what's a bridal shower?

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   Stevennix2001posted 15 years ago

   seriously what is it?  as i never heard of it before.

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2. 31

   flounderingsahmposted 15 years ago

   For me, one word.... Painful!
   
   It is a party with all women invited to the wedding to give the bride-to-be items for a household.  I've never enjoyed them and I dread going to them.  I love my girlfriends, but being in a room with that many women just makes me crazy!  LOL.

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   Kathryn LJposted 15 years ago

   I haven't heard of them either.  Baby shower, yeah but not bridle.

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   Richieb799posted 15 years ago

   Is it when the Bride to be has a wash before the big day

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5. 82

   wychicposted 15 years ago

   Is a bridal shower a regional thing then, or just a well-kept secret amongst women? I agree, they can be quite painful...I've only been to one that was actually fun, and that's because she made it a "pampered bride" party which was all Pampered Chef stuff...the fun part about that is all the tasty demo food. That, and I ended up being the only one of her friends to show up, everyone else was family members 20-40 years older than us...some reason that made it a lot better, it was a lot quieter than most and more like a senior center social or something .

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   Precious Williamsposted 15 years ago

   I think it's just an excuse for brides to get a double amount of presents.  In these difficult economic times we should resist.  It's an unnecessary expense.

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      wychicposted 15 years agoin reply to this

      Unless if you're the bride or groom to be, then it can save expenses by not having to buy some household stuff . The only problem with bridal showers is that they are somewhat antiquated, as they are from a time where women generally didn't move out of their parents' house before they got married, and so needed the stuff to set up house. While that still happens sometimes, I think it's safe to say that the majority of women live away from their parents for a while first...and in some cases, have been previously married too.

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7. 65

   Lisa HWposted 15 years ago

   Wow.  I've been to a zillion bridal showers. 
   
   Bridal showers are parties that are held for a future bride.  The shower is usually put together by the young women who will be her maid-of-honor and bridesmaids in the wedding.  Sometimes co-workers, friends, or family will put together a shower.
   
   The purpose is for people to bring gifts the future bride will be able to use after she's married.  Usually, the showers are very much aimed at women (with pretty decorations and activities aimed at women), although these days people are now throwing "Jack and Jill" showers and inviting guys too.
   
   How big or traditional the shower is depends on the people involved; but if you think, "Gifts, little sandwiches, and crepe-paper decorations" you probably have a pretty good idea of what a shower is.
   
   Maybe it's American thing (although I can't believe they don't have them elsewhere), but I think it's a widespread thing in the US.

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      Precious Williamsposted 15 years agoin reply to this

      We don't have them in the UK.  Some people have engagement parties, but that's it.

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   2. 0

      Stevennix2001posted 15 years agoin reply to this

      wow, thanks lisa.  i appreciate you enlightening me on the subject, as I never even heard of a bridal shower until recently.  i guess you learn something new everyday.  lol.  anyway, thanks lisa for information.
      
      and thank you everyone who replied to this forum, as your feedback was most appreciated.

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8. 66

   Greek Oneposted 15 years ago

   A bridal shower is an event that women put on for their female friends who are about to wed. They give the bride many gifts and they all eat as much food as possible.
   
   This event usually takes place around the time that the groom and his male friends have what is known as a 'bachelor party'.  The groom's friends buy the groom many lap dances and they all drink as much alcohol as possible.
   
   After the wedding, the bride enjoys using her many bridal shower gifts.  The husband, in turn, enjoys remembering the events of his bachelor party (if he can) while his wife nags him to assemble and fix said gifts.

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   Rochelle Frankposted 15 years ago

   I've been to many many of them, too. (I think I had three, myself). Sometimes there's a theme (kitchen, personal, etc), Sometimes it's for a certain group of friends,  neighbors, or just family...

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10. 65

    Lisa HWposted 15 years ago

    I only had one, so at least it wasn't blizzard-ed out the way my baby shower was     My baby shower consisted of my mother, sister, and one stout-hearted cousin.  They planned to have "snow date" - and then my baby arrived weeks early - so it never really happened.    Oh well, too late now for showers of any sort. 

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    katie54321posted 15 years ago

    The Bridal Shower originated in the 1890's and was designed to "shower" the bride to be with gifts for her and her husband.  The gifts were of a household nature to help the couple set up their new home.  Wikipedia has a nice article on the history of the bridal shower if you want to read more information.
    
    Now many women are waiting until later in life to get married and already have homes of their own, or couples live together before getting married so they have a lot of what they need.  Bridal showers in this case are more about celebrating the upcoming wedding instead of a ton of gifts.
    
    Bridal showers can have themes (kitchen, bedroom, bathroom) and sometimes even vacation. 
    
    Couples register for the gifts they want and most people will try to buy something from their registry.
    
    I'm from Pennsylvania and bridal showers are a big part of the wedding culture/traditions here.  The bridal party pays for everything and it is usually held in a banquet hall or restaurant.  This isn't the way they are all over the US, just here.

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