My maid of honor emailed my mom, asking her if she had any plans for a shower. My mom responded to her, saying that the groom's aunts are planning one for just the groom's side of the family, and that in our family, it's tradition for the bridesmaids to plan the shower, but she'd be happy to provide her (my parents') house as the venue and to help cook and bake. My mom forwarded the conversation to me, asking if she handled it correctly, especially since she's hoping I will have a shower, it's frowned upon for the mother of the bride to throw one in our area, and no one has offered from our extended family or parents' friends. I cringed a little - I'm afraid that my mom's response essentially made the MOH feel obligated to throw the shower.
And of course, I'm cringing at myself, because one of the Christmas gifts I gave her this year was a tea party-themed cookbook (from Anthropologie, her favorite store) and now I'm afraid that I gave her the same impression, too. How would you feel if you were her, and what can I say to her to communicate that she is not obligated to take this on if she prefers not to?