Everything You Need for Throwing a Wedding Shower at Home

Throwing a wedding shower can be a very exciting event. When you begin planning a wedding shower in your home, there are a few steps to take and considerations to remember in order to throw a memorable wedding shower. Through careful planning, you can throw a terrific shower that can leave your friend, coworker or family members thrilled that you have contributed to their upcoming nuptials.

Picking a Date

The first thing that you need to do when you are throwing a wedding shower at home is to pick a date for the big event. Although your own schedule plays a big part in this decision, the most important schedule to consider is the bride-to-be. Without the bride-to-be, you have no shower! Begin working with the bride-to-be around three months before her big day to select the perfect date for her wedding shower. This gives you enough time to find a date that is around a month before the big event.

In addition to the bride-to-be, you should consult with the special women in her life, including her mom, mother-in-law-to-be, sisters and aunts. Although you may not be able to find a date that suits every single person that may be invited, it is important for the key people in the bride's life to be included. If there are people traveling from out of town to attend the wedding shower, you should start planning even earlier than three months prior to the wedding. This helps to provide your guests with enough time to plan their travel.

Inviting Guests

Unless the wedding shower is a surprise, you may want to ask the bride-to-be for her guest list at the same time that you set a final date. If the shower is going to be a surprise for the bride-to-be, the best source for a wedding guest list is her mother, sisters/brothers, or closest friends. Invitations to a wedding shower should be sent about a month before the event. This gives those guests enough time to determine if they can attend, find wonderful presents for the bride-to-be and respond to the invitation.

Games, Gifts and Giveaways

One key portion of a wedding shower is the games that are played. Many different games are appropriate for wedding showers and some have to do with testing the guests' knowledge of the bride and groom. Others make predictions for the happy couple. Some other games that can be considered involve the guests splitting up into teams and playing a form of Pictionary or Charades. Some brides do not enjoy games, so you should check with the bride-to-be before planning.

The history of wedding showers were to gather gifts for the bride so that she was prepared with every household item she might need when leaving her parent's home and going to the home of her husband. These days, most women live away from home before they marry and they may already have many of these essentials prior to the wedding. In any case, most brides-to-be create wedding registries to let guests know which items they desire for their new life. It is against protocol, however, for a bride to tell her guests where she is registered. That becomes your job as the host of her wedding shower. When you invite guests, you can either include an insert with the invitations, or can personally talk to each guest to let them know what registries have been created.

Giveaways can be a fun part of a wedding shower. First, it is a way to thank the guests for attending the special event and honoring the bride-to-be. Secondly, and more importantly, it gives guests a fun trinket to remember the wedding shower. Giveaways do not have to be terribly fancy or expensive. Consider the tastes of the bride, any themes she may be using for her wedding, and you may be able to pick out the perfect giveaway for the wedding shower. Often, little trinkets are selected that can hold candy inside. Other ideas include candles and items that can be personalized with the names of the happy couple.

Food

Your last consideration when you throw a wedding shower in your home is the food that you provide for your guests. To determine the appropriate food to serve, consider the time of day when the shower is going to occur. If the shower occurs near a major mealtime, you should provide a meal for your guests. For showers that are mid afternoon or early evening, it is appropriate to serve a variety of finger foods. If you know of any dietary restrictions for your guests, you should try to accommodate them. In addition, you should consider serving a snack for those attending the celebration. Cakes are a great choice for any type of celebration. You can contact your local bakery to ensure it is ready for the day of the bridal shower.

Suzanne Bradley is a writer and blogger who discusses topics such as event planning and coordination. Ms. Bradley also writes about specific topics such as wedding gifts and wedding invitations.

Related Articles:

Wedding Shower Favors
Wedding shower favors are a way to extend gratitude from the bride-to-be and her maid of honor, to the guests of the wedding shower, for providing wedding gifts to the bride before the wedding day. Wedding shower favors can be elegant trinkets or small humorous gifts.

Appropriate Lighting of the Unity Candle on Wedding Ceremony
The lighting of the unity candle on wedding ceremony is one of the most important traditions of most Christian weddings In Toronto, there are elaborate plans that are formulated and exercised, as the bride and groom plan for their big day

Various Options For Your Wedding Cake Design
Brides and grooms in the past did not really need to consider so many details when they are planning a wedding However, brides and groom nowadays will usually want to make the event unique and special

Make Your Choice of Wedding Favors More Special With Unique Wedding Favors
The giving of wedding favors as thank you gifts to guests that attend a wedding and reception has become quite a popular. The giving of unique wedding favors and personalized wedding favors is an even more special expression of gratitude. A vast variety of wedding favors is available with a good portion of them being capable of being made unique. Unique wedding favors will not only let the guests know that their presence is greatly appreciated, they will create a special memory of the event through association. Unique wedding favors make excellent keepsakes that will remind guests of the special event for years to come.

Wedding Etiquette: Giving Wedding Shower Gifts
Gifts are almost a must when talking about attending to a wedding shower Although no one can tell you that you should never go to a wedding shower without a gift, it is an etiquette to present at least simple gifts to the couple

Perfect Ideas For Wedding Ceremony Speeches
Whether you are the bride, the groom, the best man, the Maid of Honor, or just the parents of the newlyweds, we are all expected to give a speech during the wedding ceremony or reception?This can be a nervous time, or an exciting time, either way, you need to find ideas and tips on how to make your wedding ceremony speech meaningful and loving in your own special way

Wedding Theme Ideas
For a couple beginning the wedding planning process, the options for wedding theme ideas can be overwhelming A wedding theme can be a fun reflection of the personalities of a couple or it can be elegant and classic

Wedding Shower Tips When it's the Second Time Around
These days, it is becoming more common for your friends or family members to be preparing for their second wedding. Just because a bride or groom has been married before does not mean that their currently impending nuptials should be celebrated any less joyously than a first wedding. Unlike first weddings, however, most brides or grooms that are entering into marriage for the second time around already have most of the necessities that they need for their homes. Wedding showers for second marriages should be planned a little differently than for a first marriage. Keep these tips in mind when you start planning the special event.

Wedding Tuxedo Are Very Comfortable & Elegant
Wedding Tuxedo Styles When we note the differences between tuxedos and suits, the first question that comes into our mind is: when to wear a tuxedo It might be most elegant but it is not always the best option

How to Choose the Best Wedding Tuxedo?
The wedding tuxedo is the key ingredient to a successful wedding The wedding day is a tremendous day, with a special significance in a person's life, and looking good on this particular day, is very important