Bridal Shower Guest Lists, Hostesses and Invitation TipZ

Who Should Host a Wedding Shower?

Traditionally, wedding showers followed a predictable pattern in nearly all situations. Today, although some broad rules still apply, there is much more flexibility and room for creativity in hosting a wedding shower. The most important thought to keep in mind is that the purpose of having the party is to “shower” the bride or the couple with affection and a show of support for their decision to marry, and to provide them with thoughtful gifts.

Typically, the maid or matron of honor or other good friends of the bride or groom host the shower. It is also perfectly appropriate for anyone with a strong connection to the guest of honor (for example, the best friend of the mother of the bride), a co-worker, or a family member (aunt, cousin, etc.) to host the party. Historically, close relatives, such as the mother of the bride or siblings would not host a shower. However, there are some parts of the country where that has become an acceptable custom. It is also perfectly acceptable for the mother of the bride to open her home to be used as the location for the shower, to involve the families of the bride and groom in the planning, and to accept offers of help with food/activities/etc.

Many brides/couples are fortunate enough to have several different circles of people who want to host a shower for them…attendants, church friends, co-workers, groom’s out-of-town relatives, old family friends. While there is no limit to the number of showers that can be held for a couple, it is most considerate not to invite any guest, with the exception of immediate family, to more than one shower.

Another increasingly popular option in hosting wedding or bridal showers today is to throw the party with a co-host or a group of co-hosts. The advantages to sharing the responsibilities include:
• Share the expenses…much easier on the budget. Purchase a bigger gift for the bride, or make the shower unforgettably spectacular with favors, great decorations and wonderful food!
• More options for the party location.
• Time saving for everyone with responsibilities divided equally.

Bridal Shower Invitations

Although themed bridal showers are becoming increasing popular in recent years, a traditional wedding shower for the bride is still the most common form of pre-wedding celebration. Many times the party is held in the morning over brunch, but it can also be hosted in the afternoon or evening with a dessert menu or light appetizers and drinks. The guest list for this event typically includes the bridesmaids, close friends of the bride, and family members of both bride and groom.

A shower can take place six months before the wedding or as close as two weeks before the big day. Check with the bride for a convenient date! Be sure to mail the invitations out so that they arrive at least two weeks before the event. If you are inviting guests from out of town, a six to eight week lead-time would be more appropriate.

Be sure to include the following information in your invitation:
• Date, time, and length of shower
• Who is invited (i.e. children, or adults only)
• Name & location of bridal registry
• Bride’s name & groom’s name
• Map to the party location
• Description of theme (if applicable) and if gifts and attire should be tied to the theme
• RSVP phone number

We offer a few different bridal shower invitations that are preprinted and ready for you to add your individual information. All of them are lovely and are excellent choices.

If you are inviting a large group of guests to the shower, you may want to consider having a formal invitation printed to give your hands a rest from writing each one. A preprinted invitation also provides a sense of style and sophistication to the event at a reasonable cost. A beautiful choice for this occasion would be a Bridal Invitation.

Wedding Shower Guest List

The guest list for a bridal shower typically includes the bridesmaids, close friends of the bride, and family members (both bride and groom’s female relatives). If you are hosting a shower for work friends, or a church shower, you would not be obligated to include anyone outside that circle of friends. This is especially true if the paths of the different groups of friends do not often cross each other.

Today, more and more wedding showers are co-ed events that honor both the bride and the groom. Some people refer to this type of shower as a Jack & Jill Party, and it really is much more like a party than the traditional bridal shower. If you are hosting a co-ed wedding shower, the groomsmen, ushers, friends of the groom, and male family members would also be included. Gifts are still the hi-light of the event, but this is also a fantastic opportunity to gather families and friends together prior to the wedding…the reception will be all the more fun for everyone!

How many people should be included? There are no rules as to the number of guests that should be included. The hostess really is the one who needs to define the number that she feels comfortable with, and the location and/or budget may be determining factors in the decision.

Many brides/couples today are fortunate enough to have multiple showers held in their honor. The only rule that generally applies to this situation is that with the exception of immediate family, each friend or extended family member should appear on only one guest list. For most people, purchasing two nice gifts in a short time frame can be a strain on the budget.

In order to assure that mistakes are not made, consult with the bride about the guest list. If the shower is a surprise party, consult with the mother of the bride, or the honor attendant as to the makeup of the guest list.

It is generally considered to be in good taste to include only people who will be invited to the wedding to a shower. There are some exceptions to this rule. If the couple is getting married in the bride’s home state of New York, and they reside in California…invite everyone to the shower held in California…chances are 95% of them wouldn’t make it to the wedding even if they were invited. Other exceptions include: acquaintances or colleagues who might be included in a church or work shower, but who aren’t close enough to be invited to the wedding; if the couple are having a small intimate wedding with only family members; or if the couple has chosen to marry at a location away from their home town (exotic destination weddings have become extremely popular).

Decorations for a Beautiful Bridal Shower

Whether your shower location is a home, clubhouse, restaurant or other location, you’ll want to make it special with a few unforgettable decorations.

Inside Decorations:

An inexpensive way to create a beautiful and striking ambiance is with gossamer material. Choose either a bridal white or the colors of the wedding and simply drape the fabric over tables, tie bows on the backs of the chairs, swag it across a mantle, wrap it around pillars, and hang it from the ceiling. To add to this extraordinary look, place twinkle lights under the lightweight fabric for an ethereal glow.
 
Place pictures of the bride and her groom around the room. Make collages of them as babies and young adults. Be sure to include a collection of pictures of them together doing shared activities.
 
Don’t underestimate the power of balloons even for a more formal setting such as a bridal shower. For bridal elegance, you may want to consider using only a white and silver combination of balloons. Tie curling ribbon onto each balloon and hang them from the ceiling at varying heights.

Large bouquets of fresh flowers are a beautiful addition to your décor. You can have them arranged using the colors of the wedding, or an assortment of brightly colored flowers in season is exceptionally nice.

Place a white parasol on the floor next to the bride’s chair. To “shower the bride” with gifts, have your guests place their packages under the umbrella as they arrive.

Table Decorations and Napkins:
 
We offer two excellent ensembles for this occasion.  Both are updated elegance that will surely make your bridal shower an event to remember.  Choose between a Blushing Bride Ensemble or a Bridal Ensemble.

If you don’t have access to enough fine linens for your tables, gossamer is again an excellent choice. You can put this over the top of a colored cloth for extra dimension. In addition, if you don’t have enough good china to serve all of your guests, plastic tableware is perfectly acceptable as a great alternative.
 
For your centerpieces, we suggest one of the following options.

You can continue with the fresh flower suggestion and have a large arrangement at each table. Purchase a beautiful bridal centerpiece.
 
Use framed pictures of the bride on each table. Place the pictures on a bed of greens or colored shred.

Place a variety of candles on your tables varying the height of each one for the most appealing look. A small piece of gossamer tied in a bow on pillar candles really top off the look.

Use your food as a centerpiece. Place large upside down buckets and paint cans of various sizes under your tablecloth. Place your food on beautiful serving pieces and place them on top of the makeshift platforms. Sprinkle rose petals between dishes. A sweet stations are also great for this purpose.

Bridal Shower Games and Activities

Games are a traditional party of the bridal shower festivities. Here are some of our favorite bridal shower games. 

A fun game that allows your guests to become familiar with the groom as well as the bride, is the “How Well Do You Know The Bride” game. Here’s how you play: Before the day of the shower, ask the groom several questions about the bride. For example, “What is her favorite flower?” or “What is her dream date?” Videotape his answers to each of the questions. At the shower, ask the same series of questions to the guests and have them write down their answers. After all the questions have been answered, ask each one to the bride and have her give her answer. Next play the videotape of her fiancee’s answers – just for fun. The one that gets the most answers right wins! Not only is this a fun way to include the groom, you learn more about the guest of honor!

Playing “Bridal Gift Bingo” ensures that the guests will pay close attention to the gifts as they are opened! Before the bride opens any presents, have each guest create their own bingo card (to make it easier, print up blank cards before hand for them). They must fill in each square with a shower gift that the bride might open that day. For example, one box would be bath towels, another box might be pots and pans. As the bride opens her presents, the guests can mark off a box if they wrote down that particular item. The first person to get bingo wins!

For this “Think Fast” game, everyone sits in a circle. The bride begins the game by throwing a garter to someone. While attempting to catch it, she must name something found in the wedding ceremony (i.e. flowers, alter, camera). Once the garter is caught, it is quickly tossed to someone else who must name something. If she cannot answer quickly enough, that person is out of the game. Play until one person is left!

“The Mystery Spice Game” is always fun. Before the shower, take the labels off of 10 spice jars and number them. Pass the spices around and have the guests guess what they are by sight and smell - but no tasting! The guest with the most correct answers wins!

Have a “Bridal Shower Scavenger Hunt.” This activity actually takes place inside the guests’ purses! Make a list of items and assign a point system to each item. For example, 20 points for – dental floss, $100 bill, or nail polish remover; 10 points for tweezers, rubber band, or shopping list; 5 points for pen, comb, or photos. Set a timer for 4 minutes and have the guests see how many of the items they can find in their purse. The person with the most points wins!

For a funny yet meaningful moment, play “Name That Advice.” Go around the room and have the guests give the bride a piece of advice on marriage. The fun part of this is that the advice must be something that starts with the first letter of their name. For example, Jodi could tell the bride that “Jell-O is easy to make for a quick meal!,” or Laura could tell the bride to “Love him every moment.” At the end of this game, you could, as a group, award the bride with a blue bow hankie.

This game works best if the attendees are good friends or all relatives. It brings a little embarrassment and lots of laughs! First, pass out 10 pieces of candy to each person. The object of this game is the keep your candy while making everyone else eat theirs! The guest of honor starts by stating something true about herself. For example, “I never dated two guys at the same time.” Any one that has done that must eat a piece of their candy. The game continues to the next player who makes a true statement about herself. After everyone has had a turn, the person with the most candy left wins.

Tell us about how you made you bridal shower tons of fun!

Favors for Bridal Shower Friends

Most hostesses wish to provide all of the shower guests with a small token of appreciation for attending and honoring the bride. We offer a couple of choices for simple yet special favors that make a perfect way of saying, “Thank you.”

Personalized bubbles are adorable and a great reminder of the upcoming special day!

Fill frosted candy boxes with small candies in the colors of the wedding. These favors look great on the table at each place setting. You can attach a small card with the guest’s names on each one and use them as placecards for assigned seating if desired.

Give your guests a nice scrapbook to record all their memories of the shower and the wedding. 

Another idea that serves as a very nice keepsake and place to store precious memories is our photo box.  Your guests will be thrilled with this simple yet elegant box.

Personalize your favors with votive candle clings or personalized fans printed in your monogram. They’re great decorations that guests can take home as favors.

Tell us your bridal shower favor ideas!