Bridal Shower Traditions
-- Bridal Shower Traditions --
A bridal shower is a traditional celebration that takes place in the months or weeks leading up to a wedding. It is a time when the women in a bride’s circle come together to “shower” the future bride with gifts and attention.
There are a number of traditions that are associated with a bridal shower, which is typically hosted at someone’s house, a country club, restaurant, garden or other common area. Tradition dictates that the maid of honor will host the bridal shower, but in many cases it is hosted by a number of bridesmaids together. Anyone who wants to host a shower can; often, a bride will be “showered” with showers, if she has a number of different groups. For example, friends from her hometown might plan one shower, current friends might plan another, and colleagues might plan an at-work shower.
All About Numbers Typically, the hostess is the one who will set the limit on the number of guests, since she is the one taking on the financial aspect of planning the shower. It is considered poor etiquette for guests who are not invited to the wedding to be invited to the shower, since the idea is to give the bride gifts and presents. If, however, the shower will take place out of town and the hostess or family member insists on inviting non-wedding guests, consider adding a line on the invitation stating that no gifts are necessary.
Just For Fun There are many bridal shower traditions. Guests will usually enjoy a luncheon, a tea, or a brunch – with lots of feminine touches. Games are often played, which can include prizes, trivia, and lots of fun. Traditionally, the hostess will select a theme for the shower. This could range from a spa-theme to an “around the world” theme, where each guests brings a gift from a different part of the world. “Around the clock” showers are also popular, in which each guest is assigned an hour of the day and must bring a gift that can be used during that time. During bridal showers, women who are married will often bestow the bride-to-be with advice on marriage. Showers often take an adventurous twist, and might incorporate romantic or sex advice. One traditional game is to have guests divide into teams of two or three. Each team is given a roll of toilet paper, and with one team member as the model, they must each design a wedding dress out of toilet paper. The bride-to-be chooses the winner.
Invitations And Gifts It is traditional to send out proper invitations in the mail for a bridal shower. Invitations should be sent about three weeks before the shower. After the shower, the bride should send out thank you notes – typically a bridesmaid will take detailed notes on gifts in order to keep track of who gave what. The bride-to-be will open all her gifts once the guests have had a chance to mingle and eat. Want to be the hostess with the mostess? Slip the bride a stack of pre-addressed thank-you cards before she leaves – it will make thank-you card writing a snap! -- Bridal Shower Traditions --
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