Wedding shower invitations
A wedding shower or a bridal shower is a get together organized to give gifts to the couple prior to their wedding. Primarily followed in North America it is organized by the bridesmaids and the gifts are generally for the couple’s home. In earlier times it was also said to reduce pressure of dowry on the bride by receiving gifts from her friends and acquaintances. It is also conducted to prepare the bride to start a new household.
The maid of honor is generally required to host the shower and send out the wedding shower invitations. Though if the maid of honor is a part of the brides immediate family she generally does not host the wedding shower. Tradition followed is to organize the wedding shower around 4 to 6 weeks before the actual wedding takes place. Generally if a number of outstation guests are expected wedding shower invitations are sent for a time close to the wedding so they can attend as well. The brides maid or the couple if involved in the organizing decides the number of wedding shower invitations to be sent and which relatives need to be invited to a wedding shower.
Primarily to begin inviting people, a guest list is required which can be arranged from the bride or her mother if it is a surprise. Generally to avoid awkward situations it is preferred if the people called to the bridal shower are also called to the wedding. An invite should be sent around 4 weeks before the shower, thus there is enough time to keep calendar empty and it is not so far off that someone would forget accidentally.
If you are considering a themed bridal shower then it is preferred if special instructions for the same are sent with the wedding shower invitation. Directions to the shower and contact numbers are generally provided in the wedding shower invitation for an additional information which is required. Generally people known personally to the bride are invited to the wedding shower.
Unless it is a couples shower where one invite per couple will suffice it is a custom to send one invite per person. Wedding showers can be more than one as well in which case the same person should not be sent a wedding shower invitation twice. The invites can be sent by the mail, over the phone or can be given in person as well.
Though a personal touch to invites such as hand written invites is considered charming, generally to avoid confusion and for the convenience of the host professional help is available for wedding shower invites. Once a professional is employed for invites to the wedding shower they are in charge of the whole process from designing, printing till the distribution.
Before the wedding the bride is required to send “thank you” cards to all the guests who attended the wedding shower. It should in the brides maiden name as before the wedding, stationary with the married name should not be used.