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The first wedding shower was said to have taken place in eighteenth-century Netherlands, when a bride's father did not care for her choice of husband, a poor miller. Accordingly he refused to give her a dowry, thereby eliminating her chance of marrying her beloved. The groom was not to be deterred, however, and he shared his plight with the townspeople. Because he had always been generous to hungry families in the community, giving them flour at no charge, they joined forces and shared their wares and riches with the couple, showering the bride with enough of a dowry to make the marriage possible. The father was so impressed by the neighbors' "shower" that he consented to the marriage.
A shower needs no theme other than to celebrate the upcoming marriage of a couple. Sometimes, however, a hostess narrows or custom-designs the focus of a shower (often after discussions with the bride regarding the wedding couple's needs) to a certain theme. Guests are then expected to bring gifts related to that theme, and the hostess may even provide theme-related food and decorations. Ideas for themes are limitless. Some choices, and suggested gifts are as follows:
Kitchen Shower |
Glasses, knives, linens, utensils |
Spa Shower |
Massage certificates, aromatherapy oils, candles, robes |
Honeymoon Shower |
Travel clock, sewing kit, first aid kit, travel book |
Leisure Time Shower |
Movie tickets, boards games, videos, CDs, cocktail glasses, napkins |
Gourmet Cook Shower |
Gourmet foods and wines, utensils, cookbooks |
The Great Outdoors Shower |
Badminton set, flower seeds and gardening tools, picnic basket, Japanese lanterns, croquet set |
Happy Holidays Shower |
Decorations for every holiday of the year |
Recipe Shower |
Guests are given recipe cards to record their favorites, and these cards are collected at the party and put into a recipe box provided by the hostess. At some recipe showers, guests may even prepare one of their recipes. |
Labor of Love Shower |
Promises, not gifts are brought to this shower where friends pledge to paint, wallpaper, garden, or donate their talents in any number of ways. |
