Wedding Shower Invitation Tips and Guide

Are you the best friend of the bride? The groom’s childhood pal? If you know a recently engaged couple, you probably don’t envy them as you watch them struggle with all of the difficult decisions they have to make. After all, they have to decide on things like food to eat at their wedding, where their wedding should be located, and how many people to invite.

What if I told you that you have to make these same decisions? That’s right—it’s the friends who are responsible for hosting the bridal shower. It’s a big responsibility, but including the right information on the wedding shower invitation will make the task a whole lot easier!

Bridal Basics
The wedding shower invitations should be sent approximately six weeks before the date of the shower. As with any big event, you should be sure to include the basic information on the wedding shower invitation. It should state the bride’s name (and sometimes the groom’s), the date, the time, the location, the R.S.V.P. information, and the date by which you should R.S.V.P. Wedding showers can occur anytime from six months to one week prior to the wedding; the best date often depends on traveling and out of town guests.

The location can be anywhere from a bridesmaid’s house, a beloved restaurant, a park, a beauty salon—the possibilities are endless. However, make sure that if you are having the bridal shower at a difficult-to-find location you include the address and/or directions on the wedding shower invitation. Make sure to specify who to R.S.V.P. to on the wedding shower invitation, especially if the shower is a surprise!

The Best Guests
One of the most important things to remember when you are sending the wedding shower invitation is that you should never invite someone who is not invited to the wedding. This is considered bad manners. You should ask the bride who she would like to come, or, if the bridal shower is a surprise, enlist the help of the bride’s mother or sister with the wedding shower invitation. The bride or one of her relatives will be able to provide you with a good guest list. Typically, female relatives that are close to the bride and groom are invited.

You should also decide whether or not the bridal shower will be all female or co-ed. Although traditionally only women attend wedding showers, it has become increasingly common for wedding showers to be events for the bride and groom.

Last Thoughts
There are other things you might want to include on the wedding shower invitation. You may want to state where the bride is registered so that guests can easily buy her a gift. If the wedding shower is a surprise, then you should also mention at what time the bride is expected to arrive.

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