Shower - families are out of state

epona225

I'm sure someone has been in the same situation, but I haven't found another post addressing this...

FI and I will be living in Texas, but we're both from Michigan.  Most of our family and friends are in Michigan and New Jersey, with some scattered all over.  Where should we have our bridal shower?  If it's in Texas, no one besides maybe our parents would come, since we don't have a ton of close friends in the area yet.  If it's somewhere else, we would have to pay to ship the gifts.  Should I just tell our families that we don't want to have a shower?  Either no one would come, or we will be getting gifts then paying a lot to get them home.

What do you guys think/how did you handle this?


(Don't worry, I'm not throwing my own shower, I'm only posting this b/c family members have been asking me about this.)

McKenna2012

I'm confused.....who is hosting it if you don't even know where it is?  Most of my family is out-of-state as well, but I have friends here who will be hosting mine.  I don't expect my family to come here for the shower.

yoko2011

You have it where ever the hosts wants to host. it.  Ie. your family in NJ offer to host, you have it there, same if MI crowd does it, etc. This may or may not mean you end up with multiple showers I realize some frown on that - i think where folks are states away and offers are there - it's OK. Presuming you're not demanding one, making everyone attend all, etc. Of course, if you do not want to trek to either location you politely decline.

Edit: re getting gifts home - based on when it is perhaps you could drive? (no idea how long it is from some of those places and i think nothing of 12 hr road trips so sorry if that sounds crazy.) Or you can see about checking luggage, etc.

epona225

Just to clarify, it would take 2 days to drive from Houston to either MI or NJ, so I don't know if that will be an option (too bad it's not a shorter drive!).  FI hasn't been living in Houston for long (currently on assignment in Scotland) and I will be moving there soon, so he doesn't have many friends there, and I have none.