Your bestie is getting married! If you’ve been granted the honor of maid of honor, congratulations! Part of the joy of being her BFF is having the opportunity to plan the perfect bridal shower, a party with close family members and friends during which she’s spoiled with gifts, love and support. We’ve provided the ultimate bridal shower invitation wording guide for spreading the exciting news about the special bride-to-be in your life. Send these personalized bridal shower invitation cards to family and friends to celebrate the bride’s final days before she turns from “Miss.” to “Mrs.”.
- Who Is Invited to a Bridal Shower?
- Wedding Shower Timeline and When to Send Bridal Shower Invitations
- What to Include in a Bridal Shower Invitation
- Bridal Shower Invitations Wording Examples
As the maid-of-honor for your sister’s or best friend’s wedding, you get to plan a fun and intimate bridal shower that reflects her personal style. Use this wedding shower etiquette guide to help you create, write and send the perfect invitations to her dearest family and friends.
Who Is Invited to a Bridal Shower?
A bridal shower is traditionally an intimate gathering of the bride’s closest female friends and family members. More recently, close male friends are often included in the special event. Inviting people who are close friends to the bride will allow her to have an amazing time surrounded by her friends and family.
Here’s a quick-reference list of who to invite to a bridal shower:
- The mother of the bride and the mother of the groom.
- Grandmothers from both sides.
- Sisters of the bride and the groom.
- The bride’s closest family members, including aunts and cousins.
- The maid-of-honor (if she’s not the host) and the bridesmaids.
- The bride’s closest girlfriends.
Wedding Shower Timeline and When to Send Bridal Shower Invitations
One of the most common bridal shower questions a maid-of-honor has is what the timeline looks like. With so many different wedding festivities going on, it takes planning and communication to ensure your event doesn’t interfere with other activities.
The simple answer to when to have a bridal shower is between two weeks and two months before the wedding. As you might guess, earlier is better because of the coordination needed as more activities happen closer to the big day.
When is the proper time to send bridal shower invitations? Mail bridal shower invitations eight weeks before the party. It’s best to send out your bridal shower invitations eight weeks before the bridal shower, that way people who are from out of town care prepare their trip accordingly.
Bridal shower invitations should be mailed eight weeks before the bridal shower, giving guests plenty of time to RSVP to this intimate and fun party for the bride-to-be.
Use this checklist for your shower planning and as you prepare and send stunning bridal shower invitations:
- Confirm the nearest and dearest. To create your guest list, start by asking the bride who she wants to invite to the shower. Then, ask the bride or wedding host for the master guest list, in which you will find the names and addresses of the guests.
In general, it’s not appropriate to invite anyone to the shower who is not invited to the wedding. But, like all rules, there are exceptions.
- Destination weddings: If the couple is planning a destination wedding, the bridal shower will probably be a larger event with many guests who are not traveling to the destination.
- Office bridal shower: If a co-worker is throwing the bride-to-be an office bridal shower, it’s probably a surprise party. In this case, it’s completely fine for the host to invite co-workers to the gathering who might not be invited to the wedding.
- Choose a date and time. Once you have a date, coordinate with the bride-to-be and wedding host to avoid double-booking or planning festivities too close to each other.
- Celebrate the bride’s style. From classic brunches and tea parties to wine tasting showers and destination showers, most bridal showers revolve around a certain theme.
What is the best way to pick a theme for the wedding shower? Keep the shower all about the bride, whether they have a particular hobby or crafts, you can incorporate them into the shower and make it a theme.
Whether it’s a sport or the fact that she loves wine, infusing her favorite things into the party is the best way to support the bride-to-be.
- Select your bridal shower invitations. This is the fun part. Start by going through invitations that reflect your theme and the formality of your event. Adding particular bridal shower invitation wording can give an idea of what kind of concept the bridal shower will have.
Whether you’re planning a formal party at a country club, an afternoon at the bride-to-be’s favorite restaurant or an intimate gathering at home, your bridal shower invitations will set the tone for the event and get your guests excited about the party.
Unique and Whimsical Bridal Invitation Design Ideas
Shutterfly® has dress-themed bridal shower invitation designs that range from flirty and cute to romantic and royal. Give them a peek to see if a “yes to the dress” is in order.
- Add appropriate event details. Along with the date, time and location of the party, you will want to include bridal shower invitation wording that’s unique to your party, such as whether it is a surprise, or if the guests need to bring a gift that corresponds with the theme, such as a honeymoon theme or cooking theme.
A bridal shower invitation should feature basic information, such as the name of the host, the bride-to-be and details about the event, as well as any additional information that’s unique to the party, such as the theme and registry information.
What to Include in a Bridal Shower Invitation
With bridal shower invitations wording, it typically begins with the announcement of the party and ends with additional details that guests will need to know about the party.
Here is everything you should include in your bridal shower invitations wording:
| What to include | Simple how-to |
| The name of the host | While the maid-of-honor is usually the host of a bridal shower, it’s also common for the mother of the bride to host the shower with help from the bridesmaids. Other family members such as sisters, aunts and cousins can also give showers. |
| The name of the bride-to-be | This is, of course, the woman being showered with gifts. |
| The date of the party | Select a day that is at least two to three months before the wedding day. |
| The time of the shower | A brunch bridal shower is usually between 10am and 2pm; a lunch party can start from 11am and 3pm; and a dinner shower can begin anytime between 5pm and 7pm. |
| The venue and address | Unless you’re planning a destination shower, choose a venue or location that’s close to the bride. |
| The RSVP date and how to respond | Select an RSVP date that’s two to four weeks before the party. |
| The theme, if any | A bridal shower theme tells guests how formal the shower will be, and sometimes even dictates the type of gift they will have to bring. You can announce your theme with a quote or by picking an invitation in the same style. |
| Registry information | You can either add the registry information in the main invitation or insert a separate registry card that tells guests where the bride-to-be is registered. |
Bridal Shower Invitation Wording Examples
Use these examples to help you write the unique bridal shower invitation wording you need for your formal, casual or whimsical party.
Rustic and flowery, a wood-grain, scripted bridal invitation matches pleasing colors with a sense of elegance.
Formal Bridal Shower Invitation Wording
Please join us to honor
Joelle Lawrence
Sunday, March 10, 2017
11:00 am to 3:00 pm
Atlantica Restaurant
44 Border Street, Cohasset, MA
Hosted by Jennifer Lawrence
RSVP by March 1st to 617-555-1212
Casual Bridal Shower Invitation Wording
Let’s Shower the Bride
Natalie White
Sunday, August 16 at 12 pm
3709 Cove Road, Seattle, Washington
Hosted by Susan Reynolds
RSVP to Susan at 555.0000 by August 10
Fun Bridal Shower Invitation Wording
Pop the Bubbly for the Bride to Be
Please join us for a bridal shower in honor of
Hailey
Saturday May 5th at 7:00 pm – Herons – 100 Ray Road, Cary, NC
Hosted by Kara Drake – RSVP 919-555-4136 by April 25th
Co-ed Wedding Shower Invitation Wording
A Wedding Shower for
Emily & James
Sunday, May 27, 2016 at 11:00 am
275 Bronte Street, San Francisco
Hosted by Jennifer
RSVP Jen at 415-555-1212 by May 16th
Bridal Shower Invitation Wording with Registry Information
Join us for a Bridal Shower in honor of
Michelle Smith
Saturday, October 13, 2017
From 11:00 am – 2:00 pm
Foreign Cinema
200 Mission Street, San Francisco
Hosted by Sarah Douglas
RSVP to Sarah at 542-555-0014 by October 1st
Michelle is registered at Bridal Boutique
Find the perfect bridal shower invitations that reflect the bride-to-be’s unique style and personality. Customize your bridal shower invitations with unique party details, colors and trim.
Personalized Bridal Shower Invitations
Shower the special bride-to-be in your life with invitations that reflect her unique style.
Shutterfly® offers a wide selection of designer bridal shower invitations to fit nearly every theme and style.
Bridal shower invitations can be fun and simple to create, when you start with the right template.
You can also tie in your bridal shower wording with your wedding invitation wording to tie all of your wedding stationery together. When you find the perfect fit, it’s easy to customize the stationery with unique details, photographs and a color palette that matches your reception decor.
Get started by browsing photograph, floral and elegantly designed bridal shower invitation templates here.
Additional Resources:
Personalized Wedding Invitations
