A Wedding Shower Checklist
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 is 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, 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!
Author: Claire Bowes
Claire Bowes is a freelance write and owner of 1st-for-greeting-cards.com
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