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Planning a bridal shower for a friend who is getting married can be almost as overwhelming as planning a wedding. You have to draw up a guest list, send out invitations, prepare food, plan games - the list seems endless. This article will help you develop a plan to throw a successful bridal shower. The first essential step is to plan a date. Most bridal showers are scheduled for the early afternoon on a weekend. Give guests ample notice and coordinate your plans with the bride. The bride is probably feeling at lot of pressure during this time, so work with her to make sure she's free. Plan the shower to occur sometime between three months and three weeks prior to the wedding. Once the date is established, you will need to draw up a list of invitees. A sure way of getting all the information you need is to ask the bride for the wedding guest list. There are some definite rules to follow here: the maid of honor or bridesmaids usually host the shower (if there is only one), and don't ask anyone who hasn't been invited to the wedding. It would be insulting to imply that someone is good enough to bring a shower gift but not special enough to attend the wedding itself. In some cases the couple has planned a wedding to which only family will be attending. This doesn't happen often. If this is the case invite the bride's female friends and all the couple's female relatives, which is the usual etiquette for bridal showers. Food and drink should be next on your list. Since most bridal showers are an afternoon affair, light snacks and perhaps wine would be appropriate. Asking close family to bring a small dish is fine, but do not ask all guests to bring an appetizer or dessert. Most people will be offended to not only be asked to bring a gift but food as well. Be sure to have non-alcoholic drinks on hand. A traditional part of most bridal showers is to play games, usually with some correlation to the impending nuptials. This is a fun way to break the ice and get the guests involved in conversation. Typically, small prizes are offered to the "winner" of the games. There are a variety of games that can be played, everything from an innocent to the slightly naughty. Of course, selecting the appropriate type of games will be dependent in part on the guests invited and their comfort level. Usually, two or three games are enough to break up the ice and the monotony. Be aware of a couple of additional protocol issues. The bride's mother does not plan the bridal shower so as to eliminate the appearance of being motivated by a wish to merely get as many gifts as possible. If a guest would like to bring a friend to the shower, politely decline. An explanation about how awkward the guest may feel with family and friends of the bride should be sufficient reasoning to dissuade the most persistent individual. Take plenty of pictures at the bridal shower - the bride will enjoy looking back on a scrapbook of memories of her shower, and the family and friends that gathered together to wish her well.
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Holly Clandon is the owner and operator of FT Bridal, the best place on the internet for information about Bridal. For more articles on Bridal why not visit: www.ftbridal.com/articles Click here to get your own unique version of this article.
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