The Come & Go (Open House) Shower: Is it a Good Time or a Street Crime?

I think that it’s a FABULOUS idea! Who really likes to sit through the games and presents anyway??? I’m getting ready to throw my sister a baby shower and we are doing it this way. People are just too judgemental. Relax. As long as you receive a nice thankyou….what’s the big deal?

The best way to do the gifts would be to open them as they come in, or in small batches every 1/2 hour or so - that way the guests can see you open the gifts they brought and you can thank the giver personally.

The benefit of opening the gifts as they come in is that it gives you a chance to interact with each guest individually - when they arrive, you spend a few minutes talking with them, open the gift, thank them personally, etc. The downside is that you may have people coming in groups who will have to wait their turn - but really, at a normal shower, everyone has to wait their turn anyway right?

A nice idea is to create a “gift table” to display the gifts with cards after you open them so other guests who come in can see what everyone else gave you as well:D

How were the opening of gifts handled at an open house shower? My guest list is huge just with Family 75!! (WE both come from big families)I know not all will come but just wondering how we should deal with the presents?

I would like to give a come and go bridal shower and would like some ideas as to how to word the invitation. I want each person to know they are more than welcome to stay and visit the entire or if they have a busy schedule that day they can come and go as they please. Can you help me with this

My closest friend’s daughter is getting married this fall and I am hosting an open house type shower for her. We have all lived in this area for fifteen to twenty five years with many friends in common. In addition, our children have remained close and live in this area as well. For this reason, even though I would love to have a normal shower, the shower list will be 60 people at least and there is no way my home could accommodate that many people. This type of shower is not new at all. As a matter of fact, my bridal shower was an open house. It really has nothing to do with not wanting to spend money, because I can assure you, when you invite 60 people into your home, you will spend money…..And I certainly hope people will not be offended when the invitation arrives. If they are, well it’s THEIR problem not mine. I believe I am doing a good thing for my special friend and I know she will exemplify her gracious character in this event just as she has in the past.

It’s not that big of a deal. A bride has no control over her shower so don’t blame her. Families have so much to do around wedding time and soooooo much $$$$$ is spend- well it is just all crazy. I like the idea of laid back shower.

Plus- I find shower boring.

Not everyone is lucky enough to have such a small guest list. I come from a large family and just my sisters, moms and bridesmaids would have been more then 20 people. My bridal shower was a regular shower, with the bridesmaids, sisters, grandmas, moms, my aunts and a few close friends - which came to 60 people! My biggest regret is that I look at the pictures and can’t remember even having the time to talk to half of the people that were there:( If I were to do it over again, I would have an open house shower for that reason.

It is not like she is asking you to come at a specific time and stay for only a few minutes. It is an open ended invitation, meaning you can come at any time, leave at anytime, and stay as long as you wish. There is nothing about this that says she wants you to show up and leave right away. You are welcome there for the duration of the shower - but unlike a regular shower - you do not have to feel obligated to remain there the entire time if you choose not to. So, the choice is yours not hers.

The hosts responsibilities are to provide a pleasent atmosphere, offer some sort of refreshments and take time to make each guest feel at home. This can be done just as easily at a Come & Go (sometimes more easily). In the end - you can not determine if the host will be hold up her end until you actually get there.

It has the appearance of being rude. As if they want your gifts but don’t want to be bothered by hosting their guests!

I don’t know who came up with this idea, but it goes against everything being a good hostess and the principals of a shower are all about.

Personally, I wouldn’t host such a thing and quite frankly, I don’t think I would want to attend such an event.

Out of the 160 people on my invitation list, only 20 are on my bridal shower list. I just wanted to invite ladies that I have some type of personal relationship with.

Hey there. Actually, this type of shower is becomming quite common. As wedding guest lists get larger, so do bridal shower guest lists. So when someone does not have a home or location big enough for everyone, a open house shower is the perfect option.

I would not take this as an insult - this is not because they don’t want you to get to know the bride. In fact, most people do this thinking that with less people there at once, the bride will have more time to connect with each person. In fact - this may be true!

If you want to have time to connect with the bride - show up early. If there are already a lot of people there, wait till some of them leave and then take some time for a one on one with the bride. You’d never get that chance if all the guests were their the whole time, would you?