpourri satchel is
another welcome and practical idea.
Games: Everyone should be included in the
shower games. Shower party games are a great
ice-breaker for people to get to know each
other. Games can include bridal shower bingo as
this is always a big hit as is ‘what’s in the
bag (memory game). Trivia questions about the
bride and groom or making a wedding dress with
toilet paper are all fun games to be had.
Thank You Cards: Normally a simple
‘thank-you’ was enough, but today, with showers
being larger and guests busier, a personal note
is the only way to make sure that sincere
appreciation is expressed.
Summary
Bridal showers are meant to be fun. They do
need a lot of planning and organization in
advance, but they are worth it. The bride and
groom receive practical gifts for their home,
and shower party’s are a great excuse to get
together with friends and family to have one
whale of a time! |
