The origin of the bridal shower is quite interesting and can be traced back to Holland. It is an old story which states that a Dutch girl fell in love with a miller who was very poor. When she told her father, he forbade their marriage. So the young lady decided to marry the miller and stayed with him, despite his poverty. As the neighbors heard about the news of them nearly starving, they came with help. They showered gifts and money on the newly married couple. From the money and gifts showered to the couple, they set up a good home and a good life for themselves. Since then, this tradition of bridal showers has been in practice. Though, today the celebrations of bridal shower are grand and all full of gaiety.

No bridal shower celebration is complete without bridal shower games. These games will add life to your party and keep the guests entertained.

Bridal shower games really get the party going. You can even be creative while setting the games for your bridal shower party. In fact the more bridal shower games you play the better. With today’s tradition of inviting friends, work colleagues and family members to a bridal shower, games can be great way to break the ice for people who don’t know each other.

Who Am I Bridal Shower Game
The game “Who Am I” adds smiles and vitality to the whole party with the added benefit of being a great first icebreaker.

To play this game, all you have to do is to prepare some index cards. On each card write a name of a famous personality. As soon as the guests arrive, attach a card to everyone’s back. Attach them in such a way that the guest is not able to see it, while the others can. Then start the real test. The guests have to ask each other for the clues, so that that they can know the name attached to their back. The first person to identify the correct name is the winner.

The Wedding Alphabet Game
The Wedding Alphabet Game is really fun. The game involves a combination of wit and intelligence. The game is simple; the host initiates the game by describing a wedding item, ritual or tradition starting from the letter ‘A’. They will include in their sentence the item or the culture starting from ‘A’. The next guest adds another item or anything after that sentence starting from ‘B’. This game continues as the sentences keep on building. If a person is unable to add an item of the letter they get, they drop out. The guest who stays longest wins the game.

Caught In the Middle Game
The bridal shower game “Caught in the Middle” promises to bring loads of laughter and activity to the party. The game is quite simple. Everybody is made to sit in a circle, then a bag is provided to one guest. As the music plays on, the guest has to pass it over to the other guest. This passing goes on till the music continues. As soon as the music stops, the one with the bag in their hand gets caught in the middle. As a penalty, they are asked to perform a dance, an imitation, a mono act or anything. This bridal shower game adds excitement to the party. It also brings out the latent talent of every guest that gets caught in the middle.

Charades
Charades is widely known and played all over the world. This game can be played anywhere and everywhere. The game involves intelligence and recognition power. There are two teams made out of the guests. One member of each team has to perform a mono act on the name of the actor or a movie given secretly to him. The guest only has to perform and not speak. The name of the character or the movie has to be guessed by his team. Within a time frame, if any team member guesses the correct name, his team gets a point. In the end the team with maximum points is declared as a winner.

These are just a few ideas for bridal shower games to help create a great mood for the bridal shower party. They can add excitement and joy to the whole party and are a good way to get everyone involved, as there will no doubt be guests who don’t know each other. So, get your party started with lots of bridal shower games.

Often the wedding reception venue offers catering service, so you may not need to worry about hiring a caterer. Even if catering is not offered by the reception venue, they may be able to suggest one to you. Even if your reception site manager, recommends a catering service you should still do your homework. Just like any other wedding vendor, a caterer has to be able to provide you professional references. Part of your job is to always contact the references.

Because so much rides on the caterer, make sure the business is: experienced, reliable, trustworthy, and they provide a quality product and service. Don’t think that a caterer recommended by someone if the best possible solution for your wedding. One caterer may work great for one event, but be insufficient for others. A caterer may be experienced in smaller events, but not experienced with events with two hundred invited guests. One may be experienced with weddings and another with conventions.

There are two different styles of catering:
Seated Dinner – Seated dinner setting will usually require more servers than a buffet dinner. Serving the food requires more staff. With a seated dinner, you need more tables and chairs for most of the guests will eat at the same time. A seated dinner offers less flexibility for your guests, because they usually have a couple of options to choose from. To make it easier on you and your caterer, menu options ought to be included with the wedding invitations so your guests can choose which selection they prefer. The pre-selection process enables you to work with your caterer on the final count.

Buffet – With this option, you may be able to get away with less chairs and tables. Buffet gives your guests more options, and they don’t all have to eat at the same time. A buffet dinner gives your wedding reception guests more alternatives to customize their food selection. The buffet requires a smaller staff, and your guests can pick and choose what they like. In addition to the clear advantage of a more flexible buffet dinner, your hungrier guests can go back for seconds. Because buffet dinners require minimal service staff, you should be able to save money with this option.

Reception costs consume almost half the budget for the wedding, which these days means you can expect to lay out almost $13,000, including food. And the venue you select can not only limit your choice of caterers or bakers, it’s sure to affect how much you spend to “cover up” its weak spots or accent its highlights. Most stressful of all, the popular venues book far in advance, forcing brides to make the big decision almost as soon as they set the date.

For that reason, the savvy venue-hunter wants to know what questions to ask before she walks in the door, much less signs the contract. Here are a few ideas:

Do you have a pre-set list of caterers I can use, or can I choose my own?

Some venues — high-end ones with their own catering staff, or small-town ones with little competition — require you to use the in-house caterers or choose from a small list of “approved” vendors. It can be difficult to get taste-tests or otherwise put this type of vendor through its paces. If you’re stuck with such a list, search high and low for brides who have “been there, done that” and can give you their honest opinions.

Any restrictions on decorations?

Many venues have them, but rules vary widely from place to place. Common restrictions include: no open flame (or no flame whatsoever), no tape or tacks on the walls, or no confetti. When linens are provided, some halls will prohibit the use of pins. Ask if the hall can provide any decorations themselves, especially around holidays. Useful centerpiece items such as hurricane lamps or Eiffel vases are not uncommon.

Can we bring our own liquor, is there a “corkage” fee, and do we need a license?

If the liquor’s to flow freely at your wedding, you’ll save an immense amount of moolah by bringing your own. But some venues prohibit this and require you to buy from them. Even worse is the venue that says “yes” to bringing your own alcohol, but charges you a mandatory “corkage fee” to serve it — which typically starts at an unbelievable $10 per bottle or more! You’ll want to be crystal-clear on the fine print regarding alcohol before you commit to a venue.

As for licensing, many states consider wedding receptions to be an “unlicensed social function,” meaning you don’t need one as long as you’re not charging anyone for the alcohol. But be sure to check your local regulations before moving ahead — and ask your venue if they know of any licensing requirements.

Is there a cake-cutting fee?

Some venues even limit your choice of bakers, but most don’t. A more common (and sneakier) tactic is to charge you a cake-cutting fee, which like corkage fees, can really add up — often at $1 per slice!

DIY Detective Work

These, of course, are only a few of the questions you’ll want to ask a prospective venue manager. A few more tips while you’re checking out the place:

- Bring a tape measure. Get the dimensions of the room, the tables, and the distance between any features that might impact your decor, like windows. How many outlets are there and where are they located? What kind of climate control is available to you?

- Check the kitchen. Does it look clean, roomy and suitable for your catering staff to work from?

- Check the hall itself. Where will you put the band, the cake table, the coffee service? Are there coat racks for your guests? Is a sound system available?

- Check out the parking. Is it ample? Is it paved, or can it get muddy in the case of rain? Is there handicap access?

One final thing to get clear before you autograph that contract is your venue’s cancellation policy. But hopefully, with these helpful tips, you’ll have done enough homework to rest easy in your choice and not worry about having to cancel. Now that you’ve signed, take some time to sit back and relax … before you tackle the next task in that thick wedding planner!

There are so many details concerning a wedding that you need to use a wedding checklist to be sure you don’t forget anything important that may ruin the day.

If you plan carefully using a wedding checklist chances are the special day will be a joyous experience. Your list can be tailored for your specific needs and desires which will help relieve the inevitable stress as the day gets closer.

If at all possible six to twelve months before the wedding day your checklist should include the actual wedding date and time, lining up a florist and a caterer and also a photographer and a DJ. You will need to reserve the church and a location for the reception.

Your wedding checklist needs to include other important details such as, choosing who will be in the wedding party and ordering the invitations. You need to pick out a wedding gown, the wedding attendant’s dresses and the attire for the groom and groomsmen. And of course the all important wedding rings.

All of the above are the most major things that you should arrange for as early as possible.

On you wedding checklist be sure to put reminders for details that will be happening closer to the date. Like ordering your wedding cake, flowers, sending out the invitations and final fittings for everyone’s wedding attire. You also need a reminder to place a wedding announcemnet in your local paper.

There are other many other things that need to be on your wedding list such as, deciding on music for the wedding, a guest book, printed knapkins, thank you cards, wedding favors, decorations and a limo service.

About a month to six weeks before your big day you should go over your wedding checklist to make absolutely sure you haven’t forgotten anything.

There are, of course, many more things than those listed above that you will need to put on your specific wedding planning checklist that are personal to your wedding, but the above will give you an idea of the things you need to include.

In kit form, your wedding time capsule takes the form of an attractive tin, in which you place various mementos — photos, videos — as well as predictions for the future; then, you seal it all up with some festive stickers, to help discourage premature peeking. You decide ahead of time how long you’ll wait until you open it again — your 10th anniversary? 25th anniversary? And then you write a stern directive to yourself on the tin to help you keep to the agreement.

Although most people equate “time capsule” with “something you bury in the ground,” burying your wedding time capsule isn’t a great idea. Not only does that subject the contents to extreme temperature variations, but with the US Census recently reporting that the average American moves every five years, chances of you leaving behind a buried capsule before the hoped-for anniversary rolls around are high indeed. Instead, keep yours out of the elements and somewhere relatively kind — avoid damp attics, but a climate-controlled closet would be just perfect.

Some of us just like to do things our own way, and a wedding time capsule is no exception. Of course you can create your own! And a great way to do that is to get close friends and relatives in on the fun. Have them scribble up some predictions — or perhaps marital advice. Take advantage of a pre-wedding party to snap photos of your intimates, and tuck the photos into the capsule. If you really want to motivate people to get involved, hold some kind of drawing for participants, such as a wedding raffle — give away a box of fine cigars, a bottle of bubbly or even an afternoon at a spa.

While you’re letting others in on the action, there are number of ways to go about it. One is to compose a list of predictions for everyone to guess at — the whole experience is similar to filling out a junior high slam book, and just as fun. For example, ask participants to predict:

How many children you’ll have,
what kind of household robots you’ll have,
how many career changes you’ve gone through,
what major nation we’re closest to, and which one we’re mad at,
what animal is the trendiest pet,

… and so on.

Another is to ask your wedding party and close friends to compose short letters to you. Give them each envelopes, and instruct them to tell you on the outside when it’s time to open the envelope. Some will simply say “fifth anniversary,” “10th anniversary,” or “when your first child is born.” Others will get more creative — and you’ll probably find it’s terrific fun to stretch out the time capsule concept in this inventive, unpredictable way.

Regardless of the style or the duration of your reception, planning can benefit everyone. It is imperative that you plan ahead and establish a sequence of events for your reception. Spending time and effort before the wedding can save you from a lot of confusion and unnecessary distractions on your wedding day.

You can expect better results from any plan that is put in writing. Be sure to give a copy to your wedding vendors, your wedding attendants and family members so they know where they need to be and when.

Be as detailed as possible when preparing your reception itinerary. Include names, the order of events, specific locations and song titles of special dances.

As you prepare your schedule, don’t be too concerned about exact times. The times on your schedule should act only as a guide and to keep things moving in the right direction and make sure that everything gets done! The order of events is more important than the time of events. The order of events is up to you, but once established you should stick with it.

Because wedding guests should not begin dancing until after the bride and groom have had their first dance, some brides prefer to do their first dance with their husband very early into the reception, before dinner is served. Other brides prefer to do it after dinner, when the “real dancing begins”.

If you put in the effort to have every minute planned out, you should complete the process by preparing a printed wedding and reception schedule for your guests. Include the approximate arrival time of the bride and groom, first dance, cake cutting, special toasts to the bride and groom, picture taking, tossing of the bride’s bouquet and garter, etc. Getting everything organized ahead of time helps you and your guests to have a lovely wedding reception.

All Jokes Aside
It’s true that humor can break the ice and help you to feel more at ease about presenting your wedding toast, however, don’t just throw out jokes. Is there a story about you and your significant other that has a humorous ending? These go over much better than what you might find in a joke book. If you decide to tell a personal story, check with your significant other to make sure it is acceptable. One thing that can definitely ruin a wedding toast is the look of embarrassment or anger on your mate’s face.

Tell Them How You Feel
Showing public sentiment is typically more difficult for men. So just by adding a bit of emotion to a wedding toast will go over well for the groom. You don’t have to make it very deep. Just a few words that show your guests how you feel about your mate are sufficient. Mystery is a good element to couple with emotion when giving your toast. By hinting at something that is only known to you and your mate also makes the toast romantic.

Keep it Moving
You know how you’re talking to someone and you have the urge to finish their statements for them because they take the round about way to say something? Don’t do this with your wedding toast. This is the fastest way to lose your guests and to slow down the reception. It is a good idea to practice your toast several times. Memorize it if that helps.

Keep it Short
A wedding toast is a speech, but a SHORT one. You don’t want to put people to sleep or worse, have people leaving the ceremony. Practice the toast beforehand and make sure that it is no longer than a few minutes.

Setting the tone

If you’re a fun loving person, then there’s no need to pick a stodgy old wedding invitation. And why would you? You want to show your guests the real you (and that includes both soon-to-be spouses) as well as what they can expect for the events of the afternoon or evening.

Decide with your fiancé what the overall theme of the wedding will be. If you’re stumped on that, perhaps you can choose more than one idea and figure out invitations for each. A lot of couples will actually choose a theme from the invitation, rather than the other way around.

Not only are the pictures or illustrations on the invitation a way to show guests the colors and the atmosphere, but the wording can be a sign as well. By choosing casual phrases like ‘May 28’ instead of the ‘28th of May in the Year of Our Lord,’ you can signal to the recipient that your reception and ceremony may be a little less formal.

Buying or making?

Of course, you may have looked in various bridal magazines or at print shops for wedding ideas, but this doesn’t necessarily mean that you have to purchase them. A lot of couples decide that they want to make their own and add another personal touch to their wedding affair.

But for the busy couple, having your invitations made to order is the best course of action. By looking at samples and choosing the wording that you would like, the invitations will be personalized (even the envelopes can be printed for your convenience), so all you have to do is buy stamps and find the nearest mailbox.

If you have a little more time and patience, then you may want to consider creating your own wedding invitation. You will find that this process takes a bit longer than you think, but the results are tremendous.

Sit down with that book of samples for the printed invitations and see if there are any that you like, and can duplicate. Many times you can even use a home computer to do the printing for you.

Medicine

Although everyone is feeling wonderful on the wedding day, it’s amazing what a few nerves can do to the body. Headaches, upset stomachs, and dizziness can all rear their ugly heads right when you are feeling the most pressure.

And that’s not just the couple.

You may want to keep on hand a few things to keep everyone feeling good, or at least keep them upright throughout the ceremony. A chewable or liquid antacid is a great way to calm any nervous stomachs. Crackers and ginger ale are good though too. For headaches, you can keep some acetaminophen on hand. This is usually gentler on the stomach than ibuprofen, and can be taken without food.

If the bride or bridesmaids should feel dizzy, then have them immediately sit down. Dizziness can be caused by a lot of things—low blood sugar, nerves, and more serious conditions. If the bride or groom should faint, smelling salts can help to revive them.

Bandaids are good too for sore feet in too tight of shoes.
Beauty fixes

For the women, you may want to have a few beauty tools to keep everyone looking their best. Spare lip gloss and balm are good to keep the lips looking good. A translucent face powder will keep the nose and forehead from shining. Always keep a small bottle of clear nail polish as well. This is good for fixing rhinestones that have fallen off dresses to sealing tears in stockings.

A small brush and mirror can also help, while hair spray and extra deodorant are also nice to have on hand. Bobby pins can help most hair crises, but a curling iron can be an asset too.

Miscellaneous

It’s amazing what you may need and never think of. For example, did you think to bring extra straight pins for the corsages or in case the bouquets fell apart? A small sewing kit is good to in order to fix up any small emergencies.

Stain remover and chalk are also good to have on hand. If there should be any stains that need removing, the stain remover is there. If there’s something on the bride’s dress, then you can lightly cover it with the chalk—it works great and won’t hurt the dress.

The concept of wedding jitters or cold feet (leaving the bride or the groom at the altar) is not a new phenomenon but has been around for as long as anybody can remember in some form or shape.

Movies like “runaway bride” and the recent news in the media about brides walking away from their pending nuptials has captured our attention in more than one way.

What is behind this “Cold Feet” concept? I am sure the root cause is some psychological reason for both men and women which terrifyies them to take the plunge into holy matrimony. Leaving the Bride or Groom at the alter and undoing months of wedding planning and expense is far more serious than the normal anxiety attacks suffered by an average person.

As many studies and surveys show that contrary to the popular perception of happy bride or Groom to be before the wedding many women and men find this time of transition a very trying and stressful period in their life and some go to the extreme of not going through with the wedding at all. Our Society has experimented with many ways to cope with the fear of commitment, the most popular and now an accepted norm is living together before any kind of serious long term commitment.

The point is if there is more than normal panic attacks involved here then the whole relationship needs to be examined carefully before taking the plunge into marriage(and before the pending Wedding day).

If the both the parties involved sit together and take a look at the practical aspect of the relationship as opposed to emotional then this anxiety and concern can be addressed in a much more constructive way and will save loads of heartache and embarrassment for everybody involved. To have a long lasting and fruitful union in any form it is best to get the little issues out of the way and then the big issues will be resolved in the same manner. The key is communication. If you communicate your fears and concerns beforehand, there will be no body alone at the altar on the Wedding day.