Here comes the bride—almost! As the bride-to-be counts down the days until her big day, planning a memorable bridal shower for her is a great way to harness all the excitement and celebrate her new chapter. Plus, she’s probably knee-deep in wedding planning, so a fun day planned totally for her is definitely gonna be appreciated!
Whether you’re a bridal shower host or guest (or even a bride-to-be!), this crash course on bridal shower etiquette is here to answer any questions you may have about these sweet and sentimental events. Wondering who to invite or what to wear? Read on!
For even more planning help, our free and printable bridal shower checklist has everything you’ll need to consider when planning a bridal shower so you can rest assured that nothing slips through the cracks! We also put together this comprehensive guide about how to throw a bridal shower which covers everything from decor ideas to activity suggestions.
A bridal shower is a pre-wedding celebration in honor of the bride-to-be, focusing on showering her with gifts, love and well wishes. It's a great way to bring together the bride's closest friends and family, celebrate her upcoming nuptials and help her prep for her new chapter!
The guest list for a bridal shower typically includes the bride-to-be's closest friends, female family members and close, female relatives of her betrothed. It's a more intimate affair, so think quality over quantity to keep the celebration personal and meaningful.
Traditionally, the bridal shower is organized by the maid of honor, bridesmaids or a close relative of the bride. It can be a solo mission or a team effort depending on the circumstances and size of the event!
The host or hosts typically cover the costs of the bridal shower. Whether it's the maid of honor, the entire bridal party or a generous family member, the expenses are usually shared among those throwing the shower to keep it manageable for everyone involved.
A bridal shower is best held anywhere between a couple months to a few weeks before the wedding, with invitations being sent 4–6 weeks before the bridal shower. This sweet spot allows the bride-to-be to enjoy the festivities without the stress of the looming big day and gives her time to organize gifts and send out thank you notes.
For even more information about when to send what, check out our guide on when to send wedding invitations. We’ve even included a stationery timeline for seamless planning.
Attire for a bridal shower can vary depending on the theme and venue, ranging from formal to semi-formal to casual. Make sure to consult the host regarding dress code if you are uncertain.
Outfits options may include maxi dresses, sundresses, skirt-and-shirt combos and fun jumpsuits depending on the specific bridal shower—though floral dresses are super classic for this event!
While it’s a known faux pas to wear white to the wedding, it’s also generally recommended that guests avoid wearing white to other wedding-related events, too.
A “shower,” whether it’s a bridal or baby shower, is specifically a gift-giving event, so gifts are definitely a cornerstone of bridal showers! Occasionally, a bride-to-be may request a no-gifts event, but unless otherwise specified, it is polite to bring a gift!
Guests typically bring something to help the bride-to-be set up her new home or life. Whether you choose something off the registry or go for a more personal gift, it's the thoughtfulness that counts!
Common gifts include appliances, cutlery sets, towels and sheets, framed pictures and other kitchenware and home goods. For more bridal shower gift inspo, check out our wedding and bridal shower gift guide on Amazon.
A bridal shower card is the perfect place to share heartfelt congratulations, personal anecdotes or well wishes for the bride-to-be. To help with any writer’s block, we’ve put together a few options below, including sentimental options and humorous options!
Bridal shower card ideas:
Browse Wedding & Bridal eCards here
Bridal showers are filled with activities like games, gift opening and toasts to the bride-to-be. Our list of fun bridal shower games is a great place to get inspired as you plan your event. We even included a free, downloadable bridal bingo board to print out for the shower!
Developed hand-in-hand with community organizers, PTA presidents, parents and teachers, Evite's signup sheets are designed to make organizing volunteers a breeze. Here are a few ways SignUp Sheets are different than other signup tools:
Choose Evite SignUp Sheets for the easiest, most streamlined way to get volunteers and signups for your next event!
Signup sheets are the perfect way to streamline scheduling, volunteer recruitment, class parties, snack duty, potluck organization, parent-teacher conferences and more! You can think of them as your digital assistant for coordinating events and tasks and ensuring that your event is a success.
Evite SignUp Sheets offers parents, teachers and event planners customizable online forms that organizers and volunteers can access and update effortlessly. Volunteers can choose their preferred time slots, sign up for tasks or indicate what they'll bring to the event. It only takes organizers a few minutes to create a signup sheet and send it out with a shareable link, so they can get the word out via text, email or social media—whichever way they prefer!
Long story short, SignUp Sheets save everyone involved tons of time, avoid scheduling headaches and ensure everything runs smoothly before and during the event.
Creating a signup sheet has never been easier than with Evite! Here’s how to create a sheet that’s sure to make your event an absolute success:
When it comes to signup sheet information, there are some essentials to include regardless of what you’re organizing:
When adding your slot information, clearly define what people are signing up for, especially for a what-to-bring list or role assignments. If you want someone to bring healthy snacks for kids to enjoy after a game, specify that. You want your volunteers to feel confident in what they’re bringing and to make it easy for them to know what’s expected of them. It will save them time and stress (and you, too!). That being said, if you make your ask too specific (for example, asking for a hard-to-source item or something expensive), you may not end up with a volunteer for it. So be clear about what you expect, but also be reasonable!
Aside from providing the basic signup information, you can also add optional descriptions to both your entire signup sheet and individual slots. While not required, they can help guide your volunteers further and provide more information. You can add information about allergies, preferences and general info about the event. You can also add a wish list to make it easier for your volunteers to bring exactly what you need!
Signup sheet templates offer a ton of advantages for both organizers and volunteers and with Evite SignUp Sheets, you'll enjoy even more benefits than other digital and paper signup sheets! Some benefits our signup sheet templates offer include:
With Evite SignUp Sheets, you can enjoy organizing and coordinating all your events with ease. Signup sheets streamline the signup process for everyone involved, ensuring that everything will go to plan on the day of your event while saving you precious time in the process.