Those months leading up to your wedding are filled with opportunities to celebrate, and your bridal shower is no exception. Unlike your bachelorette party, it’s also a great chance to include both older and younger family members in the festivities, meaning grandma and your flower girl can be part of the anticipation and excitement. So when’s the best time to throw a bridal shower?
Tradition (and Emily Post) states that the bridal shower should take place between two weeks and two months before the wedding. Seems tight, no? Thankfully, the real requirement for planning a shower isn’t how soon your wedding is, but whether or not you have concrete plans. As long as you and your partner have started planning your wedding and have a date set, any day goes when it comes to throwing a bridal shower.
Finding the right timing is especially important if you live further away from home and would have to travel to attend. Heading home five months before the big day for a dress fitting? Host your shower on the same weekend. Planning to be in town for a week before your wedding day? Instead of making extra trips, choose a date that’s convenient for your friends and family, even if it’s the day before you walk down the aisle.
If you’re hoping to spread out the events, look at when you’re scheduling your engagement and bachelorette parties so your shower isn’t too close to one or the other. This will make sure you’re not taking over your friends’ social calendars, and help them to budget any travel days they might need.
Keep your guests in mind, too. When you start looking at dates, double-check with your VIPs to see if they’ll be available to join in the celebration. If you aren’t involved in planning the shower, make sure your mom or maid of honor knows when you’ll be around. Provide them with a list of weekends when you’re free so they don’t accidentally plan a surprise shower when you’re going to be away on a business trip. And make sure they have an outfit for you so you don’t arrive at your surprise afternoon tea in workout gear.
FAQs
Timing Is Everything
Most bridal showers are usually held three weeks to three months before the wedding. The trick is not to plan it too far in advance or too close to the wedding date.
How far in advance should you have a bridal shower? ›
Timing Is Everything
Most bridal showers are usually held three weeks to three months before the wedding. The trick is not to plan it too far in advance or too close to the wedding date.
Who plans the bridal 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 girls run the party, making sure everything goes smoothly and that guests are taken care of.
Is 6 months too early for bridal shower? ›
In most cases, hosting the bridal shower between three weeks and five months before the wedding is ideal. With this time frame, guests have plenty of time to make arrangements to attend, and the planners have enough time to set up vendors.
Who pays for a bridal shower? ›
Although once upon a time it was expected that the bride's family would foot the bridal shower bill, modern society has changed the rules. Nowadays, the person (or people) hosting the bridal shower are responsible for covering the costs associated with the shower.
What is the difference in a wedding shower and a bridal shower? ›
A bridal shower honors the member of the couple who identifies as the bride; for a wedding with two brides, it can honor either (or both). A wedding shower honors a couple—and, like a bridal shower, is planned by friends or family members of either partner.
How much should a bridal shower cost? ›
If you need an exact number, however, expect to pay an average of $50 to $100 per person if hosting a bridal shower at a venue. Of course, your expenses will likely be lower if you opt to throw a DIY celebration at home.
Does mom pay for a bridal shower? ›
In short, the host is the one who pays for the bridal shower—or at least some of it. Most commonly, this is the maid of honor, but the couple's relatives, friends or even the to-be-weds themselves can all pitch in to cover the cost of the wedding shower.
Does the mother of the bride throw the 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. Some etiquette rules were meant to fade away into oblivion, like the one about family members of the bride not hosting her bridal shower.
What is the protocol for a bridal shower? ›
"You can invite whomever you would like from the wedding guest list. Keep the guest list small and manageable, don't have too many showers, and don't invite the same people to multiple showers," says Gottsman. "If someone is not invited to the wedding, they should not be invited to the shower."
Do men come to Bridal Showers? It's all up to the bride and groom. Typically, the Groom, Father of the Bride and Father of the Groom are invited. The Grandfather of the Bride and/or Groom may also be considered.
How many guests should be invited to a bridal shower? ›
Inviting between 30 and 40 people to the bridal shower is the sweet spot, with the understanding that some people probably won't be able to attend. Your actual guest count will depend on where you're hosting the party.
What food to serve at a bridal shower? ›
Fabulous Bridal Shower Finger Foods
- Crescent Vegetable Appetizers. Quick & Easy Crab Dip. Veggie Dippers. Open-Faced Turkey Sandwiches.
- Veggie Crescent Cups. Flower Fruit Kabobs with Luscious Fruit Dip. Watermelon & Blackberry Bites. ...
- Mini Rainbow Fruit Kabobs. Fruit Jersey Cake. Balsamic Fruit & Cheese Kabobs.
It is customary for the hostess to get the bride a gift for the shower, just like everyone else. You may want to coordinate the buying of a major gift, or you might want to give her something small but very nice just from you if the shower is setting you back financially.
What comes first, a bridal shower or a bachelorette party? ›
Typically, your bachelorette party would take place a few months before your wedding day. If you're being whisked away for a weekend or weeklong getaway, you might decide to host it even further ahead of your big day. Bridal showers happen much closer to the big day — often only a few weeks beforehand.
How many bridal showers should a bride have? ›
It isn't a requirement, but many people also think it's polite for the bride to host two separate showers. The first is for her own female friends, and the other for her spouse's friends.
