Thursday, March 5, 2009

The Evolution of Wedding / Bridal Shower Favors

By Aaron H.

It's true: bridal showers have evolved over the past several decades. While in the first half of the 20th century, they tended to be small intimate affairs, today they have become major events. In fact, in some quarters, the wedding shower day ranks second importance only to the wedding itself. Therefore it's no surprise that the importance of wedding shower favors has likewise increased. Modern brides and bridal parties know that they are dependent on the bride's friends and families to have a truly memorable and successful wedding. Therefore, bridal shower favors are seen as essential ways of telling these loved ones "thank you; I love you."

Ask your grandmother and she'll probably tell you that showers and shower favors weren't quite the elaborate affair when she got married. Times were simpler back then, and so were their "big events." Back then, you almost knew that the wedding shower favors would include perhaps some candy or flowers. Don't misunderstand: These still make for nice gifts today. But in the 21st century, even these have gotten a face lift. They're given with a bit more pizazz today. They're customized or come in packages that can be kept permanently. In fact, whether the wedding shower favors are old stand-bys or new contemporary ideas, there are ways to present them in a totally memorable way.

Remember that today's wedding shower is a major event, not just a casual get-together. Most people offer elaborate decorations, food and entertainment at the shower. This means that the wedding shower favors must be equally sophisticated. Because, just as you want your guests to remember the wedding reception with positive thoughts in the years to come, you want only good memories of the wedding shower, as well. Therefore it's important that you give a lot of consideration to the bridal shower favors that you present to your guests. You want gifts to accomplish a couple of things: They should bring back memories of the wedding,and they should be functional / practical (Otherwise, the guests might throw them away. And it's hard for anything to bring back memories if it's in the trash).

Some gifts we've seen that pull off this dual purpose quite well: satin purses are surely kept as practical gifts, yet the satin suggests the beauty of the wedding; wine glasses, which always evoke memories of events such as weddings, can be re-used in the future, and are kept; bottle openers also evoke images of champagne and weddings, and are practical enough to hold onto. Even flowers and candy can now be presented in a nice vase or a keepsake box that the guest will likely want to hold onto.

So start brainstorming. Pull out some paper and pen and write down your thoughts. How do you want people to remember your wedding? Is there something about the couple you want the wedding shower favors to communicate? Perhaps you'd like to coordinate the gifts with the wedding theme. Jot down all your thoughts and then have a friend help you select the best one. Then put them with a nice card from you and the groom. With determination and creativity, you can come up with bridal shower favors that will have all of your guests fondly recalling your shower for years to come. - 15437

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