Throwing A Bridal Shower
By Holly Clandon
Planning a 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 shower.

The first essential step is to plan a date. Most 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.

Next you need to determine who will be invited. The Maid of Honor and the Bridesmaids are typically the ones who host the event. The easiest way to invite guests is to ask the bride for her guest list. This way you have everyone’s address and phone numbers. No one should be invited who is not invited to the wedding. Etiquette dictates that it is insulting to assume a guest is welcome to bring a gift to a shower but not important enough to be invited to the wedding. Of course there are exceptions to the rule, such as if the bride and groom are having a destination wedding with only close family. Typically all female relatives on both sides of the families should be invited as well as the bride’s female friends.

Planning the menu for the event is the next step. Since most showers take place in the afternoon, light snacks and light drinks, such as wine, are appropriate. Its fine to ask a close friend to assist with bringing food, but it's inappropriate to ask all guests to assist with food and drinks. After all, it's quite rude to ask people to bring a gift to an event and also bring food as well. Always offer non-alcoholic drinks for those that prefer not to imbibe.

Last on your to-do list is planning some games to play. This has long been a tradition at showers. Depending on the guest list, they vary from non-offensive to slightly risqu‚. The bride should be the center of attention, but be sure to involve all the guests in some way. Two or three games should be plenty to break up the monotony of watching the bride open gifts.

Be aware of a couple of additional protocol issues. The bride's mother does not plan the 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 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.

Holly Clandon is the owner and operator of FT Bridal, a fantastic resource for information about Bridal, For more articles on why not visit: www.ftbridal.com/articles
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