Just when you think the wedding planning is stressful, we throw in the bridal showers and bachelorette parties. Thank goodness for the friends and family around us that help take that on.

There’s so many thoughts, ideas and information that comes with the bridal shower and bachelorette parties. What are they? How do you know what to do? How to plan it? Who plans it? The questions are endless. I want to give you all a brief overview and a few of my favorite ideas, too. However, I think both bridal showers and bachelorette parties deserve a blog post of their own. But here we go anyway…

*Disney Themed Bachelorette Party in Arizona 👑*

What’s the difference between bridal showers and bachelorette parties?

One is for family and one is for friends.
One is for gifts and one is for parties.
One is for saying hello to new beginnings and one is for saying goodbye to the past.

There’s really no right answer to this question. Everyone seems to have their own ideas when it comes to bridal showers and bachelorette parties, but really it goes back to my favorite quote when it comes to weddings, “it’s up to you!” If you want to have a big party and call it both, do it. If you want to have two elaborate separate weekends – do your thing, girlfriend.

One source mentioned that bridal showers prepare the bride for her future life and the bachelorette party was for the bride to de-stress and celebrate her pre-married life. That resonated the most with me because they really are, most often, two very different events.

The Bridal Shower

The bridal shower focuses on the wedding, simplistic and typically during the day with family and friends. They are also known as wedding showers or a pre-wedding party. In the past, brides were typically much younger (hello Grandma getting married at 17) and weren’t living with their groom. The bridal showers were to “shower” the bride-to-be with the items she needed to run a household…how sexist, but it is what it is.

The Bachelorette Party

The Bachelorette party still recognizes the upcoming wedding, but is more about the bride spending time with her best friends and break away from any other stress… like say, planning a wedding?

Pre-Wedding Guest Lists

How many times can I say it? It’s up to you! But most traditionally, the bridal shower is the closest friends, family, relatives of both the bride and groom and the bridal party – almost always female. Whereas the bachelorette party is usually the bridal party and maybe a few more close friends.

But then we throw in the co-ed bridal showers. If you do a co-ed bridal shower, expect it to be a little bit bigger, a little more chaotic, but so much fun. You’ll get to experience the gift opening, the friends, family and more with your soon-to-be spouse, which is pretty fun. However, doesn’t it just make this a mini wedding? I don’t know, but again, you do you.

*“Let’s Get Toasted” Camping Bachelorette Party 🏕*

When to have the bridal shower and bachelorette parties?

We aren’t living in Love is Blind, so the fact that they have a bachelorette and bachelor parties the night before the wedding isn’t all that realistic. In rural Iowa, these parties tend to get a little crazy, which would make for an interesting next day.

The timing depends on everyone’s schedules and what the party looks like, especially if you’re traveling. Other factors include venue availability, vendor availability and if you want your bachelorette party and bridal shower together or separate days.

Typically, the bridal shower is hosted anywhere between a few weeks or two months prior to the wedding. The bachelorette party happens usually a month or so prior to the wedding to steer clear of the last-minute details happening for the wedding planning.

Who throws the parties?

This is tricky, but traditionally the shower and bachelorette party planning is left to the maid of honor. However, times have changed and really it’s a free for all.

If the maid of honor is planning, it is probably the biggest of her duties. She will need to choose the venue, send out invites, plan games, choose party favors, supply the food and ensure the events ago smoothly.

In the past, it was considered taboo if anyone in the bride’s family were to host the shower. That’s not the case anymore, especially because the cost associated with even one of these two events has grown exponentially.

As the bride, maid of honor or the mother of the bride, you will want to be clear who’s taking that on.

Do I bring a gift?

If you’re attending a bridal shower or bachelorette party as a guest, then you’re probably wondering – should I bring a gift? I know I’ve been there. It’s important to include that information on the invites for those planners.

For the bridal shower, guests bring gifts off the wedding registry. Remember when I said it was about providing the bride with the necessities for running the household? That’s why everyone seems to gravitate toward the kitchen, décor and house items for the bridal shower.

As for the bachelorette party, most of the time, a gift is not required. Sometimes the planner will make note to bring something specific – like a piece of lingerie! It’s also common to bring a bottle of wine or a fun surprise for the bride-to-be. Get creative, but don’t feel obligated!

Where Do I Begin?

Here’s some ideas the get the ball rolling when it comes to planning an event.

Bee Theme / Meant to Bee
Black and White / The Future Mrs.
Boho Bridal Shower / Miss to Mrs.
Bridal Brunch / But First Mimosas
Champagne Theme / Sip, Sip Hooray
Ice Cream Theme / She’s Been Scooped Up
Lemon Theme / Main Squeeze
Light, Bright Colors / Brunch and Bubbly
Succulent Shower / Let Love Grow
Travel Shower / Traveling from Miss to Mrs
Tropical Shower / Tropic Like its Hot
Western Theme / Boots & Bubbly
Bach to the 90s
Bride’s Last Ride
Final Flamingo
Flannel Fling
Last Hoe Down
Last Splash
Nacho Average Bride
The One Where She Gets Married (Friends Theme)

If you’re struggling to know where to begin, the best place to start is find a theme and try to tie everything together using that. Planning a bee themed party? Use honey as your party favor. Planning a flannel fling? Include flannel in all the decorations or find a fun cabin as your venue!

What didn’t I answer? Oh so much. Tell me what you want to learn in a bridal shower and bachelorette party blog post. I want to answer all the questions. In the meantime, happy planning!