The Bridal Shower

What it is
Traditionally, the bridal shower is a small party for the bride given by her close female friends and relatives. It is intended to help the bride prepare for married life by providing her with her advice, recipes and gifts for her new home. However, some couples and families may choose to have a joint shower with both male and female friends and relatives. As well, groups of friends or relatives may choose to host separate showers for the bride depending on how they know the bride, the number of guests and where they are located.

Preparation
A close friend or relative (bridesmaid or sister) usually offers to host the shower. She may have it in someone's house, a restaurant, or even a hall depending on the size. The host should make a list of guests and ensure that she has not missed anyone important. It is best to go over the guest list with the bride, her family and/or friends and only invite those women who are invited to the wedding. Invitations should be sent 4-6 weeks prior to the event. The invites should include the name of the host and his or her phone number, the theme, the address and map as well as where the bride is registered. The host should also plan and select the menu, the decorations, and the theme, games and prizes.

Themes
Possible themes for the shower include:
Book a few hours at a ceramic shop/class. The bride may select a colour scheme and the guests all create and paint ceramic dishware according to these colours. Usually, the shop will also serve refreshments, provide lessons and allow you to play music or games. By the end of the shower, the bride ends up with a complete set of casual dinner plates, personalized by her best friends!

• Choose a nearby park or big backyard and have a barbecue or afternoon tea. (Have a back up in case of rain!)
• Ask each guest to prepare a simple dish and bring the recipe. Recipe cards may be propped beside each dish, or collected and presented to the bride in the form of a scrapbook or set of index cards. Have each guest write a personal note with the recipe.
• Guests are given one letter of the Bride's name and asked to bring a gift that starts with that letter. … Each guest is given a certain time of the day or evening and asked to bring a gift that is suitable for that time. Have guests present the gifts in chronological order. The nighttime gifts can be fun!
• Bingo shower: Each guest receives a bingo card on which are written different categories of gifts. Alternatively, the card may be blank and guests fill the squares themselves. Then, as the bride opens her gifts, guests cross off the names of respective gifts on their cards. The first one to cross off all the squares wins a prize. This is a good game for larger showers and prevents the guests from getting too restless while the bride opens her gifts.
• Holiday theme shower: Each guest brings a gift representative of a specific holiday.

Activities
Showers usually incorporate icebreakers & games to help your guests get to know each other and add some fun to the day. Be sure to prepare some prizes for the winners. You may be surprised at how competitive your friends can be!

Don't say that!
This game can be carried through the entire shower and is a great way to "melt the ice". Make a list of wedding related words, such as honeymoon, lehnga, mehndi, program, etc. Think of those words that your guests just can't help talking about during a bridal shower! Write each word on a nametag or sticker and have enough for each of your guests. Give each guest a nametag to wear as they arrive. The guest is not allowed to say the word on their nametag. If someone hears her say the word, that person takes the sticker. At the end of the shower, the person with the most stickers wins a prize.

Social Threads
This game should also be played at the beginning of the shower and is great for getting to know the "Aunties" in your group. Pass out a spool of thread and tell each guest to break off as much thread as they think they will need. Do not tell the guests what the thread is forÖ. Only, that they shouldn't take too much or too little. Once each guest has their thread, ask them to gather together. Ask each person to introduce himself or herself and talk about their wedding day, wrapping the string around their finger as they speak. They cannot stop talking until they have reached the end of their thread. Some interesting facts are revealed as the women become desperate for things to say!

Nostalgia
This activity is most appropriate for a small, close group of (mostly female) friends and relatives. All the guests have to sit around in a circle and starting from the person to the left of the bride everyone states what they most fondly remember about the first time they met the bride or they're most cherished memory about friendship or the happiest memory.

Insights from your Purse
This shower game is a lot of fun and easy to do. Make a list of both typical and unusual items to carry in your purse. Have your guests take out their purses. Give them the name of an item they may have in their purse and give a prize to the first person to pull the item out of their purse. Start with more common items (such as lipstick, quarters or bills) and then start asking for more unusual or humourous items such as bobby pins, baby photos, feminine products or candy. Watching your guests gleefully reveal embarrassing or unusual items from their purse can be very amusing!

Honeymoon Night
Tape a large sheet of paper on the floor. As each guest arrives, ask them to reach down without bending their legs, and trace their hand on the paper. Have someone recording what each guest says while attempting to do this. Some of the best comments may be uttered in another language, so get a multilingual scribe. Later on announce: "This is what "bride's name" is going to say on her wedding night!" And read the comments from the list. Or, better yet, have the Bride read it herself. Some common responses:

Are you crazy!?
There's no way I can do that!
OW! That hurts!
Am I doing this right?
I can't reach that far!

This game is sure to bring back memories while also embarrassing the bride!

Envelope Game
This is a less exciting game, but can be a great help to the bride. Have a bowl, a stack of nice envelopes and a good pen sitting at a table. Ask each guest to self address the envelope and place it in the bowl. To encourage everyone to participate, let your guests know that at the end of the party an envelope will be drawn and the winner will receive a prize. The bride can later use these self-addressed envelopes to do her thank-you cards!

Pack your Suitcase
Play this game to get people moving and their creative juices flowing. Announce that it is time to help the bride select some outfits for the honeymoon. Ask your guests to move into groups of 3-5 people. Give each group one roll of toilet paper. One group member should be a model while the others use the paper to design an outfit. Set a time limit. When time is up, have a fashion show and ask the bride to be the judge. Have prizes for the funniest, most stylish, and most risquÈ outfits.