The plans have all been made and everyone is crossing their fingers that all will go as planned on the big day. Anytime before the wedding, from a few months to a few weeks, is an acceptable time to have the bridal shower. Typically the shower used to be for the bride and her female relatives and friends, however now there are ‘Jack and Jill’ showers that both the bride and groom along with their male and female relatives and friends can attend. The shower can be held at the home of a friend or relative or it can be in a restaurant. Basically anywhere that accommodates the number of people who are invited. Showers are typically given by a close friend of the family or co-workers or the bridesmaids. It is a time to relax, have fun, and forget the wedding jitters for a little while.

Their are games to play and refreshments are served. One quite popular game that is loads of fun is splitting the guests into groups of three, giving each team 4 rolls of white toilet paper, and choosing one of the three to be the bride. The groups are then given 20 minutes to design a wedding dress by wrapping the toilet tissue on the bride after which they are judged by the guests as to which one is the best. The best bride and her team win a prize. Another popular game is to have the guests fill out a paper with their wedding date [birth date if unmarried] as they arrive. The person with the date closest to the bride and groom’s wedding date wins.

Another variation of a shower that is quite popular is a lingerie party where all the guests bring the bride an item of lingerie. There is also a stripper who shows up during the party. This party is the counterpart to the men’s stag party. It can be held at a bar or at the home of whomever is sponsoring the shower. Or perhaps the party where everyone brings a bottle of wine and the game is truth or dare. This party is quite popular today as the trends from the traditional bridal shower have changed somewhat during the last several years.