Question:
What's the difference between a bridal shower and a bachelorette party?
Answer:
Dear Verna,
Thanks for your great question!
There are differences and they are huge. That's because bridal showers and a bachelorettes were designed for very different purposes. Because each of these events is geared towards meeting specific goals, let's take the topics one at a time.
Bridal Showers
Typically a bridal shower is thrown by the Maid of Honor (or by all of the bridesmaids) for the express purpose of lavishing her with gifts geared toward helping her set up house once she's married. If a bride chooses a registry, the hope is that she will receive as many of her chosen items as possible. In this way, the newly married couple gets a great start in their new life. That's where the concept of "showering" comes from. The idea behind the bridal shower is to make sure the bride-to-be is lavished with as many goodies as possible. For most young couples today, acquiring an entire household full of appliances, linens, china, etc. can be financially daunting.
Bridals showers are usually fun, light, breezy and very girly. Foods, games, favors and prizes have a decided feminine touch that complements the shower's theme and color scheme right down to the napkins, tablecloth, flower arrangements, candles and music.
The shower is usually held at the maid of honor's home, the home of a close friend, or at a relative's place. Of course, that doesn't mean the shower can't be held at a park, on the beach, at a restaurant or at a hotel. What matters most is that the place is one that Bride-to-Be loves. The "where" of the shower is an intrinsic part of the experience. It's another support for creating a memory that lasts a lifetime.
Bachelorette Parties
The Bachelorette is the feminine version of the groom's bachelor party. The romp night out is a ritual marking the bride's last night out as a single girl. It's also a great stress buster! Pre-wedding jitters only intensify the closer a Bride-to-Be gets to her wedding day. The Bachelorette extravaganza is meant to be cathartic, loud, hip, fun, sexy and hilarious. The party often features lots of naughty humor, favors, games, prizes and booze! (There are some really fun party games geared toward Bachelorette outings.)
The Bachelorette is usually planned by one of the Bride-to-Be's closest gal pals. It is definitely NOT a party one should even think of inviting the mother or the Mother-in-Law-to-Be to attend. Perish the thought that "mom" would watch the Bride-to-Be open one of those battery operated accessories. I'm sure you get my drift.
There are wonderful alternative ways to celebrate a bride's last days as a single girl that don't involve florescent marital aids, half clad male dancers and hangovers. Women today are choosing spa weekends (check this out), connoisseur wine tastings, cooking intensives, white water rafting weekends, spiritual retreats, and even classy Las Vegas style weekends where the girls wear gowns at dinner and into the casino for gambling.
There are all sorts of ways to incorporate the classy with the racy should the bride be the kind of gal who likes to mix it up. Some women opt for in-home parties. For more info, here's a resource for Passion Parties. There are plenty of cute games such as "Pin the Macho on the Man" provided at the great game site BrideBingo.com.If the girls want to play a game while out and about, there's a hot one called "That Guy! Game" also found at BrideBingo.com. There are winners when playing bachelorette games too. Cute and/or racy prizes and favors should be purchased in advance. Lingerie gifts for the Bride-to-Be as well as lingerie favors and prizes for guests are perfect choices.
The sky's the limit when it comes to Bachelorette Parties. The only limit is really one of imagination -- or maybe budget -- but thoughtful planning can sometimes result in the most creative, memorable Bachelorette Party ever!
This event is for girls and girls only. No fuddy-duddy aunts or future Mothers-in-Law get invited. The Bachelorette is the Bride-to-Be's last tango as a "Sex and the City" freewheeling single, and you can bet she wants to go from solo to married with a lot of style!
Happy Showering...and Partying!
Susan "The Shower Diva"
Where Fun Reigns!™
