A shower planned one to two months before the wedding can be a fun event for both bride and groom. These days it’s popular to host Jack and Jill showers where both bride and groom are honoured. This gives all of your friends and family a chance to get together in a relaxed and enjoyable atmosphere. It’s no longer necessary to have the traditional shower or tea party format. Possible themes include a lingerie shower, wine shower, CD shower, or a furnishing-the-kitchen shower. The choices are endless.

Whoever is planning to host the shower should consult with the bridal couple as to what type of party to host, and of course, who to invite. Those invited to the shower should also be invited to the wedding. Don’t forget to notify out-of-town family members about the shower. Although they likely won’t be able to attend, they’ll probably want to send a gift. Bridesmaids who attend several of your showers should know it isn’t necessary to bring presents to each shower.