Wedding Bridal Shower Etiquette – Modern Bridal Shower Etiquette vs. Traditional

A bridal shower party (or couple shower) is a gift-giving party held for the bride-to-be in anticipation of her wedding. Gifts are given to the bride at her bridal shower to “shower” her and the groom with gifts to help them begin their new life together on the right foot.

The history of bridal showers is said to have grown out of dowry practices, originating in the 1890’s, and is common in our modern day in the U.S., Canada and Australia. If unable to attend a bridal shower you have been invited to, there are varying opinions on whether or not you should still send a gift. When in doubt, send a gift.

Who can throw a Bridal Shower? Traditionally, the maid or matron of honor is responsible for organizing and hosting a bridal shower, often with help from the bridesmaids. If the Maid of Honor lives out of town or is unable or unwilling to throw a bridal shower party for the bride, it is perfectly fine for someone else to do the honors.
Read more »

Bridal Shower Games, Invitations, Themes, Supplies, Favors, Ideas, Gifts

Hosting a wedding bridal shower is a lot of fun, especially when it’s a surprise shower, where the bride-to-be has no idea that a bridal shower and/or personal shower is being planned in her honor. Some women do not like surprises or surprise parties, so use your best judgment when deciding whether or not to plan a bridal shower as a shocking, emotional surprise party or one where the bride is aware and in agreement with all the plans being made.

While the bride and groom-to-be are busy planning a wedding of their dreams, close friends and family get together to celebrate the upcoming nuptials with a personal/bridal shower for the bride, showering the engaged couple with gifts of all kinds for their soon-to-be new married life together.
Read more »

You Plan For Your Wedding – Do You Plan For Your Marriage?

This is a guest post from Dr. Michelle Gannon, a Relationship Expert and Psychologist who writes her own blog at www.drmichellegannon.com. Dr. Gannon is Founder of Marriage Prep 101, a Writer; Wife, Mom, Friend, Health, Fitness & Wellness Enthusiast.

When couples get engaged and plan their wedding, they are often busy with the excitement, details and stress of wedding planning. We spend a lot of time, money and energy on planning our weddings. Do you plan for your marriage?

Current research shows that the best way to build a lifelong marriage is to prepare for it. In our Marriage Prep 101 Workshops we apply the latest scientific research that shows what makes marriages succeed and fail.
Read more »

Should We Get Married? Questions to Ask Before Getting Married

Many if not most dating couples seem to believe that getting married is the natural course of life. You grow up, graduate high school, go to college or get a job, meet and fall in love with Mr. or Ms. Right, get engaged, get married, start a family. Just like that, botta bing botta boom. Even if only one partner wants to get married, the pressure is on to get married anyway and start having babies because well, it just seems to be the natural next step in life. Right?

One of the most alarming questions I have ever received was from a young woman in her mid-twenties asking me to give her advice on how to make her boyfriend propose and marry her, because “he won’t commit”. After I declined to give her a list of things she could do to get a proposal from her boyfriend, she decided the best thing for her to do was to get pregnant on purpose and then propose to her boyfriend.
Read more »

Modern Weddings Who Pays For What – Who Pays For Wedding Costs?

When planning a modern wedding, who pays for what? In decades past, because of the old tradition of dowry, the bride’s family traditionally paid for most or all the wedding costs. “Traditionally”, around the 17th or 18th century, the brides mother and/or father would pay for everything needed for the wedding and reception, including the venue (location of wedding/reception), bridal gown, music, flowers, venue, food, bar costs, gratuities and anything else. Then they also give a generous wedding gift to the happy newly married couple. However, times have changed.

Nowadays, it is very common for the bride and groom to pay for all or most wedding expenses themselves, or to more evenly split the wedding related expenses among both sets of parents. Why have the traditional rules of who pays for what in weddings changed, and how should engaged couples, parents and families deal with the more modern view of wedding etiquette in relation to the wedding budget and the question of who will be paying for the cost of the wedding?
Read more »

Do Men Want To Get Married? Top Ten Reasons Why Men Don’t Want To Get Married

Do men want to get married, or not? “Do Men Really Want to Get Married” is the question being discussed in a CNN article about whether the stereotypical belief that men are dragged off to the altar to get married kicking and screaming is true or not. CNN reporter, Alex Wallen, claims to have interviewed dozens of men on how they approached marriage, where these men admitted that they had “fantasized about popping the question, getting married, even having a wedding.”

Wallen reports that numerous men reported having a “light-switch” moment when they decided they should get married to their significant other. Examples given include a life-altering event, such as one man who suddenly realized his love for his girlfriend when she helped him deal with the death of his father; or it might be something as simple as having so much fun playing arcade games together that you can’t imagine yourself having this much fun with anyone else. One man decided it was time to get married when he became angry and balled-up his fists when another man made a pass at his then-girlfriend.

“Real men are perceived as committing “till death do us part” for the wrong reasons — they marry out of convenience or under duress, and they acquiesce, kicking and screaming all the way to the altar”, according to the article. If recent statistics are correct, men are choosing to marry later in life, with the average age being 28 before experiencing their “ah ha” moment, which is a good thing. Nevertheless, there are still many young men and women getting married too young, and far too many couples get married for the wrong reasons and end up regretting it later.
Read more »