Bridal showers have changed a lot over the years.
Wedding showers have been thrown for brides since the 1890s, in place of a bride having a dowry. A lot has changed in the years that have passed since then, and, not surprisingly, wedding showers have changed right along with the times. Modern wedding showers are less about providing the bride with the things she will need to set up a home and make her an asset to her husband, and more about the couple themselves. Does this Spark an idea?
Recipe Showers
Filling a bride's recipe box is a fun alternative type of shower.
Many modern brides already have their own home and therefore have all of the things they could need in the kitchen. Another blender or toaster is only going to add clutter to their lives. One alternative that has come about in place of the traditional bridal shower is the recipe shower. At a recipe shower, each guest is asked to bring a favorite recipe for the bride, along with one of the tools or ingredients that is needed to make that particular dish. It is also common for the guest to bring the dish fully made so the bride and her guests may sample the recipe.
The Couple Shower
As relationships are becoming increasingly equal and gender roles are being blurred, more and more couples are having coed wedding showers. A coed wedding shower allows for all of the couple's friends---both male and female---to celebrate their upcoming wedding. A coed shower recognizes the fact that it is not just the bride who is about to get married. The groom, too, is about to embark upon the journey of marriage. Couple showers are typically held later in the day and have a much more relaxed feel to them.
Eco-Friendly Showers
In these days of heightened environmental awareness, more and more people are "going green." Bridal showers are following suit, with more and more hostesses planning events that are completely green. From using invitations that are made of seed paper and giving favors that are completely reusable to requesting that no wrapping paper be used, people are finding ways to give back to the earth at the same time that they are giving to the bride. Many environmentally minded brides are even asking to have donations made in their name to a charity in lieu of receiving something they don't really need.
Scrapbooking Showers
Another idea that has gained popularity over the last several decades is the scrapbooking shower. At a scrapbooking shower, each guest works on preparing a page for the bride's scrapbook of her first year of marriage. The finished product is a reminder that the bride's friends and family are always with her. As she and her new husband celebrate certain milestones, they can simply add pictures to the precrafted pages.
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