surprise

It has been a month since I officially launched 10,000 weddings. That means one month of the year of the weddings is down. January primarily consisted of planning for all of the upcoming events although yesterday was the first wedding event of the year. It went off without any major snafus other than a minor heating issue that was quickly solved. So the guests left their coats and gloves on for the first hour…there was alcohol to warm them up!

The shower was held at one of the bridesmaid’s houses. She lives in a beautiful, old farmhouse where the barn has been renovated into a magnificent ballroom. No exaggeration. We couldn’t have asked for a better venue. Forty guests easily fit into this room complete with an enormous bar, pine hardwood floors & ceilings that I am guessing are 20 feet high. It was the backdrop for a great day!

The shower was a traditional luncheon complete with the dreaded but fun bridal bingo. It kept the guests busy and stirred up some friendly competition while the bride unwrapped her gifts. She acquired so many amazing things including a stunning hat made of ribbons & bows! Where did this tradition stem from? I must find the answer before forcing another woman to put the paper plate/ribbon contraption on her head. Why do we do this?

In my research I have found out where the overall tradition of bridal showers stems from…sort of. There seem to be lots of variations on this one...bridal showers evolved in the 1800s as a means for a bride to acquire all things needed to establish a home. The alleged first bridal shower took place in Holland. A dutch girl was marrying a poor man who wouldn’t be able to afford all the luxuries she’d need to start their home so her close female friends showered her with gifts.

The story also says something about a rich father who didn’t approve of his daughter marrying the poor fool. I think I’d like to leave that part out in my version.

Ever wonder why showers traditionally are surprises? Originally a shower took place at the bride’s house. The other women would just drop in one day and surprise her with all of these wonderful gifts. Can you imagine 40 of your closest friends just showing up unannounced these days? I know I would be scurrying to clean the bathroom or something instead of admiring a new waffle maker. Its funny how that tradition has been modified, isn’t it?

Traditionally the woman that would throw the bride a shower would not be related to her. Apparently it was considered rude if the bride’s mother or relative was requesting friends to shower her with gifts. I guess mom didn’t want to look like a gold digger so she’d assume her daughter’s closest friend would coordinate the event, And that’s how a maid of honor evolved. The other girls with the gifts were typically the bridesmaids.

Can we work on upgrading those titles now? Maid just seems so politically incorrect.

-The perennial bridesDIVA