Who’s invited to the bridal shower?
The bride determines the guest list for the bridal shower. When creating this list, the bride should provide first and last names as well as a physical address and email address (or phone number) for each person on the list. The host(s) of the bridal shower will use this list for sending the Bridal Shower Invitations.
We recommend the host wait until after receiving the guest list from the bride to determine a budget for the bridal shower. Requesting that the bride cut her guest list for any reason (especially budget reasons) is a big no-no. The host will need to adjust other areas of the shower to ensure all of the bride’s guests are invited.
The guest list is almost completely up to the bride but there are a few individuals that must be invited to at least one shower (although they don’t all have to be invited to the same shower). This group includes mothers, sisters, grandmothers and close aunts. Beyond that, the guest list will include select friends and family members. Not every woman attending the wedding will be invited to the shower. However, every woman invited to the shower should be invited to the wedding. (FYI - all the same rules apply for a Couples Wedding Shower.)
We do have one exception to the “must be invited to the wedding” rule. Many couples want to celebrate with their co-workers but can’t afford to invite all of them to the wedding. Make sure this is communicated clearly to all coworkers but feel free to have a work shower to celebrate the occasion.
Looking for more advice about how to host a bridal shower? You’ll want to read Bridal Shower Basics for plenty of etiquette tips and helpful information.
