Babbler
Poll
We asked the FBs: What would you love
to have at your shower.
- A tea party - delicate sandwiches, fine china, pastries, like
a Victorian Afternoon tea - classy, but also fun. It's not often
that people have tea anymore, so I thought it would be a nice change
of pace.
- Wine tasting - a great event to help the couple choose the wines
for their wedding, or for personal use. Each guest could bring in
a bottle of their favourite wines, serve cheese and crackers, and
taste test the different varieties. Just be sure to have designated
drivers though!
- I would love to have my bridal party girls at my shower, but won't
be able to if I have one as they live out of town. So I guess, I'd
like to have unexpected GOOD guests.
- I would
really love to have a shower that is NOT just about collecting
gifts! I think a shower should be a celebration of your upcoming
marriage (especially since engagement parties seem to be getting
more rare), not just a gift grab. I would like a shower that includes
only people that I know. I'd like it to be intimate, and a real
chance to talk, maybe like a dinner party. Since I already have
a complete household, I would love if they all went in together
on a spa package for me or something like that.
- I would love to have some kind of surprise. Like maybe the bridesmaids
got together and made a little slide show of my life, or something
like that
- Good food.
A variety, like a fruit tray, spinach dip etc. Also fun people.
And some good games. At mine we did the 'don't say the word wedding'
thing, and the winner won a prize. I like that one because it's
ongoing and gets everyone involved whether they want to be or
not!
- The more
casual the better, far as I'm concerned - go to a restaurant or
someone's house and just have a nice party atmosphere, wine and
chat kind of thing.
- I loved
what I had at my shower! It was a surprise shower thrown by my
mother and bridesmaids, complete with tea, little sandwiches and
all my closest friends, family and neighbours!
- A SURPRISE
first of all...thennn uhmmmmm a theme... I did a 'holiday' theme
for my sisters and the guests had a great time when it came to
their holiday for Kelly to open up their gifts... and I used all
sorts of left overs we had at home for decorations... so a THEME
would be neat.. and ohh yes.. ALL my closest friends of course...
- I would
love to have a evening shower in a nicely landscaped backyard.
Of course, this would have to be a Summer Shower and have a back-up
plan in case of rain. I'd like candles everywhere..on the tables
and hanging from tree branches. Tropical drinks and barbecued
food with a variety of salads and fresh summer fruit.
- I already
had a bridal shower. Because I got married in Jamaica, my sister
had an island spa theme complete with a manicurist and masseur.
It was held outdoors with a tent and palm trees the whole shower
lasted around 3 hours and that was prefect. The only game played
was gift bingo-each participant is given an "bingo"
card and you have to fill the squares with gifts you think the
bride will receive, so as I opened my gifts the guests would circle
the gift on their card and the first one to get a line won a prize.
It took the boredom out of just watching gifts get opened.
- Fun, family, friends and definitely good food! Maybe even a
really cute (and buff) guy or two for my single friends? A nice
place where we can all chat and enjoy each other's company. It
couldn't hurt if there was a bartender that could make awesome
drinks too!
- Tea at the
ritz with only a few close friends.
- A lovely
tea party, with pretty dishes and real iced tea if it's summer.
these days not a lot of people get to have an occasion like that,
it's special. a game like croquet would be a fun alternative!
- A party
with dancing.
- Shower - definitely like good finger food or hors d'oeuvres;
*maybe* one or two clever games; classy or comfortable setting
(not just someone's living room); but I'm afraid most of my female
relatives of a *certain* age couldn't adapt to anything other
than the traditional games-open-the-presents-have-food kind of
shower
- An intimate gathering (or two if necessary). I don't like the
idea of a hall. I want to be able to talk to everyone at the shower
and hear speeches that don't have to involve a microphone.
- I'd love
a shower that had only about 15-20 people, all of whom I knew
personally. There would be lots of dainty and delectable morels
of food (a la Martha Stewart). There would be tons of games, (hopefully
not run-of-the-mill games) that would promote ice-breaking, creativity
and general silliness. Last but not least, I hope that it would
be FUN for the guests.
- I think 25-40 people - family, friends and co-workers who are
invited to the wedding. My shower was perfect for me. It was held
in the summer, in my Aunts Garden. They had Long tables Set up
with linen, tea cups (china) plates, cookie stands, silver punch
bowl.. champagne flutes - each guest as they arrived were offered
a Mimosa.. to cool down. Women were dressed in 'Sunday Best' some
even in hats. They had large floral arrangements, and a guest
book. Favours for the guests, and a stunning cake. Finger foods,
sweets, and savoury.. toss away cameras to take pics..
- I would love to have a evening shower in a nicely landscaped
backyard. Of course, this would have to be a Summer Shower and
have a back-up plan in case of rain. I'd like candles everywhere..on
the tables and hanging from tree branches. Tropical drinks and
barbecued food with a variety of salads and fresh summer fruit.
- Family and
close friends only. An intimate affair, with good food, music
and good conversation with all the ladies I admire the most. If
those same people did small thoughtful (not expensive) gifts or
notes to me, I would love that.
- Surprise.
They organized everything, every single detail, behind my back
and without my help whatsoever.
We asked the FBs: What happened at the best shower you
ever attended?
- The groom
came by towards the end of the shower and gave each guest a red
rose as a thank you for attending. He spent a moment with each
person to thank them for coming. Everyone was quite surprised,
and was a lovely gesture.
- We all got
together and bought the bride a really expensive item off her
list that she didn't expect to receive and she practically cried.
I think it is so gratifying when you buy something the bride really
wants, and something she will remember, rather than a whole bunch
of small or impersonal gifts.
- People just had a good time and went with the flow..nothing
was planned on a specific schedule
- Honeymoon shower... all gifts are a surprise and are a lot of
fun and there's no "out doing" each other
- I still remember one when I was 8, for my aunt. Everyone was
asked to bring something they had made as a gift instead of something
bought, and she got some of the most creative and unique gifts!
- One bride was just the personification of the gracious hostess.
She had exactly the right thing to say for every gift she opened.
- A shower
I organized for a friend ended up being pretty small, and after
a couple hours it was just a handful of close friends from high
school, so we sat at the restaurant and drank together fairly
late into the night - the venue even gave us free shots in honour
of the occasion
- Well, at my shower I had all my close friends there, my mom
planned these cute games and we just chatted and relaxed! It was
so much fun!
- At my girl friend's shower they played pass the cucumber with
your knees to the music.. and this lady broke it in half.. I have
never seen a group of women laugh so hard in my life.. so games
are a must!
- Nice finger foods
- Goody bags
- I think
it was the good food. It's been a very long time since I've been
to a shower.
- What I liked about it was that the yard was decorated beautifully,
with lots of thought given to the heat (lots of cold drinks, shade
- I knew no one and other guests made me feel very comfortable.
- Best shower-One that was planned around the theme of the couples
Honeymoon choice of Hawaii. They had belly dancers, games and
food to match the theme.
- I, too,
haven't been to lots of showers, so I guess I'd have to say the
shower where we totally surprised the bride. The look on her face
was priceless!
- At the first the women invited were all friends of the bride
and each brought a photo or two of them together. The shower organizer
hired a scrapbooking specialist to help everyone assemble a scrapbook
of memories and good wishes for the bride. Each guest had a page,
chosen by the bride, to decorate and paste on photos, etc. Lots
of conversation between guests who didn't know each other previously,
and lots of fun.
- It was a co-ed shower where all the guests and bride and groom
met at a paint-your-own-pottery cafe. Over lattes and snacks everyone
painted a dish or two in colours chosen by the bride and groom.
Again, good time by all.
- Everyone took a recipe card before the shower and wrote their
best recipe on it, with some thoughtful words and they were all
put in a box and given to the bride at the end of the shower.
I would love something like that!
- Games were played and the gifts for the guests were given.
- Organization. The hostess, with the things she couldn't do,
delegated the tasks to the best(best cooks, best speakers etc...)
people, so everything was absolutely amazing. Lots of laughter.
That's the main thing I loved about it. They even cracked jokes
when I was opening the gifts. Everything lasted about 4 hours
from the time I showed up, but the time flew.
BLUE HAWAII THEME
Contributed by a mom
My daughter got married a few years ago, and at the time Madonna was "HUGE", and my daughter loved her music etc. and of coarse who doesn't love Elvis Presley ! So the Maid of Honour and I got together and planned "An Evening in Blue Hawaii" as the theme.
We hired an Elvis and a Madonna impersonator, we catered the buffet style food ourselves, keeping in mind the theme was "Blue Hawaii". We did our homework, and we found out Elvis' favourite foods and the foods that are a speciality in Hawaii. We started with a seafood station, and we draped the table in a fishing net with seashells, and we had shrimp, and oyster crackers with dips, a crab ball etc. As the guests arrived we gave everyone a lei and they all mingled and enjoyed the seafood station while we played music that was the sound of waves splashing against the shore.
Once everyone arrived we then called my now son-in-law and told him to bring my daughter, she had no idea, she thought she was going to visit friends. When she walked in , I thought she was going to faint. She was so surprised.
Once everyone was ready, we opened the patio doors and the guests walked outside to "Hawaii". We had made Palm trees using sono tubes and crepe paper, we hollowed out coconut and made them into lanterns and they were hanging all around. We took golf umbrellas and using raffia we turned them into grass huts with the food stations underneath. For the skirting for the tables, we cut crepe paper into grass skirts, for the main coarse buffet, we used a blue table cloth and puddled it and gave it highs and lows, and placed the food on that, and sprinkled sand in places to give it a shore effect. We used white plates with blue cutlery and napkins.
Everyone by this time, was relaxed and they all dug into the food using the plastic shovels that were there to serve the food out. Then at each table ( Patio Tables) we had fish bowls on their sides with pebbles spilling out of them with votive candles wrapped in plastic seaweed with fragrant candles lit. We placed on each table 2 pitchers with different kinds on punch in them for the guests to enjoy.
While we were cleaning up, the bridesmaids had made up a song and dance to entertain the guests about my daughter and her fiancé. They were terrific. Then we brought out the dessert station, fruits galore, chocolate dipping sauce, small pastries etc.
THEN Elvis and Madonna came in. They were unbelievable, even the Grammas were up shaking their booty ! Elvis sat my daughter on his knee and sang "Love me Tender" and gave her a blue scarf, and Madonna and my Daughter sang together. They stayed about an hour and once everyone calmed down, we served coffee, tea and cake and the Maid of Honour and the Bridesmaids opened the gifts and my daughter was able to relax and thank everyone personally.
For the Thank you gifts we made up little bags of Hawaii related things such as a can of pineapple, banana chips, fruit drink etc.
Only problem was no one wanted to go home, everyone said it was the best shower they were ever at. Now people call me all the time ! Cost you say, because we did most of the work ourselves, the only cost was for Elvis and Madonna, and they were worth every penny .(they weren't that much). Remember to have fun and enjoy the day. |
