What Not To Do At A Wedding Shower

Wedding showers are all about the bride.  Sometimes you know her really well and the shower is a happy, fun-filled occasion.  Other times, you barely know the girl and you have no idea how to act, what to get her, or what to say.  In each situation and every one in between, here is a cardinal list of rules of what not to do at ANY wedding shower.

Unless it’s ONE OF THOSE Showers, Stay Away from Inappropriate Gifts

Unless the shower is designated for gifts of the *ahem* more intimate nature, stay away from sex toys and risque lingerie.  One famous story is floating around the internet that regards a ninety-year-old grandmother who was so offended at a shower gift that she spit her dentures out and stormed away.  We want to avoid offended grandmothers.

Keep Your History To Yourself

There are countless stories out there about girls who attend the bridal showers of women who are marrying their ex boyfriends.  Maybe that’s not clear, so let’s put it into second person narrative.  You’re at a shower.  The girl who is getting married is getting married to a guy you used to date.  Whatever you do, do not talk about your relationship with this girl’s groom-to-be.  It’s in poor taste and makes everyone feel awkward.

Other Don’ts

Don’t:

tell dirty jokes
get naked
encourage anybody else to get naked
get wasted
get wasted and  naked
be mean to the  bride
be mean to the bride’s mother, grandmother, sister, best friend, etc.

If you follow these simple rules, you should be fine.  If you think of something other than one of these things to do to offend people, PULEASE write to tell me about it.

Wine Theme Bridal Shower

A wine and cheese party can be a great way to get together with friends or for a special bridal or wedding shower, birthday party or other celebration. It be easy to put together with a minimum of work even if you don’t know much about wine or cheese! You can throw together a simple but elegant party without a lot of fuss and have an interesting theme to boot. A wine and cheese party may be the quintessential choice for an elegant bridal shower party. Women love to nibble and graze and putting out a beautiful spread of cheeses, crackers, fruit and wine (along with some bite size desserts) is just perfect. It is the selection and variety of these items that will set your party apart and above the typical wine and cheese bridal theme party.

The Wine:

Like everything else – serve a variety. Two whites and two reds are perfect.   For the white – offer one on the sweeter side (perhaps a Riesling) and one more on the dry and crisp side (a Chardonnay or Sauvignon Blanc).   As for the red choices – try one on the ‘lighter’ side (Pinot Noir or Beaujolais Nouveau are good choices) and a full bodied one (a French Bordeaux or Californian Cab would be perfect). Of course make sure there are non-alcoholic beverages too – whether water, club soda or the like. Read more

Unique Bridal Shower Themes

Whatever your bridal shower theme, you will need bridal shower games; find a book of games – Click Here!

A recent trend in the practice of bridal showers are themes. Themes are a fun, creative way to spice up a traditional event. Bridal showers are most than just a day for bride to help her prepare for the big day, they are also a time to enjoy the company of family and friends. It is important that the bride use the shower as a way to express her personal style and tastes. that’s where bridal shower themes come in. Here are some wonderful theme ideas:

1. Wine Tasting Party

This bridal shower theme is a great idea for wine lovers! It is also a way to include all of your guests in the event. If you have your wine tasting shower at a winery, the staff can choose which wines should be tasted. If you would rather have your party at someones house, you can pick the wines yourself or have guests bring their favorite wines to try.

2. Pajama Bridal Shower

Having an all-girls shower? Why not throw the party in the evening and have all guests come in their pajamas! Instead of traditional games, let your guests relax with facials, manicures and pedicures. These wonderful, relaxing activities will help alleviate the stress that the bride is feeling during this time.

3. Hawaiian Themed Party

Say Aloha to the bride with this fun bridal shower theme! Hawaiian themed parties are great for any bride who loves to go to the beach. Decorate your shower with tiki torches and bright colors and give each guest her own lei as she walks in. You could also hire a professional to teach guests how to hula dance!

4. Pink Bridal Shower

For the more feminine brides, “shower” the entire party with the color pink! Use pink decorations including flowers, tablecloths or dishes. Give guests a pink-colored candle as a favor. Also, no pink bridal shower would be the same without a pink cake!

5. Room of the House Bridal Shower

Another great bridal shower theme is a Room of House shower. Each guest is assigned a particular room of the house, such as kitchen, bathroom or bedroom, and they must buy a present that would be used in that room. For decorations, you could separate the party area into different “rooms” and have the bride move from “room to room”; while she opens her presents!

6. Naughty and Nice Bridal Shower

Have you ever wanted to bring a really naughty gift for the bride-to-be but were too embarrassed about her opening it in front of everybody else? Well, here is your chance. Everyone needs to bring a naughty gift, as well as a nice gift to be opened on the day. The naughty gifts however are put in a black satin pillowcase with a red ribbon and left for the bride to open with her husband on their honeymoon night while they have some more fun.

7. Quiz the Bride Bridal Shower

Put the bride-to-be in the hot seat and see how much she really knows her husband-to-be. In order to use this game you will have needed to ask the groom some questions before the day and got his answers either written down or on video tape. You then ask the bride these same questions and see whether she answers correctly. Find out how good their communication skills really are, or whether they have been too consumed with other things.

8. Honeymoon Panties Bridal Shower

Buy packs of plain white panties so that each guest has a pair to decorate for the honeymoon. The bride-to-be then tried these different panties on over her clothes and decides who is the winner and can take them all home to show to her husband on their wedding night.

Whatever your bridal shower theme, you will need bridal shower games; find a book of games – Click Here!

Written partially by Tamara Ford.  you may be interested in reading another article she wrote about Party Themes and Ideas.

Bridal Shower Themes

One of the jobs of a bridesmaid is to help throw a bridal shower for the bride. Depending on your personality, this can either be a very fun task, or a very daunting one. If you are not accustomed to entertaining, you may not know where to begin.

A great way to give a party a distinctive style is to pick a theme. The theme is some idea or design element that you choose to help bring the whole event together. It is fine to be eclectic, but you do not want to host a bridal shower that seems to have no direction or unified look. The theme will give you ideas about the invitations, decorations, food, music, games, and maybe even the gift.

There are some themes that are very traditional for bridal showers. One popular idea is a kitchen based shower. It dates back to the time when it was expected that every wife would be a homemaker. In considering this type of old-fashioned theme today, it is important to know the bride well. If she is a real “foodie”, then no doubt some gifts from the gourmet cooking shop would thrill her. However, if the bride is very career-oriented and has no interest in cooking, she might be insulted by a kitchen themes bridal shower.

These days it is more common to pick the theme based on the bride’s interests or her personal style. For instance, I once co-hosted a bridal shower for a very dear friend who loved cherries (she even had a tattoo of a cherry on her shoulder). We chose invitations with a cherry pattern on them, had dishes of chocolate covered cherries, and for the favors, I handmade soap with a cherry design. Of course, not everything at the shower was based on cherries; we served many of her favorite foods, and chose flowers in her favorite color combination, purple and orange. Remember to use your theme as a starting point, but not to take it over the top.

You can also use the bride’s wedding as an idea for the bridal shower. For example, if she is having a destination wedding, then why not throw a beach themed shower? It would be a great warm-up to the main event. You could send invitations with seashells or starfish on them, fill hurricane lanterns with shells and white candles for decorations, and ask all of the guests to bring a beach themed gift. The bridesmaids might even chip in together on a special present, such as a piece of handmade jewelry for the bride to wear at her wedding. For a destination wedding, a casual piece of wedding jewelry handmade with organic pearl wedding jewelry would be a great idea.

Another source of ideas for a bridal shower could be the bride’s background. Let’s say that the bride is a Southern belle who has relocated to New York City. She would be touched to have a shower that featured her favorite Southern things. You could serve regional foods and decorate with magnolias floating in water.

The most important thing to remember when choosing a theme for a bridal shower is that it should look like the bride. This is not the occasion to inject the taste of the hosts. Ask yourself, “would the bride love this?”, and if the answer is yes, you will know that you have found the perfect theme.

Look to Bridget for advice on planning your wedding. Check out how we can help with your bridesmaids jewelry at SilverlandJewelry.com. Handmade wedding jewelry is a beautiful and thoughtful gift.

« Previous Page