Who to Invite to a Bridal Shower - Historic Acres of Hershey (2024)

FAQs

Who to Invite to a Bridal Shower - Historic Acres of Hershey? ›

A bridal shower is a more intimate gathering than a wedding and the guest list usually consists of the bride-to-be's closest female friends and relatives, including close relatives of the soon-to-be-bride's spouse.

A bridal shower guest list will be mostly the bride's closest friends, bridal party, and family. If the groom's mom is helping with the organizing, she may ask to invite the groom's sisters and aunties, so you can count on including the groom's close family too.

Consider inviting important out-of-town family members of your partner like their parents, grandparents or other relatives that matter to the both of you. "You are blending your lives together; it's important to extend that to their friends and family," explains Evans.

Although once upon a time it was expected that the bride's family would foot the bridal shower bill, modern society has changed the rules. Nowadays, the person (or people) hosting the bridal shower are responsible for covering the costs associated with the shower.

A good rule of thumb to follow is to invite the groom's closest female relatives and friends of the family. When the groom's mother is co-hosting the wedding shower, there should be room on the guest list to include her sisters, aunts, and cousins, too.

Traditional etiquette dictates that the maid of honor—not the mother of the bride—should host the shower. Nancy is a freelance writer for MarthaStewart.com. Some etiquette rules were meant to fade away into oblivion, like the one about family members of the bride not hosting her bridal shower.

A general rule of thumb when organizing a bridal shower is to make sure the invitations are sent out at least six to eight weeks before the date of the event. If there are guests coming from out of town, you can give them extra time to make travel arrangements by sending your invitations a couple of weeks earlier.

If you need an exact number, however, expect to pay an average of $50 to $100 per person if hosting a bridal shower at a venue. Of course, your expenses will likely be lower if you opt to throw a DIY celebration at home.

Traditionally, the mother of the bride doesn't host the bridal shower (the maid of honor typically assumes the chief shower-planning role), however, your daughter will likely want you to be a part of the celebration.

In most cases, it's the mother of the bride's duty to help plan and pay for the bridal shower. Similar to the wedding budget, the to-be-weds' parents should expect to contribute financially if they want a say in the bridal shower details, like the guest list and venue.

Does the groom's mom help with the bridal shower? ›

"She can certainly offer helping hands on the day of the shower. Also, she can give suggestions if she is asked regarding the bride's taste and preferences." What is the mother of the groom's role? "The mother-of-the-groom is generally an invited guest unless she's asked to help with a particular task," said Gottsman.

Do men come to Bridal Showers? It's all up to the bride and groom. Typically, the Groom, Father of the Bride and Father of the Groom are invited. The Grandfather of the Bride and/or Groom may also be considered.

Traditionally, the guest list includes the bride's close female friends and family members, like her bridesmaids, mother, sisters, and future in-laws," she shares.

With that being said, our experience shows us that the average number of guests at a bridal shower is about 25, with 20-30 being the average range. Obviously, the number of guests has a huge impact on the bridal shower budget. The more people there are, the more expensive it's going to be!

Many bridal showers include female friends and relatives like aunts, grandmas, the bride's mother, and the mother of the groom. This is because brides generally don't want their older relatives included in their bachelorette party, but of course, that's up to you.

Amy talks bridal shower guest list etiquette in this recent interview with BRIDES. The article says answers the question “Who to invite to the Bridal Shower”: The short answer is, you should not invite anyone to your shower who will not be invited to the wedding.

While they're both pre-wedding events, one often feels much more focused on close female friends of the bride while the other is more open to friends and relatives. A bachelorette party typically has a smaller guest list than a bridal shower, which includes the maid of honor, bridesmaids, and close friends.