Etiquette and ideas
The bridal shower occurs between two months and two weeks before the wedding.
Tradition dictates that immediate family members (mothers, sisters, mothers-in-law) should not give showers as it appears the family is soliciting gifts. Invite only those who have been invited to the wedding and who know the couple.
As the bride, one of your responsibilities is to provide the hostess with a guest list and to assure you haven’t created a financial burden on someone by inviting them to more than one shower. Send a written note of thanks to each guest for presents you receive and to the hostess (or hostesses) for their hospitality. A gift of thanks to your hostess is also appropriate and can be as simple as a bouquet of flowers.
Unique shower themes can be fun and creative. A shower to delight every guest is a spa shower. Hire someone to give manicures, pedicures, or mini massages. Serve fun cocktails such as cosmopolitans or mango margaritas, and bite size food that won’t smudge wet nails. An appropriate shower favor might be a bottle of nail polish, lotion, or other bath related items.
If the bride likes a relaxing good time, throw a honeymoon shower. Decorate everything in the theme of the couple’s honeymoon destination, with food and drinks to match. Ask the guests to bring an item that the bride will want for her trip: suntan lotion, film or disposable cameras, Dramamine, a few mini bottles of liquor (do you know how expensive they are in the hotel mini-bar?), or miniatures of her favorite bath products. Ask the guests to do a little research on the couple’s destination and write down a suggestion of something to see or do, or somewhere to eat.
To get the groom involved, host a couple’s shower at night and invite male and female friends and family. Have a “pre-wedding game show”. Let the bride and groom take turns answering personal questions while the other is out of the room. Then bring them back in to see how well they know their future spouse. Keep in mind there may be parents in attendance, so keep the questions fun, not embarrassing!
SINGLE SOIREES
It’s time for your final outing as a single guy and gal. Whether you have a hot time on the town, a wild weekend out-of-town or a demur celebration at home, we have plenty of ideas for you.
Many restaurants and clubs have packages for bachelor/ette parties and all types of entertainment, from champagne while listening to jazz, to riding the mechanical bull, to dancing to your favorite band.
Enjoy a sports-themed event. Start with a day at the track and end with a night at the ballpark. Spend a weekend at a resort. For the ladies, a spa resort; For the men, a golf resort.
Visit Vegas. For the guys and the girls, live it up, party all-night long and gamble for some extra wedding cash. Just don’t get married…yet!
A new trend is for you and your friends to take a pole-dancing or exotic dance class. Follow with dinner and some live demonstrations at a nearby club.
Bring in a private chef for a cooking demonstration. Follow with a girl’s slumber party and some spa pampering the next morning.
It’s time for your final outing with your pals before it’s official. Even if the modern tradition of visiting a nightclub with members of the opposite sex dancing in various stages of undress is definitely not in your plans, it doesn’t mean you can’t have a wild time out on the town.