Who Traditionally Has A Bridal Shower For The Bride?

The traditional bridal shower is a pre-wedding event where close family and friends of the bride shower her with gifts for their newlywed home and lifestyle. The host is typically the mother of the bride or groom, the Maid of Honor/bridesmaids, or another female relative. However, modern couples often skirt tradition, and it is now common for the entire wedding party to pull together to host the shower.

The maid of honor traditionally takes on the role of chief shower planner, but she isn’t a one-woman show; she relies on the bridesmaids to help her with planning logistics. On the day of the shower, the girls are expected to shower the bride with affection, advice, amusement, and support.

A bridal shower is usually daytime parties that involve food, drinks, and entertainment. The bride and her friends have fun, opening gifts, sharing delicious meals, and swapping old stories of their childhood or previous escapades. The bridal party, led by the maid of honor and supported by the bridesmaids and bridesmen, is responsible for planning and paying for the shower. However, there is room for flexibility and the bride can ask someone to host her shower if no one has offered to host yet.

In summary, the traditional bridal shower is a pre-wedding event where close family and friends shower the bride with gifts for her new home and lifestyle. Today, the entire wedding party can organize the shower, and the bride can choose to host it herself or have family members volunteer to help.

Who is traditionally responsible for the bridal shower?

The Traditional Bridal Shower Host. The maid of honor traditionally takes on the role of chief shower planner. But she isnt a one-woman show: She relies on the bridesmaids to help her with planning logistics. On the day of, the girls run the party, making sure everything goes smoothly and that guests are taken care of.

The maid of honor isnt the only option, however. Anyone who is close to the bride—including her mother, sister, cousin, grandma, or future mother-in-law—can host.

It used to be that immediate family members were never named as official hosts. Since a shower is all about asking people to bring gifts, it was thought to be gauche if a brides family were essentially bidding for presents. But if they were secretly hosting, meaning they did the planning and the paying, their identities werent revealed–and the bridal party was usually called upon to fake being the hosts. Now, though, its fine for Mom or a sister to plan and host the event.

What’s the difference between a bridal shower and a wedding shower?

Who Is Invited To A Wedding Shower?. While a typical bridal shower can be gender-specific or highly focused on the brides side, a wedding shower includes all! Its usually a larger event that has more of a party atmosphere.

What Will You Do At A Wedding Shower?. You will often find fewer games, more cocktails, and a much less structured event. Essentially bring the love you have for the happy couple, a nice gift, and be ready to celebrate.

Which Event Should You Choose?. Well, we think variety is the spice of life, so if you are someone who wants a dedicated party for yourself, do it. If you would like to celebrate with your partner, do that. And, if you wish to do both—there are no rules. Your wedding is a once-in-a-lifetime event. Make it what you want.

Should a mother give her daughter a bridal shower?

Traditional etiquette dictates that the maid of honor—not the mother of the bride—should host the shower. Nancy is a freelance writer for MarthaStewart.com.

Traditional etiquette dictates that the maid of honor—not the mother of the bride—should host the shower.

Some etiquette rules were meant to fade away into oblivion, like the one about family members of the bride not hosting her bridal shower. Thats right: Every shower youve attended that was hosted by the mother of the bride actually broke with traditional etiquette—who knew? The concern with having a familial host was that, since the party is all about people bringing, or showering, the bride with gifts, it was considered tacky for her family to be asking for presents.

In modern times, however, many people other than the maid of honor have taken on the role of bridal party host. And were here to tell you theres nothing tacky about loved ones hosting a shower. Anyone whos close to the bride, including her mother, sister, aunt, cousin, even her grandma, can host. Here, we explore the choices.

Who gets invited to bridal shower vs wedding?

Distant Relatives. When we say distant, we dont only mean distance by location. While its customary to invite family to your shower who are also invited to the wedding, consider your relationship first. Your wedding shower is meant to be more intimate. You dont need to fill the guest list with people who you arent particularly close with—yes, even if that includes your family members.

Anyone Not Invited To The Wedding. You dont invite your full wedding guest list to the wedding shower. And you certainly dont invite anyone not on that list. Its generally seen as inappropriate and as if youre pandering for gifts. If theyre not invited to the wedding day, they shouldnt be invited to the shower.

The only exception here is in the case of those people invited to the wedding who cannot attend. You can still feel OK including them in your bridal shower invitation if theyre close to you. They may be grateful for the invite so that they have a chance to partake even if they cant be there on the big day.

Does every woman get invited to a bridal shower?

Youve picked a bridal shower date, put a deposit down on a party venue, and thoughtfully chosen a theme. Now its time to solidify the guest list and send out invitations. Are you wondering just who to invite to the shower? In general, this is totally up to both the bride and the events host and should be a reflection of what you both feel comfortable with. Traditionally, though, the bridal shower guest list consists of the following group:

• The wedding party
• Close family members
• Close friends

Of course, as is the case with most wedding-related events, theres some nuance to consider here. Ahead, find our best tips for figuring out who should be invited to a bridal shower and the associated guest list etiquette youll want to pay close attention to.

What is the role of the mother of the bride at the bridal shower?

Play Hostess at Pre-Wedding Parties and on the Big Day. Whether shes handling your bridal shower or greeting out-of-town guests once they arrive in town for your nuptials, the mother of the bride is the official hostess and should focus on helping each attendee feel welcome. That applies to the wedding day, as well: While receiving lines are not as customary these days, its still important to greet or visit with as many guests as possible, explains Valentine.

Assist With Day-of Dressing. Helping the bride into her dress and placing the veil is, and will always remain, such a sweet, time-honored tradition for the brides mom, says Easton.

Run Last-Minute Errands. A passport was left at home. Lipstick fell out of the makeup bag. Someone needs deodorant. In all these scenarios and more, rely on the mother of the bride to save the day.

Whose bridal shower?

A bridal shower is typically planned by the mother of the bride, the maid (or matron) of honor, the bridal party, or another close relative or friend of the bride. In all cases, whoever plans and hosts the event often pays for it.

While the bride-to-be does not plan all of the logistics of her bridal shower, she may weigh in on the guest list, location, and any games and activities she does (or does not) want at her shower.

The bridal shower guests mainly include the brides closest friends and family. There can also be guests from her future spouses side if she is close to them as well, but its not required. Though bridal showers are traditionally women-only events, many brides-to-be now prefer a more gender-inclusive guest list. The party planners may also denote in the invitation whether or not guests may bring their children.

Do mothers of bride host a bridal shower?

Traditionally, the mother of the bride doesnt host the bridal shower (the maid of honor typically assumes the chief shower-planning role), however, your daughter will likely want you to be a part of the celebration.

Mother Of The Bride Etiquette & Duties. A step-by-step guide to whats expected of the mother of the bride.

Now that you’ve shared in the joy of your daughter’s engagement, it’s time to start preparing for her big day. Not sure what responsibilities come with being the mother of the bride? This comprehensive guide to mother-of-the-bride duties and etiquette outlines your key role in the wedding, from how to lend your daughter a hand before the wedding, to what you should expect on the wedding day.

Photo credit: @facibenifotografia via @vogueweddings.

Does the mother of the groom host a bridal shower?

These are among the biggest names in either wedding or MOG protocol. Therefore, I think we can definitively say that is IS okay for the mother of the groom to host a shower. So, if this is feasible and something you want to do, go for it. It is a wonderful opportunity to have fun while laying another block in the the foundation for the future.

I was unaware of the evolution of this tradition when my sons wedding was on the horizon. I wish I had known. Parties are one of my familys love languages. Wed have had a blast with this. I hopeto remedy the situation with a housewarming when the kids buy their first home.

One important note: The rules of etiquette still require that anyone you invite to a shower is also invited to the wedding. Even if its a destination wedding and few can attend, even if family and friends live across the continent or globe from the wedding, even if fill in the blank, this is still an official must. Are people breaking this rule? Yes. Should you be one of this people? No. Leave the rule-breaking to people who have less at stake.

Who is traditionally invited to a bridal shower?

A bridal shower is a more intimate gathering than a wedding and the guest list usuallyconsists of the bride-to-bes closest female friends and relatives, including close relatives of the soon-to-be-brides spouse. Especially if the brides future mother in law is hosting, nearest and dearest in-laws often attend the shower, too.

Who Gets a Bridal Shower Invitation?. A bridal shower is an opportunity to officially celebrate a bride-to-be. Its a time to eat and sip some bubbly, share advice and stories, and shower the special lady with extra attention. This intimate gathering is traditionally hosted by the bridesmaids, and/or the mother of the bride or future mother-in-law and will have a much smaller guest list than the main wedding event. Keep in mind that everyone who comes to the shower should definitely be invited to the wedding.

The bridal party, including the maid of honor and bridesmaids generally make the top of the guest list, followed by immediate family members from both sides of the aisle. If the bride welcomes children at her shower, guests may also include nieces, the flower girl and junior bridesmaids. Friends from the couples close social circle, friends from childhood or college, etc will likely attend. You dont have to invite plus ones, co-workers or acquaintances of your parents, or friends of your future spouse unless youre close to them.

Should a sister-in-law host a bridal shower?

Answer: Tradition says that a shower shouldnt be thrown by the brides immediate relatives, including future in-laws, because it might give the impression that youre asking for gifts.

Is the man supposed to go to the bridal shower?

Should my fiancé attend the bridal shower?. Its totally up to you and your fiancé to decide whether he will attend the bridal shower. Modern etiquette suggests that he show up toward the end of the shower to say hello and help stock up the car full of gifts. Some men even drop in for a few fun games. Older tradition suggests that he arrive with a bouquet of flowers for his bride. If your fiancé feels timid or uncomfortable joining the party at the end, its absolutely not a requirement or an expectation. Besides, he may want to take the opportunity to spend some quality time with his friends.

Should my fiancé attend the entire bridal shower?. If youre hosting a couples shower, you should both be in attendance throughout the event. Otherwise, its expected that if your fiancé shows up, itll be toward the end of the event. Thirty minutes to an hour is usually considered a good amount of time, as most showers run for two to three hours.

If my fiancé attends the bridal shower, what should he do?. The whole purpose of a bridal shower, or couples shower, is to celebrate the joining of you and your fiancé. Its a time for the people you love to spend quality time together, showering you with gifts, well wishes, and a lot of love. Your only job (besides maybe opening gifts and playing games) is to relax, enjoy the party, and chat with loved ones who went out of their way to spend the day with you. Same goes for your fiancé.