Shower Party

A shower is a party to celebrate a special event, typically a wedding or birth of a baby.
It is customary to “shower” the guest of honor with gifts and other offerings such as cards and money.

The shower party serves at least 2 functions.
The first is a celebration in anticipation of the blessed event and the other is to supply the bride / mother to be with useful items.

A wedding shower is usually organized by the maid of honor, the mother or sister of the bride or some other friend or relative.

Usually there are several people involved in the planning and hosting but there are no firm rules.
Likewise there is no set rule for when to hold the party but it would stand to reason that anytime from a few months to a few weeks before would be wise.

The expenses are the responsibility of those who plan the party and so the size and scope may be determined by the cost.
The venue is the choice of the planners and it could be as simple as a home hosted get together to a grand affair with catered food and entertainment. Usually there is at least some type of food or snacks and beverages served.

Invitations are sent out in advance with a date and time as well as directions to the shower.
The invitation may also contain other information such as special theme gifts, such as a recipe exchange, or even price range of gifts.

This may see haughty but those who are planning the party will probably have an idea of kind of gifts the guests will afford and they will be doing the guest a favor.
No one wants to be invited to a party where they are expected to bring a gift they can not afford, nor do they wish to be embarrassed by bringing a gift that is too expensive compared to the others.
A dollar amount need not be listed, simply the the type of gift.

Theme party’s are another idea.
We are still using Tupper Ware from a theme party more than 27 years ago.
It’s best to have some type of itinerary planned to help the party flow from introductions to good by.
Some planners opt for wedding shower favors as mementos for the guests.

Games can help break the ice and serve a a segway for main events such as opening gifts.
Here is a child’s birthday party game we modified for a bridal shower.
Arrange a number of wedding theme items on a serving tray or on a card table covered with a cloth, the more the better.

Do this in another room or with your back turned so no one can see the items or what you are doing.
The items could be anything that might be used before the wedding, during the wedding or on the honeymoon or wedding night.

Use things like a credit card, Champaign cork, rice, piece of negligee or use your imagination.
We will not go into detail, use your discretion as you know your guests best!
Bring the tray into the room and allow all the guests to view the contents for 15 seconds, then take the tray away.
No taking notes!
The person who can remember the most items wins the prize.
Get some nice jar candles or other tasteful items for prizes.
For more games check your library or the internet and beware, some of them are racy so you be the judge.
You do not want to embarrassed your guests.

After the party it is good manners for the bride to send a thank you to each guest, thanking them personally.
Baby showers are handled much in the same way except they tend to be less racy and more geared toward helping the mom to be get ready for the birth.

One of the problems faced it the past was trying to guess the gender of the child so as to bring a suitable gift.
In recent years the advanced in pre natal care has given doctors the ability to reliability determine the gender in advance.

Not every couple wants to be told in advance whether its a boy or girl, this can drastically reduce the number of yellow blankets and booties.