Bridal Shower Planning Protocols from Start to Finish

Your bridal shower is meant to be your special time during which you get together with your family and friends to celebrate your upcoming nuptials. But, planning a bridal shower can become somewhat overwhelming, especially if you have never been involved in planning one before. Just remember, a bridal shower is meant to be a fun and enjoyable experience. Don’t get so caught up in the planning that you forget to enjoy yourself!

Create a Guest List

Traditionally, the maid of honor is responsible for throwing the bridal shower. This does not, however, mean that the bride-to-be is not involved in the planning. In fact, the bride-to-be has a great number of responsibilities when it comes to planning the bridal shower. The first of these jobs is to sit down with the hostess of the bridal shower and determine a guest list. This list should always include the bride’s mother, her future mother-in-law, her female siblings, the bridesmaids and, of course, the maid of honor. It should also include other close family members and friends. Co-workers can also be included on the list if the bride desires.

Before making the list, determine the budget for the bridal shower. This should help you decide how many guests you can invite. Also, keep in mind that those you invite to your bridal shower should also be invited to the wedding itself.

If you are planning a bridal shower for someone and you want the shower to be a surprise, you will have to consult with the groom-to-be and with the bride’s mother to make sure you create an accurate guest list.

Set a Date

After you have created your bridal shower guest list, it is time to set a date for the celebration. Typically, the bridal shower should be as long as two months before the wedding date and no less than two weeks. If the bridal shower is to be a surprise, discuss possible dates with the groom (you will likely need his help in more ways than one to ensure the shower is a surprise, anyway!). Otherwise, the bride-to-be should work closely with the bridal shower hostess to determine the best date. Sundays are a popular choice for bridal showers because most people are off from work on this day.

Choose a Theme

Picking a theme for your shower can help make it more fun for both the bride-to-be and the guests. In addition, a bridal shower theme often makes the rest of the shower planning easier because invitations, decorations, and favors can all be coordinated to fit the theme. Some popular bridal shower themes include household gifts, wine, lingerie, and romantic gifts.

Select and Send Invitations

Now that you have set a date and determined a theme for the bridal shower, it should be much easier to find the perfect invitations. If you can’t find the right invitations, however, you can make your own. No matter which way you choose to go, be sure to mail out your bridal shower invitations at least two weeks before the shower. This will give your guests plenty of time to make arrangements to attend. Unless you are sending invitations to guests who will need to travel a long distance to attend the bridal shower, you shouldn’t send the invitations out more than a month in advance. Otherwise, you risk having your guests forget about the celebration.

When sending out bridal shower invitations, be sure to include all of the vital information. This information includes the shower theme, the time and date of the shower, the location of the shower, and where the couple is registered. With both a theme and a registry to guide them, your bridal shower guests should have no problem finding the right gift. You should also include an RSVP date to help you with making the final plans for the bridal shower.

Purchase Decorations and Favors

The decorations at a bridal shower are very important, particularly if it will be themed. The favors, which serve as small mementos for each of your party guests, should also fit the theme. In fact, every part of the bridal shower should follow the theme as much as possible – even the food! A nicely decorated bridal shower will help set the tone for the rest of the shower.

Create a Menu

It is traditional to feed the guests who attend a bridal shower. Exactly what you decide to serve may vary depending on your theme. It is acceptable to serve either a full lunch or dinner or to provide light snacks. In either case, there should be a cake and it should certainly match the theme.

Select the Entertainment

Usually, the entertainment at bridal showers consists of games. You can have music at a bridal shower, but it should serve as background music rather than music for your guests to dance to. Games help get everyone talking and getting to know each other. Be sure to include prizes for those who win at the games. If possible, the prizes should match the theme as well. Otherwise, prizes such as candy, candles, and journals make good substitutes.

Gift Giving Gaffes - How to Avoid Bridal Shower Boo-Boos

Buying gifts for a bridal shower is always a challenging exercise. It is hard to know what to buy that will make the bride happy in her new life. There are, however, a number of things you should avoid in terms of gift-giving at a wedding shower.

First, don't spend too little on a gift. Remember that everyone will probably be watching as the bride opens all of her gifts. If you have simply gone to a dollar store and picked up one item, the other guests will notice and so will the bride. Chances are very good that they will think you don't care about the bride or about her union with her partner. Choose something that is nice, possibly off of one of her registries, and spend as much as you feel the other guests will be spending.

Conversely, don't spend too much on the gift. Again, everyone will be watching, and if you have spent a lot, people might think you are showing off instead of purchasing the bride things she will need in her new life. Moreover, spending too much might make the other guests feel bad. A wedding shower is not the time for a lavish gift. If you feel the need to purchase the bride and groom a gift that doesn't fit in with the wedding shower price range, you might try giving that gift as a wedding gift instead.

It is a poor idea to give a gift that might embarrass a bride during her wedding shower. For example, if the bride's family will be in attendance, it is probably not a good idea to give her a box of sexy lingerie. You risk an awkward moment for you, the bride, and the other guests. No one wants to feel awkward during a wedding shower. Wedding showers are designed to make the bride feel good about starting her new life with the groom, and giving gifts that make her feel awkward about the whole process is just poor manners.

Don't include a copy of the receipt for the gift. You run the risk of suggesting that the bride would want to take back your gift. This might embarrass or offend her. The last thing you want to do during a wedding shower is offend the bride. If you are worried that the bride might not appreciate your gift-of-choice, get something that is on one of her registries. This way she gets what she wants and if there is some sort of problem with the gift, the store where she registered will take it back.

Don't give cash as a wedding shower gift. Offering cash is rude. It suggests that the bride cannot handle her own expenses. It also suggests that you don't value the shower enough to put the time or the effort into getting a gift that the bride will enjoy and use in her new life.

If the wedding shower has a theme, and the hostess has requested that you bring gifts that fit that theme, it is poor etiquette to ignore the hostess' request. Don't go out and get something completely off topic if your hostess has requested something specific. For example, if the hostess is giving a kitchen shower, bringing bath towels because you didn't want to put the time into a more suitable gift is a bad idea.

If you plan to order the bridal shower gift, don't have it shipped directly to the bride. It is tradition that all of the gifts will be opened in front of the other guests. If you have it shipped to the bride, not only will you not have a gift to give directly to the bride at her shower, the bride will also not have the pleasure of having everyone else see the gift you have given her.

There are a number of serious errors to avoid when you get ready to purchase your bridal shower gift. Making sure you steer clear of these problems can help to ensure that the bride has the smoothest happiest shower she possibly could. For best results, stick to the shower's theme and the gift registry, and you too, can make the happiest possible bride.

Bridal Shower Zone

Welcome to the Bridal Shower zone! Here you will find tips and tricks for that perfect bridal shower.

Defining Responsibilities - Bridal Shower Guidelines You Need to Know

Hosting a traditional bridal shower can be confusing when you look at all of the etiquette rules and guidelines. Who should host the shower? Is it appropriate to ask for gifts? Who should be invited to the shower? Most of the time, the maid of honor or bride’s family is expected to host a bridal shower. If the responsibility of hosting a shower falls on you, then here are some bridal shower guidelines you should know.

Hosting a bridal shower can be a great way to get together with the bride-to-be and socialize with friends and family. If you are expected to host a shower, you might not understand what responsibilities you have as a hostess. After you understand what your job will be as a hostess, you can plan the shower and sit back and relax as everyone has a good time.

The first step in planning a bridal shower is to talk to the bride. Her preferences will determine what kind of shower you give. She may want a more traditional shower, or might prefer an informal co-ed shower. You will also need to work around her schedule when planning a date and time. She will be very busy as the date of her wedding approaches. Find out what day works best for her and plan on using that date. If she has guests that will need to travel to attend the shower, make sure they are aware of the date in plenty of time. Also, you will need to get a guest list for the shower. As a general rule, you will not invite someone to the shower that has not been invited to the wedding. Talk to the bride and find out who will get a wedding invitation. Also, find out whom she wants included in her shower. If she has a large family, it might not be possible to invite all of her family and friends. Most bridal showers have no more than about 30 guests.

After you have determined the guest list and the time and date, you can start planning the shower. The number of people she invites will help you determine where the shower will take place. If she only wants to include a small circle of friends, you can think about hosting the shower at a private home or an intimate restaurant. For larger guest lists, it might be necessary to rent a space. Also, selecting a theme for the shower might help you stay on track when planning a shower. You might want to have a barbeque, a brunch or host a pampering spa bridal shower. Select a theme that interests you and the bride before making other plans.

As you plan the guest list, you will need to think about the budget. Most of the time, the maid of honor is expected to host a shower, but things are changing and this is not a hard and fast rule. The bride’s family can also help pay for the shower or help provide food and decorations. The budget is the amount you are able or willing to spend on a shower. If you have a limited budget, you might be able to get others to help pitch in to pay for the shower. Your budget will also determine what kinds of decorations you will use, the food you will serve and activities you will provide to the bridal shower guests. As the hostess, you might choose to splurge on food while keeping activities or decorations to a minimum.

Sending out the invitations is the next step in getting ready to host a bridal shower. Make sure that all of the information is included on the invitation, such as the time, date and location. If you are going with a theme, incorporate the theme onto your invitation. For more casual showers, you can even make phone calls or send out email invitations instead of mailing invitations. Generally, shower invitations are sent out two to three weeks prior to the shower. This gives guests enough time to plan ahead. If you need an accurate count on the number of guests that will be attending, be sure to include contact information for RSVPs. In addition, bridal showers are usually given about eight weeks before the wedding. This will help you plan when the shower will be held.