Bridal shower and rehearsal questions

alissakay7 · March 2016

So 2 questions.
1) How many people/who is typically invited to the bridal shower?
2) What does a rehearsal dinner typically cost. Trying to see if the hotel's catering would be a better idea or going to a restaurant.

Any help is appreciated.

floridabride44 · March 2016

alissakay7 said:

So 2 questions.
1) How many people/who is typically invited to the bridal shower?
2) What does a rehearsal dinner typically cost. Trying to see if the hotel's catering would be a better idea or going to a restaurant.

Any help is appreciated.

1) No more than the host of the shower says that they can accommodate. And only people who are invited to the wedding. Besides that, it's completely up to you! I had about 15 people at my shower.

2) This could be a wide range of prices... there's no "typical" cost. MIL & FIL offered to host our rehearsal dinner and wanted a big sit-down dinner with multiple courses and open bar, inviting the families, bridal party, their SOs, and out of town guests. It probably cost close to what our wedding cost. A rehearsal dinner can be much smaller than that, though - basically as long as you feed the folks who are at the rehearsal (and their SO's!) you're in the clear. Could be as simple as pizza and beer/soda! The only way to know for sure if hotel catering is cheaper than a restaurant is to get price quotes from both of those places.

AddieCake · April 2016

There's no easy way to answer these questions. You invite people you feel closest with to a shower, but some people have huge showers of 50 or more people. Rehearsal dinners cost different amounts depending on how many people are there and where you go/what you have for dinner.

levioosa · April 2016

1. Are you the bride? You cannot host your own shower. A shower must be offered. The number of people attending is as many as the host can accommodate. If that's ten people, it's ten people. If it's fifty people, it's fifty people (although personally I think large showers are kind of a nightmare). The easiest way to invite people for showers is in circles (i.e. family, close friends). A shower doesn't need to have every woman/person on your guest list.

2. There's not really a "one size fits all" answer for this. Your rehearsal dinner must immediately follow the rehearsal, and all SO's of the WP/individuals involved at the rehearsal must also be invited. A rehearsal dinner can be as simple as pizza and beer, or an elaborate, fine dining meal. The only thing that matters is that it is fully hosted. That means no partial cash bar. If you are trying to decide between the hotel and other restaurants, the only thing to do is determine the number attending, and then ask for quotes. Many restaurants will do limited menus for larger parties.

lnixon8 · April 2016

As for "who is invited to bridal shower": your nearest and dearest.

Your shower should have close friends and family. What PP's said about how many people

Your FI's mom or sister may offer to throw something for his/her side. At that shower your MOH, Mom and grandmother might be invited. Likewise, even if you have a "your side" shower, it would be nice to invite your Future mother in law, possibly your fiances sisters/aunts/grandmothers depending on your relationship with them.

Depending on your job your coworkers may throw you something little: sheet cake, heres a card and a gift card to bed bath and beyond. Otherwise unless you hang out with them outside of work or are very close with them I would leave them off so you don't look greedy.

I am a certified game hater but PLEASE if you have a shower with more than 20 people keep it to voluntary games or ones where you don't have to do anything ie Timer game: every 3-5 minutes have a timer go off, whoever gift is being opened at that moment gets a prize bottle of wine)

SP29 · April 2016

1) Anyone who is invited to the shower must be invited to the wedding. But not every guest invited to the wedding needs to be invited to the shower. Generally speaking, showers a more intimate events- close family and friends. But some people do have larger showers. Ultimately, it is up to the host to determine how many guests can be accommodated. A shower is offered to the bride, not expected by the bride, or planned by herself. A shower could be held in someone's home, or it could be done at a restaurant or hall.

2) Only those taking part in the rehearsal (plus their SOs) need to be invited to the RD (this should include your officiant). Though often immediate family is also included (siblings, grandparents). Some people will extend an invitation to OOT guests, as a courtesy, but this is not required and was much more common in a time where there were few OOT guests. A RD can cost any amount of money, and be held anywhere.

Our RD took place at my grandparents' apartment. 24 guests. My mom, grandparents and dad's gf bought/made/prepared the food. Salad, garlic bread, pasta with meatballs, veggie tray, dessert, water, pop, wine, beer- done.

ernursej · April 2016

@lnixon8 - love the timer idea! Games can be okay, but this game is right up my alley! If I'm ever in the position to host a shower, I will certainly be adding this.

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