Flying in for my bridal shower

baviles86

So I live on the west coast, all my family and freinds are on the east cost. We decided that it would be best to have one party on the east coast and one on the west coast. 

We all know it is very hard to fly cross country with a ton of bridal shower gifts, unless you have the luxary of your own private jet, and certianly dont have one of thoses.

Has anyone experianced this? What is the best way to handle gifts?

Would love some ideas to pass along to my MOH

KatePlusNate04

Although gifts are typical at showers, I wouldn't dictate to guests what kind of gifts they can bring. If your guests know you are from across the country (and if they're coming to your shower, they probably know you well enough to know this), common sense should dictate their gifts, meaning, many guests will probably bring gifts that travel well.

chickenbut143

If it were me, i'd pack an extra bag just in case.  Extra baggage fees stink, but at least you'll be prepared.

GL!

freebread03

Plan to ship things back home after your shower--since showers are gift giving events, you will receive...gifts.

Packing well and shipping ground isn't outrageously expensive--you should plan for that.

MobKaz

"Although gifts are typical at showers, I wouldn't dictate to guests what kind of gifts they can bring. If your guests know you are from across the country (and if they're coming to your shower, they probably know you well enough to know this), common sense should dictate their gifts, meaning, many guests will probably bring gifts that travel well."

I have to agree with two statements in particular:  shower guests will know you well, and, guests will use common sense.

I hosted a shower for my niece-in-law who was in a similar circumstance.  Some guests opted to ship a gift to her home, but then wrapped a picture of their purchase so the bride would still have something to open.  Others purchased gift cards and a small gift.  For example, the bride would open a package that contained a gift card and soup ladle.  The enclosed note then read, "We hope you can use this gift card to purchase the crock pot we saw on your registry".  The soup ladle then corresponded to the "intended" gift.  (Obviously, the couple is not obliged to make that exact purchase, but you get the idea.) 

Even for a shower that is not out of town, wrapping a picture often simply just makes sense.  At my daughters shower, she and her FI opened some bbq grill tools and aprons.  The third gift was a picture of the grill that was also gifted to them.  Now, they only live 10 miles away, but in the long run, it made much more sense to wrap a photo than the actual grill.  An added bonus was that, while they were enjoying the shower, the grooms family was busy at their home putting the grill together for them so that they could make use of it as soon as they got home!

I agree that you cannot dictate to guests what they should and should not purchase, but these suggestions may come in handy for any guest that may inquire.

MairePoppy

I attended a large shower on the east coast for a bride who lives on the west coast.

1. Most of the guests took the brides situation into consideration. Some purchased gift cards or gave cash. Others purchased small items. One purchased lingerie. Most of the guests had their gifts sent to the bride's home via her registry, timed to arrive after the shower. A group of those people drew pictures of their gifts or made up clue cards for the bride to guess what the gift was. Some of the pictures were very entertaining. I know this wouldn't work well with every group, but this particular group of friends is known for their goofiness. A few guests requested cards from the store (Macy's) that listed the specific gift that was purchased from the registry.

2. The bridesmaids and the MOB shipped the remainder of the gifts to the bride's home, as their gift to her.

As the bride, you shouldn't suggest any of these ideas, unless asked, because once you are given a gift, it is up to you to decide how to get it home. But I hope your guests are as thoughtful as my friend's guests were.

marshallra

My daughter is in the same situation. A friend suggested giving her a shoebox shower. She said hey many showers have themes-why not a shoebox! The invitation would say something like "A Shoebox shower Lets be creative! Since the bride will be returning to California after the shower try to keep gifts smaller than a shoebox." I do think that it is important tomremind people. A few years ago i went to a shower for a close friend's daughter- my daughter was MOH. I ordered a mixer from her registry and paid to have it shipped to me. It never occured to me to ship it to her home!!!! She returned it locally and then picked it up again when she got home. A hassle that i could have avoided had I not been brain dead!!