Bridal Shower Invitations

What is usually missing
from bridal shower invitations
is any reference to a groom.
There may be a bride pictured
in her beautiful white gown.
But she’s probably standing
alone on the front of the
invitation. And rightly so.
Because a bridal shower
invitation is asking people to
come to a certain place - at
a certain time - on a certain
day - to honor a woman
who has made up her mind.
She has made up her mind
to love a man for the rest
of her life and to be his wife.
And because of that decision, her friends and family will come together to celebrate the woman that she is and the woman that she is becoming. Her friends and family will take that invitation, post it up on their refrigerator or calendar, and mark the date when they will celebrate and shower this woman with love.

Did you ever think that bridal shower invitations could be a symbol of so much?
Well, they are. They are like the first bird that arrives in spring. They usually arrive quietly, but when they do arrive, they bring only good news. The first bird of spring announces that the earth is waking up again. That flowers will be blooming soon. The bridal shower invitation announces that love is in the air and that it has already bloomed.

[Pullout:

] Bridal showers are largely an American custom, and tradition has it that the first bridal shower in the U.S. was held in 1890 in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Doesn’t it seem odd that a tradition we are all familiar with would only be a little more than a century old? Just think of how much the tradition of marriage and bridal showers have evolved in that time. Even though the evolution has been noticeable, bridal shower invitations today still reflect the traditional values of femininity and marriage.

Most bridal shower invitations are either white or a pastel color. They are adorned with flowers, or butterflies, or wedding symbols – the cake, the rings, a depiction of the bride herself in a white wedding gown. They will ask the guest to bring a gift. Some bridal showers are a surprise for the bride, and the invitation will implore the guest to keep the secret. The invitation will state the date, time and place of the shower, and will usually have RSVP on it, so that guests can reply as to their attendance.