Bridal Showers, Etiquette - Christian Bridal Shower Guide - The #1 Christian Bridal and Wedding Guide Available on the Internet Today! ForeverWed.com

"Hello There!"
Have a Question?

Please, click here to
get real live help!

Inside Bridal Showers

	A Guide to Bridal Showers


	Bachelor Parties, not just for men
	Creative Wrapping for shower gifts
	How to Plan Bridal Showers
	How many to invite
	information to include in invitations
	mailing invitations & expecting RSVPs
	Memorable Bridal Shower gifts
	Responsible for Bridal Shower
	Step by Step guide to throwing a bridal shower
	The Bachelor/Bachelorette Party
	What books to purchase for planning
	What do invitations look like?
	Where can it be held and what are the order of events?
	Who should we invite, specific time it should be held?
	Who should host a bridal shower
	Who is mostly responsible for giving the shower?
	Should I pay for the bridal shower?
	Can Non Guests be invited?
	What do I have to say?
	Surprise Bridal Shower Planning
	Bridal Shower Games
	Bridal Shower Themes
	Popular Bridal Shower Themes

Inside Our Guide

a - z planning index
Attendants
African Weddings
Bridal Showers
Ceremony
Checklists
Invitations
Jewish Weddings
Military Weddings
Music
Photography & Video
Reception
Rehearsals
Second Weddings
Theme Weddings
Vows & Passages
Wedding Etiquette
Wedding Vows
Wedding Party & Family
Wedding Programs
Wedding Speeches

Wedding Worksheets

Bridal Shower Wedding Guests

Q. I am planning my best friend's bridal shower, and I am stuck! She is having an intimate, out-of-town wedding, and there will be a small reception immediately following the wedding for the wedding guests. The following weekend, she is having a much larger reception in our hometown, which will include guests that were not invited to the wedding. Traditionally, guests that are invited to the wedding are invited to the shower, but I'm not sure what to do in this case. Do we only invite people who are invited to the wedding? Or can we also invite the people who are only invited to the reception in our hometown?

A. This sounds like a tough call. Yes, you're right, according to traditional etiquette, only wedding guests are invited to a bridal shower. However, it is not uncommon now for co-workers and others who will not attend a wedding to give showers, so this is not always followed.

Generally, I tend to lean toward doing what cannot be construed as *wrong*, if you know what I mean. But I keep thinking that the people who are likely to come to a "hometown reception" may well be people who would really want to be invited to the shower, too. .

Can you tell me, how many people are actually attending the out-of-town ceremony and reception? Is it a very small number-- just immediate family and a couple friends? Also, were others invited and unable to attend, or did the couple just want this small number of guests?

The reason I ask is that many times when a wedding is out-of-town, many of the "normal" guests can't make it-- like aunties and uncles, cousins, close friends, god parents, etc.-- people who really are very close to the couple. That's a draw-back of any sort of "destination" wedding or other wedding away from home (or of marrying in the place you live when your family and other loved ones live somewhere else.)

Although it generally is considered inappropriate according to etiquette to have non-guests at showers for "weddings away", it's hard to deny that many times aunts, cousins, friends, godmothers, etc., often WANT to attend a shower, even though they cannot attend the ceremony.

IF they were invited/welcome to come to the ceremony, and just couldn't, it's a little different situation than if the couple didn't WANT guests at the ceremony, in some ways.

So, it will be a judgment call, I think, in this case. At least the "normal" shower guests are probably going to the hometown reception-- they aren't missing *all* the wedding festivities. There are probably some logical people who would feel hurt if they *weren't* invited to the shower, and I would try to figure out with the bride and her family who those people might be.

I would tend to keep the shower small, though. That's part of the decision to have a small ceremony-- you have a smaller shower (or sometimes no shower at all).

I wish that there was a very specific answer to this, but it really depends on a lot of factors-- including the specifics of the couple's wedding plans, the social circle they are in (some families are very strict about etiquette, others aren't at all), etc. So those factors need to be considered in making a gracious decision about this situation.

To view any of our products, choose a category above.

SHOP FOREVERWED
1.425.353.2191

SEE MORE PRODUCTS FOR YOUR BRIDAL SHOWER

Personalized Tin Mints

These silver tins are filled with your choice of candy confections
From $1.85 each

Sparkling Cider Mini-Bottles - Case of 12

~~From $28.45~~
From $25.55
10 Labels to choose from

Mini Hershey Chocolate Bars

$ 42.95 /per 100 pack

$35.95

Bridal Shower Lottery Game
$9.75

Shower Gift Bingo
$19.50