The Right Way to Throw the Party
As with every other event leading up to your wedding day, there is wedding shower etiquette that you can either choose to follow or not. Proper wedding shower etiquette allows you to steer away from hurting anyone’s feelings (those who you may not wish to invite, perhaps), and also gives you a bit of a road map on how to approach this fun and festive party.
Whose job is it to throw you a wedding shower?
Traditionally, this task usually falls to the maid of honor, but this has changed a bit over the years. Anyone close to the bride is more than welcome to take on this responsibility. The trend of unisex wedding showers has been growing in popularity, and couples are even welcome to host a wedding shower for the lucky bride.
When does the wedding shower take place?
The wedding shower typically takes place one to two months prior to the wedding. If it lands on a date less than a month before the wedding, this can place more pressure on the bride than is needed. The only circumstance that warrants this is if the bride lives in a different city than where her wedding will take place.
Who is invited?
This is a tricky question because there are so many factors involved. First of all, there is no need to invite every female who is also invited to the wedding. Unless you’ve always dreamed of a rather large bridal shower (around 100 plus guests), then stick to having a modest bridal shower with those closest to you. The guest list should include your closest female relatives and friends, your fiancé’s sister(s), mother, and other close female friends of his. As far as your out-of-town female guests who you know already won’t be able to attend, it is proper etiquette to send them an invitation regardless.
Should you register for a bridal shower?
It is not proper etiquette to register for your bridal shower. In fact, in many cases the hosts of bridal showers tend to ask guests to bring a specific “type” of gift that adheres to a theme. This in itself is not required for proper etiquette, but is growing in popularity. A theme for wedding shower gifts is a fun way for your guests to approach buying your bridal shower gift and sets those gifts apart from your wedding gifts. And as far as giving your guests gifts, or wedding shower favors, that is entirely up to you.
What takes place at the bridal shower?
This party, compared to your rehearsal dinner or bachelorette party is quite simple. Bridal showers typically consist of lunch or breakfast depending on the time of the party, as well as games (optional), and the opening of gifts. It’s common for bridal shower guests to want to know stories about your fiancé, how the two of you met, etc. Your bridal shower is a great opportunity for the closest women in your life to meet one another if they haven’t already, and for you to spend quality time with them before you say your I dos.
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