“shower” the bride with gifts. The shower occurs from two months to two weeks before the wedding, and can be anything from an informal luncheon at the office to a buffet dinner in an elegant restaurant.

Anyone who wants to “do something” for the bride may give her a shower, even a group of two or three friends can act as 

co-hostesses. One rule is that immediate family members (mothers, sisters, mother-in-law) should not give showers because it appears that the family is soliciting gifts.

The hostess can set the limit on the number of guests since she will be paying the bill. No one should be invited to the shower who has not been invited to the wedding, or who does not know the 

couple. She should also send a written note of thanks to her guests for any 

presents received, as well as the hostess(es) for their hospitality.

Shower themes can be fun and useful. Unique shower ideas are: a lingerie shower, a recipe shower, where each guest receives a recipe card and fills out a favorite dish; a “wishing well” shower, For a “wishing well shower,” the hostess makes a cardboard replica of a well, and the gifts, wrapped and tied in ribbons, are tossed in. The bride pulls out the gifts with the ribbons and reads the poems aloud.