One of the most dreaded or looked forward to maid of honour duties at any wedding is hosting the bridal shower. If the maid of honour plans ahead of time, there will be ample time for a bridal shower and a bachelorette party topped with the perfect hen night invitations.
One of the main things you need to keep in mind as maid of honour is that while the bridal shower is undoubtedly for the bride, it is your responsibility and duty to take a call on how things are supposed to roll out.
Bridal shower, bachelorette party or both?
As maid of honour, you are responsible for a lot of things driven towards the success of this wedding. Hosting a bridal shower and a bachelorette party too, are among these list of responsibilities. Both events are celebrated for different reasons and unless you are willing to spend for both, it is perfectly fine to speak to the bride and get on board with one of them.
A bridal shower is essentially the “lighter” event of the two and would ideally involve a tea party or luncheon hosted at your place or a convenient location with the help of the rest of your bridesmaids. A bridal shower is an occasion where the bride is showered with gifts from everyone and advises from aunts, mothers etc.
A bachelorette party or a hen’s night is again organised by the main of honour but has a different purpose all together. As the hen night invitations suggest, a bachelorette party is the bride-to-be’s “final fling before the ring” or the final night as a single-unmarried woman.
However, both ideas can be combined, so as long as neither the bride-to-be’s mother nor mother-in-law are handed hen night invitations!
Money Matters
As the maid of honour, be sure to keep your cash in check. While you could ask the rest of the bridesmaids to pool in, if either of the occasions is not within your budget, speak to the bride and agree on something very minimal. You were chosen as maid of honour as you are one of the bride’s closest allies and she will understand your situation and appreciate the thought behind the gesture.
More is not Always Merry
Handing out hen night invitations to all your batch mates from college is probably not the best of ideas. If you are helping the bride plan out the wedding, you will have access to the guest list and unless the bridal shower or bachelorette party is a surprise, the two of you could decide as to which girlfriend is given an exclusive hen party invitation. As a rule of the thumb, keep in mind that those invited for the shower must be guests invited for the wedding, unless it is a destination wedding or an exception that runs on those lines.
Once the basic requirements are taken care of, be sure to make a checklist, topping it off with a beautifully designed bridal shower or hen night invitations and give your best girlfriend an experience of a lifetime.
