Types Of Wedding Showers

There are several types of wedding showers that you can give for the bride-to-be. I have been to a lot of them and they are always fun!

The typical wedding shower is a way to present gifts to the bride-to-be so she can make a nice home with her new husband. These gifts typically include dishes, pots and pans, Tupperware, dish towels and dishcloths, bath towels, hand towels, wash cloths, sheets, pillows, blankets, glass baking ware, silverware, cooking utensils, coffee pots, irons, toasters, cake dishes, punch bowls, drinking glasses in various sizes, everyday tableware, good china, tablecloths,candles, framed art, and so much more.

Most of the gifts the bride gets are dishes. For some reason, most people find it easiest to buy cooking supplies. At my wedding shower given by the church for home supplies, almost everything I got was something to cook with. The funny thing is that I got zero bath towels, hand towels, or wash cloths. I had to go out and buy all of my own bath towels, hand towels, and washcloths for our new home. I thought that was weird so whenever I go to a wedding shower, I buy towels.

Types of wedding showers also can include personal showers. I was given one of these by the pastor's wife at my church and I must say I was pretty surprised, almost shocked by the gifts I got. Back then, I was young and innocent, raised in the church and I was very shy about anything to do with sex. The women of my church were not! They bought me some beautiful lingerie, things I never would have picked out for myself, trust me!

My husband enjoyed the above items very much. They also gave me edible panties, edible lotions and creams, and condoms. I cannot tell you how embarrassed I was at the time to unwrap these gifts. The ladies would squeal with delight each time I unwrapped something they knew I had never before even touched.

Now, of course, that would not embarrass me, but back then...I will keep this in mind when my daughter gets engaged some day. I know she will be embarrassed by this kind of thing because she is like me in so many ways....

The ladies of the church did not really mean to embarrass me, it is just that most of them were married and had a great time trying to introduce me to the world of marriage and sex. They had invited my mother, but she decided not to attend and I cannot tell you how thrilled I was that she was not there. She would have thrown a fit if she had been. When I got home with my loot and she looked at it, she got very angry about it. She was raised during a time when you did not talk about sex, especially around "church people."

Other types of wedding showers can include showers for one area of their home if either the bride or the groom already has an established home of her/his own with kitchen appliances and dishes. This type of a shower can be just for one room of the house, like your kitchen, den, food pantry, dining room or laundry room. For some of the bigger gifts, several people can chip in together for a big screen TV, furniture, or a washer and dryer. Really, it depends on the couple and what their needs are.

If the bride and groom love to camp, they may request a camping shower. Or if they are really into music, they may request a really nice stereo set with great speakers, a variety of CDs, even a piano or keyboard. This would thrill one of my sons.

Another decision to be made when planning one of the types of wedding showers is what kinds of food you will serve. This usually corresponds with what time of day the shower is held. For instance, if you hold it at lunchtime, finger sandwiches, sliced fruits and vegetables, chips and dips, and wedding shower cake will be perfect.

If your wedding shower is held is held at 10am or 2pm, you can get away with serving crackers, cookies, chips, fruits, or pastries. If you have an evening shower, you can opt to serve a simple potluck dinner or just have snacks if it is held at 7pm or later. I have been to showers at all of these times, both formal and informal, some for both bride and groom, but most are just for the bride.

The bride-to-be knows that she will be given at least one shower so it is best to give her a choice of the types of wedding showers that you might like to give her and have her choose the one that she would like best.

If you want games at your Christian wedding shower, here is a great one for you.

Pass out paper and a pen to each guest. Let them have 60 seconds to list as many names of wives in the Bible as possible. Of course, this means that you will need to do your homework as well. Ahead of time, try to list as many wives named in the Bible as possible so you will know whether or not Esophagusia or Eunerareka are really names of wives in the Bible.

The guest who has listed the most legitimate names of wives from the Bible wins. Make sure you have a few good prizes to give out to your guests. Don't give them prizes that they have to give to the bride-to-be. I have been to those kinds of showers before and i think that is a ripoff to your guests. If I win, give me a prize for me.

If you are an invited guest to a wedding that is coming up, you may need a cheap wedding gift idea. If you are on a budget, you may be worried about what you can afford to buy. No need to worry. There are many nice and useful gifts you can buy for the happy couple that will not break the bank.

When in doubt, buy something useful and practical. You can never have too many glasses. Go to Wal-Mart or Target and for $10 to $15, you can buy a box of very pretty glasses. Go back to the towel section and buy two matching bath towels. If you want to spend a little more, add the matching washcloths. If you want to splurge, add two matching hand towels as well. Some guests buy just one bath towel along with one washcloth and some add the hand towel in as well. One set is just fine to give as a gift. Towels are always appreciated.

Dish towels, dish cloths, and potholders are also very much appreciated and they are inexpensive.

A muffin tin, cookie pans, a frying pan, or a rectangular cake pan are also good ideas. Choose one of the pans above with a set of potholders or with a spatula or set of wooden spoons.

Mixing bowls and storage bowls with lids also make appreciated cheap wedding gift ideas.

Dollar stores sometimes have very pretty serving bowls and trays that the newlywed couple will use to entertain friends and their family. You can also find a lot of cooking utensils that most people don't buy for the couple. If you don't buy them, they will have to go buy them.

If the bride and groom are coffee lovers, buy a big pack of coffee filters along with some specialty coffees and some flavored coffees. Try to find out what type of coffee pot they have so you can be sure about they type of filter to buy.

When you receive a wedding invitation in the mail, do you ever think, what is the perfect wedding gift for this couple? I wonder what I can give them that will stand out instead of another towel set or a coffee pot?

Household items are usually wanted, needed, and appreciated, but everybody does that, right? How many weddings and wedding showers have you gone to where two or more people brought the same or almost the same towels or dishes?

And if the couple is registered somewhere, some of the prices are ridiculously high! I mean, does the newlywed couple really need a bathroom trash can that costs $89 just because it is from a particular store and it looked pretty? (I am not making this one up, folks, and NO, I did not spend $89 for a trash can!)

Are you looking for a unique wedding present for someone special? What do they like to do in their spare time? Try to give them something they will enjoy doing in their free time, maybe something pertaining to a hobby. A trip or a gift certificate for a hotel stay or some high-end restaurant meals would be appreciated.

This page is designed to give you some great wedding reception gift ideas for the bride and groom.

Usually, couples register with one or more stores to make gift shopping easy, but some don't. Sometimes, you may want to give a very special gift.

If you want to give something more special than towels at the wedding reception, take notes.

Cash is always the favorite gift among newlyweds. Why? Obviously because we all need money. You can buy anything you need or want, take a trip, pay bills, go out to eat...

Gift cards are also appreciated, as long as you buy a gift card from a store or restaurant the bride and groom will use.

But now, let's get a little more original. If you have deep pockets, consider splurging for a weekend at a resort nearby, one they can use anytime during the first year of their marriage. A get-away is always appreciated by newlyweds.

If they love the ballet, the opera, the theater, the symphony, a professional sports game, or some type of local festival, buy them tickets to that. Your gift will be cherished as beautiful memories are made.

If your pockets are not that deep but you still want to do something original, here are a few wedding reception gift ideas.

If the couple loves going to the movies, buy a book or two of movie gift cards. Or maybe give them a movie rental gift card. Give them a gift card to their favorite local restaurant.

If you have a special talent for cooking, baking, sewing, or gardening, consider giving them a coupon good for one free dinner or special pie baked by you, one free flower bed put in by you, maybe some hand-made curtains in the color of their choice, et cetera. You get the idea.