Wedding Showers. Let's talk about 'em.
We all know wedding showers can be super awkward and boring. Most of the time, many of the showers we attend are for people that we have not seen in years. Then on the flip side, if you have seen the people on occasion, things can still get awkward when mixing multiple personality types, themes, food, or activities. As couples strive to personalize their wedding more so than ever these days, many get consumed and caught up in etiquette. It seems to me that the word "wedding" tends to scare people away real fast because of many reasons. Be it emotional stress, financial woes, family dysfunction, or time crunches, etiquette should not be one though.
My husband and I had three showers, not including our Bachelor and Bachelorette parties or my Bridal Luncheon. He was given a home/garden/tool shower hosted by his childhood church family. I was given a kitchen essentials shower hosted by my college girlfriends. Together we were given a tea hosted by our home church family, which ranged from kitchen gifts to linens.
Tool/Home/Garden Shower
LSU Kitchen Shower Hosts (Also, Bridesmaids and MOH)
Bridal Tea Hosts
I am one of those Brides who ditched tradition. Yep. There was judgment and ridicule. But, who's to call me out when the moola was coming from my bank account? Since my husband and I were paying for the majority of our wedding, we decided everything based on our personal desires. We also bought and planned to have things that we could use again in our home. From the planning of showers, our wedding, and our honeymoon everything was extremely unique and tailored to "us" which we loved.
Thankfully, many of the hosts who asked to provide showers listened to my director as she explained our wedding theme. We were blessed to have such successful showers! Today we have a home that is fully furnished and our cabinets do not hold all of the goodies we received, which is just fine. Some items that are not a top priority of use is stored at my in-laws, under our bed, and in our closet for now. It was such a blessing to be able to know that we were taken care of and were provided with the essentials to start a home together.
Listed below are the main do's and don'ts of hosting, planning, attending, and begin given a wedding shower. Many of these do's and don't are common courtesy honestly.
The Do's and Dont's of Wedding Showers
- Do send thank-you notes to all shower guests—even if you thanked them in person at the shower. And don’t forget those who couldn’t attend but did send a gift.
- Don’t ask guests to address their own thank-you notes.
- Do send a thank-you note and a gift to anyone who hosts a shower for you.
- Don’t coerce anyone—especially bridesmaids—to host a shower. It’s a financial burden that many aren’t able to take on.
- Do include registry information on a separate sheet in the envelope with the shower invitation, but not on the invitation itself. The theme of the shower (Kitchen, bath, lingerie) may be noted on the invitation, but color preferences or sizes should be noted on a separate insert.
- Don’t invite anyone to a shower who won’t be invited to the wedding. Showers are intimate gatherings for people you know very well—not excuses to haul in more gifts. The only exception is a workplace shower to which a large number of coworkers contribute. (If an office shower involves only a few coworkers, thoughtful couples will probably include these colleagues in the wedding guest list.)
If anything, no matter the stage of your wedding planning, I hope that you may be able to use these skills in your lifetime. Whether it be for your shower or a shower that you host, spread the love and a little common etiquette.
If you would like to read any previous blog post from the Wedding Wednesday series, click on the specific content of the colored text below. Happy Planning to all of the Brides and Grooms! Please feel free to contact me if I can help you in any way!
1) Decor (Reception and Ceremony) Click Here
2) Flowers Click HERE
3) Reception Food and Cakes Click Here
4) Photographer Click Here
5) Make-up/Hair Click Here
6) Wedding Random Extras Click Here
7) The Dress and Shopping Click Here
8) Save The Dates Click Here
Happy hump day, friends! We almost have made it to the weekend! Just two more days and you are home free! I love you all! Your support in my little corner of the internet is amazing and I could not be more thankful to have you all following along. I love each of you and am blessed by your emails and encouraging words each day! Be blessed, sweet friends!
As always, until next time- Happy Blogging!
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