Bridal showers have traditionally been dainty and petite affairs celebrated by the bride-to-be and her intimate female friends and relatives. And for some brides, this type of decorous celebration is perfect. Today's bridal shower, however, can be different than the way it used to be earlier. Generally the job of planning a shower for the Bride-to-Be falls on the maid of honor. But it is just as common for all the bridesmaids to pitch in. Legend says that the first shower was thrown for a couple deeply in love, but lacking the money to marry. Their friends and family got together and "showered" the couple with gifts to help them start their new life together. Today, the tradition still popularly lives, and it's more of an opportunity for the bride to gather with her girlfriends one last time before her big day! The purpose of a bridal shower is to help the happy couple collect those much-needed items for their new household, along with some advice and wisdom from those that has been in the brides shoes. Thus a bridal shower can be organized by any close friend or well wisher of the bride, if not necessarily the bride's family.

When a bridal shower is being planned, one of the most important things to consider is the number of people to invite. The optimal number should be from five to twenty, any more than that will just be too much to deal with for the bride and will take away from something that should be cozy and intimate. The people to top the list should be of the bride's choice. The first people on the list would be family members from both sides of the wedding party, as well as the bride's closest friends. The next important part is to choose the bridal shower invitations. The cards should be chosen accordingly with a RSVP note necessarily attached on it. If any particular theme is being chosen for the shower then it should be mentioned, other wise if the shower is going to be just kind of generic with no particular theme then consider matching the bridal shower invitations up to the wedding invitations.

As with the actual wedding, it is wise to choose a theme before sending out the invitations. The theme can then be used throughout the shower and incorporated in with the invitations, decorations, favors and refreshments. There are literally dozens of topics for a shower party theme. One popular theme among them is the kitchen theme as there are endless pieces of equipment and accessories that can be bought for the kitchen. The host ought to know the bride well and plan to fit a theme around either what the bride and groom need, or their lifestyle. For instance, if the happy couple are both into health and fitness, then a fitness theme could be an option. Another idea for a couples shower is a wine tasting theme. This is ideal for a Saturday night parties and easily get into the swing of things!

Every guest who comes to a big event such as the shower should receive some sort of bridal shower favors. Small trinkets or gifts that are touchy would make each guest feel special and cared for. Many brides and their shower planning friends get away with making small food treat bags as favors. Other favors include special teas, candles, and even bookmarks. When purchasing small gifts the favors one should think about the theme of the party and one's personal preferences. The bridal shower favor is a special gift that represents the bride and her fianc and thus should reflect their personalities. Those who have a love of luxury can give a little to their friends in the form of bath and body sets, for example.

Now lets pay attention on the menu of food. It depends on the theme and location for which type of food to prepare. For example, if a wine tasting theme is being held, then a finger buffet with crackers, nuts and other nibbles goes down well with wine. If the host is holding a garden shower party, should consider light finger food - cheeses, crackers, fresh fruit, mini-quiches, blueberry cream puffs, crab dip and a bacon, egg and cheese casserole and salads. And when the question of the shower party games arises there are an ample number of games that can be played!! Everyone should be included in the shower games. Shower party games are a great ice-breaker for people to get to know each other. Games can include bridal shower bingo as this is always a big hit as is whats in the bag , Who am I and others.

Whatever one chooses, the person should always remember that it does not have to be a lavish extravagance but a small well-chosen token to thank everyone for being fundamental to a happy and successful day. In keeping with wedding tradition, the bride and groom give gifts to their bridal party to say thank you for their involvement in the celebrations. These days such wishes can be made heartily with gifts or the awesome e cards available for everything starting from bridal shower invitation, wishes and thanksgiving after the party as well on free e-cards site like 123greetings.com & others!