The
bridal shower is a traditional celebration which allows friends
and family to show their affection and "shower" the
bride with gifts. The shower occurs from two months to two weeks
before the wedding, and can be anything from an informal luncheon
at the office to a buffet dinner in an elegant restaurant.
Anyone
who wants to "do something" for the bride may give her
a shower, even a group of two or three friends can act as co-hostesses.
One rule is that immediate family members (mothers, sisters, mothers-in-law)
should not give showers because it appears that the family is
soliciting gifts.
The
hostess can set the limit on the number of guests since she will
be paying the bill. No one should be invited to the shower who
has not been invited to the wedding, or who does not know the
couple.
One
of the bride's responsibilities, as far as her shower goes, is
to provide the hostess with a guest list and to make sure that
she hasn't created a financial burden on someone by inviting her
to more than one or two showers. She should also send a written
note of thanks to her guests for any presents received, as well
as to the hostess(es) for their hospitality.
Shower
themes can be fun and useful. Unique shower ideas are:
A
"round the clock" shower, where guests are assigned
an hour of day on their invitations and bring the appropriate
gifts (for exarnple, at 7:00 A.M. a guest might bring a toaster).
A
home repair shower for the bride and groom.
A
lingerie shower.
A
recipe shower, where each guest receives a recipe card and fills
in a favorite dish.
A
"wishing well" shower, where, in addition to the gift,
the guest brings a tiny present (a wooden spoon, a kitchen sponge
etc.). The hostess makes a cardboard replica of a well, and the
gifts, wrapped and tied with ribbons, are tossed in. There are
no cards attached, though sometimes the guests write a poem, and
attach it to their gifts. The bride pulls out the gifts with the
ribbons and reads the poems aloud.
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