Bridal Shower Etiquette

A bridal shower party is hosted by the 'maid of honor', along with the bridesmaids chosen by the bride-to-be. In case you are the 'maid of honor', assigned with the task of hosting the party, you should take care of every aspect of the event, starting from its invitations to the favors. Although the current trend is to organize extravagant bridal showers, you should know the basic rules to arrange the party, to keep up the traditional aspect of the event. Check out the etiquette guide, given in the lines below, to know how to throw a bridal shower party in the nicest possible way.

Bridal Shower Etiquettes Guide

The first thing to plan is the date, time and venue for the party. Bridal shower is generally held one month prior to the wedding. Choose a date and time that is convenient for the bride-to-be.
There are no strict rules for the venue of the bridal shower party. It may be at her home or banquet. Make sure that the party venue has enough space to accommodate all the guests.
Consider the guest list. According to the etiquette, bridal shower is a family get-together. Therefore, you may invite her family members, close friends and relatives.
While including the names to the list, you should remember that everyone included in the list should be invited for the wedding as well.
People, who are unavoidable in the guests' list for bridal shower, include mother of the bride and mother of the groom, grandmothers of bride and groom, aunts, female cousins, bridesmaids, female friends, close and family friends and female colleagues.
As a rule, children and men are not included in bridal shower guest-list. However, you may ask the bride-to-be, if she wants them in the event or not.
Send out the invitations a week prior to the event, so that the guests get enough time to plan their day. Remember, even though the guests live in the same house, all of them should be invited personally. If possible, send out separate invitations for each of them.
In the invitation, do not forget to include the date, time, venue, bride's name and the contact information. You may also include additional information, such as the theme for the party, in the invitations.
Assign someone to greet the guests, as they come for the party. This could be you, or any one among the bridesmaids. The person should be responsible for introducing the guests to the bride-to-be and making them comfortable at the party.
Add spice to the party by including games in it. Games are a great way to have fun as well as get acquainted with each other.
Arrange food, according to the taste of the guests and of course, the person for whom the party is thrown.
As the hostess, it is your responsibility to send thank you notes to the guests. You may take the help of one of the bridesmaids, for the purpose. Although the bride-to-be should write these notes, you may help her a bit by writing the notes for her. Prepare the notes, well before the event.

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