After
all the salutes to their happiness, the bride and groom will find their new
lives are already packed
with memories.
A wedding calls for celebration, as friends and
family honor the bride and groom with an array of pre- and post-wedding
parties. The bride finds herself the center of attention at showers,
luncheons and dinners where her biggest responsibility is to
enjoy herself!
The Bachelor and Bachelorette Party
Today, bachelor and bachelorette parties are equally
popular. These types of parties are generally very casual and
emphasize having fun, unwinding and celebrating the bride and
groom and their friends. The party may or may not include a dinner
and takes place in a home, a club or the private dining room
of a restaurant.
These celebrations often incorporate a theme and
can include attending a sporting event, going to a comedy club
or on a shopping excursion into the city or local mall. Some
enjoy activities such as laser tag, paintball, gambling, golfing,
bowling or even camping.
Getting there can be half the fun as you may hire
a limousine,
bus or other transportation service to take partygoers
safely from one destination to another. This also alleviates
the responsibility of designated drivers, allowing everyone the
opportunity to celebrate and enjoy themselves. Limousines and
chauffeured coaches provide not only transportation, but can
be a safe party on wheels. A limousine scavenger hunt or a party
in a funky school bus or trolley are just some of the ways people
celebrate. The interactive theaters are popular, as are weekend
parties, gambling, and dancing.
Besides parties strictly for the girls or the
guys, couples' parties are gaining popularity among brides and
grooms who have friends or co-workers in common and want everyone
to celebrate together.
A popular party trend that recently hit the Greater
Boston Area is to have the bridesmaids go through their closets,
pick out their ugliest bridesmaid’s dress and have a contest!
The one rule: they obviously cannot wear the dresses that
they are wearing to your wedding.
If alcoholic beverages are served, the party should
be scheduled several days before the wedding. No one will want
to look less than their best the day of the wedding.
The Rehearsal Dinner
The rehearsal dinner, held immediately after the
rehearsal, can be as simple or elaborate as the host wishes,
however, it should never upstage the wedding itself. It is best
to hold the rehearsal dinner at a restaurant or club. This eliminates
anyone in the immediate family having to deal with entertaining
and clean-up the night before the wedding.
Traditionally, the groom's parents are responsible
for the cost of the rehearsal dinner. If they are from out of
town, they may ask the mother of the bride to help with reservations.
But it is perfectly acceptable to have a godparent, friend or
member of the bride's family do the honor of hosting this function.
The guest list will include the attendants, the
bride and groom's immediate family, the ceremony official (and
spouse, if any), plus any out-of-town guests, family or friends
the couple or the host wishes to invite. If it has not already
been done, the attendants' gifts may be distributed at this occasion.
Party Etiquette
Even though these are parties, a certain protocol
and consideration of etiquette is important. Anyone can be the
host or hostess of your parties, except when it comes to showers.
The immediate family (parents and siblings) should not host a
shower; but, you and/or your mother should host a party especially
for the bride’s attendants, and it is perfectly all right to
invite other female relatives and friends. While it is tradition
that the groom and/or his parents host the Rehearsal Dinner,
the financial responsibility can be shared or even completely
handled by the bride’s family. It is proper and even helpful
for the bride to provide a list of names and addresses of people
to be invited to showers. Anyone invited to a shower must be
invited to the wedding, and while it is fine to invite someone
to more than one shower, you shouldn’t expect a second gift.
Gifts are to be unwrapped with the guests present. It’s a good
idea to have someone take notes to record the names and a description
of the gifts. Thank You notes should be handwritten promptly
whether or not a gift is given; and it is customary to give a
gift to each hostess/host.
Gift Opening Party
Nowadays many couples plan gift opening parties.
This small gathering usually only includes the bride and groom's
families and members of the bridal party. More often than not,
gifts are opened the day after the wedding or soon after the
newlyweds return from their honeymoon.
When held the day after the wedding, the gift-opening
party is often planned around a meal. Snacks and refreshments
left over from the reception may also be served.
The purpose of this type of party, of course,
is to open the wedding gifts. A few moments of planning will
save headaches later, therefore a careful record of who sent
what is a necessity. A guest book with a gift record section,
available from stationers, book stores and bridal shops, is recommended.
