Bridal Club Magazine

Planning the Perfect Bridal Shower

A great gift for the Bride to be is always Lingerie. Give her the gift of a special  fashion Underwear or even a Bridal Bra to wear with her dress.

You want to have a shower for your friend who is soon to be married, and all of a sudden you're in a panic. There are so many things to do and you don't even know where to start. This article will help you get organized.

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.

The next step, of course, is developing a guest list. Typically, the Maid of Honor and/or the bridesmaids host the bridal shower. Ask the bride for a list of people she'd like invited to the shower, with their names, addresses and phone numbers. If someone is not invited to the wedding, they should not be included in the shower invitation list. After all, it's insulting to ask someone to bring a gift to the shower if the assumption is that they are not a close enough friend to invite to the wedding. There are some exceptions, such as in the case of a destination wedding or a small wedding with only immediate family invited. Usually, all female relatives on both sides of the family are invited to the shower, as well as the bride's friends.

The next thing to plan is what you will be serving. Most showers are in the afternoon and feature light snacks, coffee, punch or some other cold non- alcoholic beverage and possibly wine. If you want other people to help with the food, ask only close family. Soliciting other guests to contribute food or drink, as well as a gift, could be considered insulting.

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.

A couple of other factors to be aware of: The bride's mother should not be the one planning the bridal shower. This is viewed by many to be a "gift grab" and is typically the task of the bride's attendants. Once again, no one should be invited that is not invited to the wedding. If a guest requests to bring a friend with them (you would be surprised how often this happens), politely decline and explain that they would probably feel out of place anyways. You should also be sure to have a camera on hand. Try and take a picture of all the guests and plenty of the bride interacting with her family and friends. This will made a wonderful scrapbook later on, and leave her with the fond memories of the day.

Article Source: Free Wedding Articles