Bridal Showers Are Supposed To Be Fun And Stress Free

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.

Are you searching for a unique shower idea for a friend or relative? There are many creative possibilities. For starters, it's a good idea to match the shower to the bride. Is she conservative and traditional, or more unconventional? Would she be happier with a small, intimate group of five, or thrilled with a room full of thirty? Either way, theme showers are popular and make planning the event much easier. With some imagination, you can throw a shower which will be remembered long after the wedding.

Ordinarily, showers are given a month or two prior to the wedding, but they can be up to six months before. Traditionally, the maid of honor has been financially responsible, but today there's room for flexibility on that issue. In order to keep the financial burden to a minimum, two or three people may host a shower together.

During the shower, one bridesmaid should keep track of which guest gave what present, and another should make sure cards stay with the right boxes. Thank-you notes will be simpler for the bride, if this is handled that day.

Happy Memories Shower: This is a great event for close friends and family of the bride. It works best with a smaller group of 8-10 people. All guests are asked to bring old photos of the bride from her childhood or teen years. They should also bring a short anecdote or funny story in writing, recalling the happy times they've spent together. As each person shares their special memory, the photos and written material are placed in a decorated scrapbook for the bride as a keepsake.

International Flair: This shower has themes within a theme, as each guest is assigned a country and asked to bring gift items pertaining to their country. England could be a tea set, or selection of fine teas, for instance. Italy could be a pasta maker or an Italian cookbook. Refreshments can mirror the international flavor of the day with egg rolls, Scottish shortbread, pita bread, etc. The hostess can "assign" herself a country and decorate accordingly. Guests can make a game of guessing what country the gifts represent.

Stock the Bar: This works well for a "couples" shower and if arranged in the evening, becomes more of a social event. The invitation list can be unlimited in length. Besides alcohol, guests could bring bar accessories such as an ice bucket with tongs, drink recipes, wine racks, or martini glasses, for example. Each guest might also be asked to bring a unique shot glass, so the couple has a starter collection to remind them of their closest friends.

Basket Shower: This is another theme within a theme shower. Depending upon the bride and her hobbies, guests could bring a gardening basket, dog-lovers basket, gourmet basket, romance basket, handy-gadgets basket, etc. Each one might contain a half dozen or so small items related to the theme. The hostess could decorate with baskets and serve some of the refreshments in baskets, as well.

Pick-a-Season Shower: This shower is especially amusing if you pick the opposite season, such as a winter shower during the summer or vice versa. All the gifts should reflect the season, such as beach towels in the middle of January, or Christmas decorations in the heat of July. Refreshments and decor can also reflect the opposite season, as could the music. Have the guests relate some of their best "seasonal" memories of the bride.

Relaxation Shower: For this shower, all the gifts pamper the bride and help her relax. Refreshments could include herbal tea, and finger foods. A massage therapists could be on hand to give massages (in the chair) and the music should be soothing. Gifts might include, aromatherapy candles, bath beads, gift certificates for a day spa, CD's of ocean sounds, etc.

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.

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.

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.

s 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.

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 bride 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.

Finally, don't feel limited. This special event is meant to be shared among close friends. If you feel an afternoon canoeing, followed by a picnic in the woods best suits the bride and her friends, rather than a more traditional shower, go for it!