by joesuspense

Article by Jeff Fain

The bridal shower is a time of fun, fellowship, and friends forever. In a bridal shower, the bride's closest friends and allies assemble together at the bride's house for a party to celebrate the bride. The friends, relatives, and colleagues 'shower' the bride with gifts. Originally, bridal showers were intended to replace the gifts lost through a dowry that didn't go through because the father of the bride didn't approve of the marriage. Because of this, bridal showers are a recent phenomenon. They're endemic to America and Canada especially so you'll be sure to find the best bridal shower invitations from Internet vendors in one of those two countries.

Bridal shower invitations are fun to send out because you're 100% certain that you will receive some great gifts in return from all your friends. Friends are likely to bring gifts that will help you establish your new home. In the past, bridal showers were also intended to establish the woman's role as homemaker and traditional housewife. This has gradually been replaced with a pure gift-giving session; sometimes, the husband is even involved in this celebration that was originally reserved just for females.

Usually, the maid of honor plans the bridal shower and sends out the invitation so she should keep some basic tenets in mind. First, the bride-to-be is a princess for a day. Second, send out invitations 2 weeks ahead of time to give everyone time to prepare. Third, don't invite guests to the shower if they're not invited to the wedding, for obvious reasons. Fourth, plan to have the shower in the afternoon. Fifth, use board games and other games to help the guests get to know each other. Sixth, don't pressure the guests into giving expensive gifts if they can't afford them. Cheap gifts can be just as good and functional. Include a list of inexpensive items on the registry for cash-strapped bridal shower guests. Seventh, choose a few good movies that all the girls will love to watch. These are especially fun at the end of the night after a few bottles of wine or champagne.

The bridal shower invitations shouldn't be too fancy or else the guests will think they have to dress up and bring expensive gifts and such. Make sure that the invitations are fun, yet classy. Don't use overpriced cards because it will send the wrong impression right off the bat. Make the bride's bridal shower a time of shared memories and future hopes. Don't let anything blur that beautiful dream.

Technorati Tags: bridal, Bride, Invitations, Let's, Love, SHOWER

Question by Newlywed!: Do i (the bride) have to ask for a bridal shower?
I'm getting married in September this year and i my moh is my best friend..
she told me she is exited about my showers, but.. do i have to chose Because she asked me: "when do you want your showers"? she made me feel bad, because i thought it was something that she has to plan, even the date...
I really want a bridal shower, but what if i feel like i'm getting one because of her economic situation? do i have to tell her that i want one?
Do i tell my mom that i want one? or is that something that needs to come from their hearts and initiative?
Yes i meant "shower" singular..
i misexplained and meant to say bridal shower and bachelorette party..

Best answer:

Answer by Allie
she asked you when and you want her to choose, so give her multiple available dates. like this
"oh sometime in july would be great"
it leaves it wide open for her to plan but you still answered the question.

Give your answer to this question below!

Technorati Tags: bridal, Bride, SHOWER

by lemonjenny

Question by Pinkadot: Any bridal shower ideas - bride does not want to play games...?
She is going to Hawaii for Honeymoon, their wedding dinner the night before is a luau so I don't want to do that. Her shower is just a "honeymoon shower", just gifts for the honeymoon.

Best answer:

Answer by Irish Rose
look on the internet for sex parties. i dont know the address but i am sure they will have it. a lady will come to the house bringing nightgowns, toys, lotions, etc. i actually went with people who were from a church and they had a blast! they are really really fun and at the end you can buy things.

Give your answer to this question below!

Technorati Tags: bridal, Bride, Games, ideas, play, SHOWER, want

by joesuspense

Question by Karen: Is it ok for a bride to ask for money instead of gifts at her bridal shower?
Ok.. I am invited to a bridal shower this Sunday. I noticed on the invitation it says...

"The Bride & Groom are saving up for a house, so in leiu of gifts, cash would be greatly appreciated."

Well..I am the type of person that prefers to give a gift because it is more personal and because I don't really know how much money I should "give". I dont' want to look too cheap but yet I don't want to give too much. Also, if I give money I am always thinking that the money will be spent on other things instead of what it was intended for.

What do you think?...is it "rude" or "ok" for a bride to ask for money at a bridal shower? I think it is more appropriate for the couple to ask for money as the wedding gift....but a bridal shower gift? The idea of a bridal shower is to "shower" the bride with gifts.
Oh..I forgot to mention that I am a bridesmaid in the wedding. But..the maid of honor is giving the shower. She called me last night and asked me if I could donate $ 40 towards the party.

Best answer:

Answer by Words of Wisdom
Your right..it's hard to figure out how much to give and not look cheap..however, now days I think money is the gift of choice...give what you can and don't worry about it..that's all we can do.

What do you think? Answer below!

Technorati Tags: bridal, Bride, gifts, instead, money, SHOWER

Sometimes women aren't all that interested in what we could call the traditional wedding service. While your motivations can be difficult to explain, you can easily find that your idea of a perfect wedding doesn't include puffy dresses or grand arrivals. While it's not always well received from family members, your big day is your big day. It's not theirs.

Just because your mother pulls out a strapless wedding gown that she believes will set the aisle on fire doesn't mean you have to actually agree to it. If you would prefer to have a costumed themed wedding, you have that right. Mothers and the soon to be mother-in-laws can be less than understanding and can push their will on your day. Being assertive can help ease this.

Some women choose to go all out, and that's fine. They have a little liposculpture done beforehand and they don't settle for the groom to look any less than his best. If the real thing is not available, some women fine the absolute best in fine costume jewelry for the women of the wedding party as well as mothers. Going all out can be fun and it can fulfill a childhood fantasy for some women.

The pressure is alive and well in many families simply because there are a great many parents who have already looked into their minds and have seen what they picture your wedding day. An only daughter can face more pressure than most. This can make it difficult when you are trying to create a wedding that differs from their ideas.

You don't have to ditch it all. You might believe that you think the gown is perfect but you are sticking to your guns that you will not hold the ceremony in a religious setting. If the beaches or the mountains hold more intrigue and romance for you and that's what you want, go for it. Many individuals that do not go to church regularly do not get married inside of one.

The childhood daydreams that we were expected to have are just daydreams. Many women have pushed aside the idea of having a happily ever after because it is too misleading. They already know that the marriage requires significant effort on both sides and that things in life don't come easily just because you fell in love.

Thanks to the pioneering efforts of the late nineties, the traditional wedding is losing its restrictive ideals, and people are accepting that. Just as women of the seventies and eighties fought hard to take the word 'obey' from the vows and replace it with something more mutual, women of the nineties have paved a road for those that want to reconstruct their wedding of their own special design.

Technorati Tags: Bride, church, traditional ceremony, wedding gown, wedding party

The father of the bride wedding speech is the most waited for speech in any wedding occasion. After all, it him who have the privilege of spending more time with the daughter and hence he is more likely to know the joys and pains of loosing of wedding her off. Most wedding parties know only this too well, and therefore awaits that speech with batted breath. Ideally, the father of the bride wedding speech should be in a conversationally tone, much more like a wedding ceremony speech made off head.

As the first person to speak, and assuming that he is the one who is catering for the wedding costs, the father of the bride wedding speech should incorporate a welcoming message to the guests. At this point the brides father can acknowledge people present in the wedding like the grooms parents, specific family members and other invited guests. The second section in the short wedding speech should be geared at thanking everyone present for attending the wedding of the daughter. Remember that the father of the bride wedding speech should make every one present to feel appreciated for sparing time for the wedding.

Professionally Written And Inspirational Wedding Speeches And Toasts - Click Here!

Further, the father of the bride wedding speech should give people in attendance a glimpse of the daughter's life. Here, he can tell the whole life story about the brides childhood days, her special features and contribution to their family and all the good things that the daughter is worth. Because the wedding is a joyous occasion, the wedding ceremony speech should be written in a lighthearted manner. The father of the bride wedding speech should also include details of the man marrying the daughter. This not only consoles the daughter in knowing that the father actually took time to know her husband, but also serves to let the groom know that the bride's family appreciates him. At this point, the father can make special references to the wedding vows.

Wedding Speeches and Wedding Toasts Made Simple!

The final section in the father of the bride wedding speech should comprise him proposing a toast for the wedding couple. To make this memorable, the speech can incorporate love quotes. Ideally, the father of the bride wedding speech should take 3-5 minutes. This will make time for other short wedding speeches. An example of a wedding speech is:

"Ladies and gentlemen, as the father of the bride I have the pleasure to welcome you to my daughters wedding. Thank you all for making time to come. Who would have thought that my little girl would mature so fast, and that within 30 years I would still want to hang around her and enjoy watching seeing her discovering her way in life? To bad, that she has discovered a man who is getting her away from me. Naturally as the dad, I want to have her around forever, but XX, I know you are happy with YY now, and that makes me even happier. I want the couple to know that I'm still working to make my marriage better so you should do the same, never at one time give up on each other, your mother not giving up on me and me not giving up on her is what has made our marriage last this far. They told me not to give a lengthy wedding ceremony speech, so I beg to leave it at that. Finally, I propose this toast for my beautiful daughter and her husband."

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/marriage-articles/father-of-the-bride-wedding-speech-tips-with-example-587514.html

Author: Rafi Michael

About the Author:
Wedding Tips Wedding Photography & Video Productions Toronto we specialize in individually tailored Wedding Photography, Videos and DVD's, offering an experienced, highly professional and affordable service. for more info vist: http://www.videobabylon.ca/view-all-wedding-tips.html

Technorati Tags: Bride, ceremony, example, Father, Marriage, memorable, Of, parents, samples, Speech, speeches, The, Wedding