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Page B10 M cjnews.com › November 1, 2012
Weddings etc...
The Canadian Jewish news
Entertaining your guests at a bridal shower
Anita Szabadi-Gottesman
Special to The CJN
Showering the bride-to-be with gifts as she begins
setting up her new home with her groom remains a
long-standing tradition. A modern-day twist on the
custom of the bride’s family sending her off to marry with
a dowry, today’s bridal shower remains another way to
fete the bride before her wedding day.
Hosted by the bride’s mother, mother-in-law, treasured
aunt, cousin or friends, the shower is held several
months or weeks before the wedding day. Etiquette and
entertaining guru Martha Stewart suggests holding a
shower one to three months before the wedding day, as
any date less than a month away will be too hectic a time
with final wedding planning to take care of.
The bridal shower serves as an enjoyable occasion to
get together with friends and family members. Traditionally
for women only, the format is generally a brunch,
lunch or afternoon tea. Having a theme is often the way to
go, not only to make decorating and food planning a little
easier but also to give guests ideas for gift giving. Themes
range from picking a particular room to help decorate,
items for the kitchen and towels and linens and more.
Huffington Post Canada reports that more couples
are choosing to hold co-ed showers with the groom, his
groomsmen and other male friends and family present.
Participating in an activity together such as paintball or
laser tag or spending the afternoon at an amusement
park as a group works well. Some brides and grooms
Themed bridal showers or a more traditional afternoon
tea with games such as designing a bridal gown and veil
with toilet paper create memories for the bride before
her wedding day. [Anita Szabadi-Gottesman photo]
choose to treat their guests to a sporting event, while
others go one step further, renting a loge at the arena
or stadium and providing game-day snacks such as hot
dogs and nachos.
Food choices for the more traditional afternoon include
finger foods such as canapés, dips and hors d’oeuvres,
rounded out by an elaborate sweet table, or a buffet with a
variety of salads, quiches and the like. A centrepiece featuring
a poached salmon with dipping sauces or fancy waldorf
salad punctuates the offerings. Simple elegance always sets
the tone, whether you bring out the sterling silver cutlery
and serving pieces or choosing paper and plastic.
Planning activities for the afternoon shower may make
some guests raise an eyebrow or roll their eyes, but creative
games break the ice, bringing friends and relatives
together. Playing Pictionary along wedding themes or
having the bride and groom participate in a variation of
the Newlywed Game via video or Skype creates a shared
experience for shower guests and enhances their knowledge
of the bride and groom. Allowing the guests to get
to know one another better is made easy by participating
in the toilet paper dress and veil game. Small groups
of three or four women pick a model from their group
and work together to create a one-of-a-kind white toilet
paper wedding gown. Teamwork and creativity lead to
much laughter and camaraderie.
Martha Stewart favours building a bridal-shower photo
album. Each guest is requested to bring with them a
few photos of themselves with the bride. At the shower,
guests write write memorable or amusing captions for
their photos. The pictures are then placed in an album
and presented to the bride as a welcome keepsake. A
formal guestbook follows along the same lines, allowing
participants to share their thoughts about the bride,
again creating a beautiful piece of memorabilia for her.