By Claire Bowes
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's 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,
bridal shower 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 bridge 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!
