The UK Bridal Shower Shop - Please Click Here to Enter Shop

Bridal Showers Overview

A bridal shower is a gift-giving party held for a bride-to-be in anticipation of her wedding. The custom originated in the 1890s and is today most common in the United States, Canada, and by American influence, in Australia. Showers are usually coordinated by the bride's family who invite guests to offer gifts for the upcoming home of the bride and groom as a married couple (or more commonly the groom has been invited to the showers). The history of the custom is rooted not necessarily for the provision of goods for the upcoming matrimonial home, but to provide goods and financial assistance to ensure the wedding may take place.

History

The custom of the bridal shower is said to have grown out of earlier dowry practices, when a poor woman's family might not have the money to provide a dowry for her, or when a father refused to give his daughter her dowry because he did not approve of the marriage. In such situations, friends of the woman would gather together and bring gifts that would compensate for the dowry and allow her to marry the man of her choice.

The earliest stories about these events have been known to originate in Brussels, Belgium around 1860. A frequently quoted legend traces the origin of this practice to the 16th or 17th Century Netherlands.

Bridal Showers are relatively new to UK., where wedding presents are normally selected from a list provided by the couple, and delivered either at the wedding or by the shop, and sometimes displayed at the wedding. A related custom practised in medieval England was the Bride Ale; in Langland's Piers Plowman. This was a feast held before the wedding day, at which the bride made beer and sold it to the guests at a high price.

In the United States bridal showers started in urban areas in the 1890s, mainly among the upper middle classes. By the 1930s bridal showers had spread to rural America.

Bridal Shower Etiquette

Although the format has remained relatively consistent, there have been some significant changes. An etiquette guide from the 1920s suggested showers should be "purely spontaneous and informal," with guests arriving unannounced at the bride-to-be's home, while a planning guide from the 1950s suggests more complex themes and games.

Traditionally, hosting the bridal shower falls to the mother of the bride. Gifts are not required of those who attend the shower, however it is proper etiquette. The shower normally takes place four to six weeks before the wedding.

Due to the prior history of showers being "purely spontaneous and informal", showers have not developed the same formal etiquette that has developed with respect to weddings. It is not customary for guests to receive formal invitations in the same manner as they would for a wedding.The number of guests and their relationship to the bride varies widely. In Canada among some immigrant communities parties in community halls with upwards of 300 guests were normal, while other cultures emphasized intimate parties with only close friends and relatives.

Courtesy of Wiki  

Everything you need to organise the perfect bridal shower ~ Bridal Shower & Hen Party in the UK ~ Bridal Shower Party Supplies ~ Bridal Invitations ~Bridal Shower Pamper Towel Cakes ~ Bridal Shower Games ~ Favours ~ Decorations ~ UK Bridal Wedding Shower ~ Tableware