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As the wedding day approaches many brides have a lot to look forward to besides the wedding itself. If she is lucky, then she may be in for a bridal shower or a bachelorette party or both!
Bridal showers and bachelorette parties are generally all girl parties that include the bride-to-be (of course!) and her friends and female relatives. However, these two types of parties have very different styles and customs.
A bridal shower is a gift-giving party to help outfit the expectant bride with gifts for herself and her new home. This is the time when she’ll get items like bath sets with soaps and pampering items, as well as blenders, coffee makers and other kitchen or home necessities. The bridal registry, for gifts to be received at the wedding on the other hand, will typically round out her kitchen and home décor by including the serving pieces, goblets, linens and other designer items.
At the shower, the ladies will generally play games that get all involved in having a good time and easing the tension for the woman about to be married. These games are usually tame in that they can be played by younger (i.e. children) or more modest attendees. One such game is bridal bingo – it involves giving blank bingo cards to each guest. Each guest fills in the squares with which gifts they think the honoree will get. As she opens each gift, guests cross through any box having that item. The first guest to get five in a row on the card wins bridal bingo.
Often a shower is given as a surprise. The ladies scheme to get the honored guest to one of their homes, where the party will be, quite surreptitiously. Sometimes the groom-to-be is in on the ruse.
A bachelorette party (called a hen party in the UK), on the other hand, is an occasion for drinking, or going to a party town like Las Vegas, or getting pampered at a spa or playing naughtier, more adult, games. This is not a gift giving party but a time for the bride-to-be to unwind with her friends and have her last time out with the girls as a single woman. The counter-part, for the groom-to-be, is the bachelor party (called a stag party in the UK).
Both types of parties are usually given by the bride-to-be’s closest friend or female relative. This person will usually become the Maid or Matron of Honor at the wedding.
As the bride-to-be is caught up in the whirlwind of all the wedding planning plus the pre-wedding parties, it will be a good thing if she gets to catch her breath somewhere along the way.
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Source by Mindy Makuta
