You are engaged and you have begun your wedding preparations. You have put a lot of thought and effort into a lot of the wedding planning decisions, such as the venue location, the wedding date, the colors, the menu, your dress and even who will be in your bridal party. Engaged couples are often so preoccupied and overwhelmed with all of the details of the wedding day that they forget about the other important wedding events that actually occur prior to the wedding day. They are left scrambling for details of these events, as the date gets closer. Although the minor details of the wedding shower might not be as important as the wedding day, they should still be previously planned with enough time to secure a desired venue.
The wedding shower is the time for the bride to be showered with gifts. It is a time to celebrate the bride and the upcoming new living arrangements. Many times the shower includes just the women guests of the wedding, but some, more traditional wedding showers might include both females and males. The guest list and the type of shower desired should be decided before the actual preparations begin. You should decide if you want to have your wedding shower in one of the wedding ballrooms where your actual wedding will take place. The wedding ballrooms may be too large, or there may be smaller options for your wedding shower.
Once you have decided on the type of wedding you desire, it is important to book a venue or the location as soon as possible. Just like with wedding receptions, wedding ballrooms tend to book up pretty quickly. Normally, it is a good idea to book your wedding reception site as soon as possible once you are engaged, at least a year to 9 months before the wedding. You may have a little more time for the actual wedding shower if you are not as set on specific wedding ballrooms for the event.
After choosing a shower location, you will want to decide on the menu. Some wedding ballrooms include all inclusive packages. Whether or not an all inclusive package will work for your wedding shower will depend on the size of the shower, and the type of menu you will choose. You will also want to decide if there will be any alcohol or any type of drinks available at your wedding shower. If you are having your shower outside of a wedding venue, catering for events may be a great option. Some cheap halls for rent may not provide all inclusive food packages or food at all, but will allow for catering to be brought in. This is a great way to save money on the costs of the wedding shower.
You will also need to set a date for the wedding shower. It should be before your wedding date, but not so far before the date that people are not already preparing for it. The most popular month to get married is June (accounting for 15% of all weddings). If you choose June as your wedding date, an April or May wedding shower would work great. Many venues may have availability, because this is before the wedding season popularity.
Wholly 53% of weddings occur in the afternoon, 31% in the evening and 16% in the morning. The time of the wedding shower will depend on the events and the type of wedding shower that is planned. Most wedding showers occur in the late morning to early afternoon, but the best venue and the best time will depend on your preferences.
Many couples tend to forget about the other events leading up to the wedding day. The wedding takes so much planning and preparation that events like the wedding shower lack. It is important to plan a wedding shower approximately one to two months prior to your wedding date. You will need to find and book a location, choose the menu and decide on a time and date of the event. The plus side to this event is that you should have a lot of help with family and the bridal party.
