Bridal Shower Do’s and Don’ts

Bridal showers can be a very special and fun event for the bride-to-be as well as the guests. The best of them are full of laughter, love, and great memories. The worst bridal showers, however, are tacky, greedy, or rude. To make sure that your party is one of the great ones, these are some dos and dont’s for bridal shower hosts, guests, and the bride herself.

Do: Invite the women in your life to whom you feel most close. Usually only local friends are invited to a bridal shower, unless they are in the wedding party or close female relatives. Although guests will travel from far and wide to attend the wedding itself, it is not generally the same for bridal showers.

Don’t: Invite anyone to the bridal shower who will not be invited to the wedding. This is one of the worst possible types of shower faux pas. It is incredibly rude to send the message that a person is welcome to come and bring a gift for the bride, but that she is not considered to be important enough to also witness the wedding and join in the celebration at the reception. It is either an invitation to both, or to neither.

Do: Give the bride a thoughtful gift that you think she will cherish, whether or not it is from her bridal registry. Think of the registry as a great place to start, but definitely not the only possibility. Since the people at a bridal shower should be the closest friends and family of the bride, the chances are that they know her tastes, and would be able to pick out a unique gift that she will appreciate.

Don’t: Give the bride a gift that is a “gag” gift, too personal, or in questionable taste. A beautifully embroidered white silk nightgown which she can wear on her wedding night could be nice (if you know her size and taste in such things), but a really racy set of red lingerie is really just too intimate. If the bride would be embarrassed to open the box in front of her grandmother, it is too risque. Gifts such as wedding jewelry can be among the most special a bride receives at her shower, but only if the person giving it knows for certain that it is the particular wedding jewelry the bride has been wishing for to complement her bridal gown. Don’t guess; if the jewelry does not go with her gown, the bride is put in the awkward position of having to wear something that is not right or not wearing it and hurting your feelings.

Do: Designate a guest at the bridal shower (ideally one with very nice handwriting) to make a record of the gifts as they are opened. She should note the type of gift, from whom it was received, and any other special information. The bride can then use this list to write her thank you notes after the bridal shower.

Don’t: Pass around envelopes for guests to address to themselves for thank you notes. This is an alarming trend in some circles, and it is an insult to the guests. Presumably the bride and hostess know where the guests live, since they managed to send them shower invitations. What’s next, asking the guests to write the thank you notes themselves?

Some of the other things that happen at a bridal shower are more a matter of local custom than etiquette. In some families, games are played, in others they are not. Bridal showers may be formal or informal, all female or co-ed, depending on what works for the particular bride and host. None of those choices will change the good natured fun of a thoughtfully planned bridal shower.

About the Author Bridget Mora

Look to Bridget for advice on planning your wedding. Check out how we can help with your bridesmaid gifts and wedding jewelry at http://silverlandjewelry.com/. All jewelry orders over $99 receive complimentary shipping, so visit us today!

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Related posts:

1. Wedding Shower Invitations – When and What to Do
2. Stress Free Wedding Planning Bridal Event- Glen Burnie, Maryland
3. Making the Most Out of Bridal Shows