The Complete Idiot's Guide to Bridal Showers FROM OUR EDITORS
The wedding book market is flooded with titles dedicated to planning a bridal shower, but few are as thorough and dedicated to the event as The Complete Idiot's Guide to Bridal Showers. At a first glance, the only conclusion that can be drawn is that whoever needs such a lengthy book on a fairly trivial part of the wedding process must be an idiot, but once I started reading, I realized that I was being unfair.
You see, I am about to be a bridesmaid for one of those "high-maintenance" women, and an ordinary shower just won't do. So when I came across this book, I started reading and realized that I did have a lot to learn, including why a shower is even necessary when you consider the fact that the bride and groom receive many presents from the time the groom proposes until the bride walks down the aisle. But Jennifer R. Barr explains the origins of the bridal shower: Tradition says that a poor woman was to marry the son of a wealthy man who decided to cut off all ties and money to his son. Friends of the couple felt sympathetic and showered the female with gifts to help them set up a home. Today, it's an excuse for the bride-to-be to get together and bond with her female friends.
And when it comes to female bonding, food is a must. This book offers so many ideas for food that I think calling the event a wedding shower is almost insulting. The "women who pig out because they are celebrating an upcoming wedding" event deserves treats that are out of the ordinary -- Grape Madness Punch, Brie Fondue, and Smoked Salmon and Asparagus are just a sampling of the recipes you will find in this book. Sample menus are also included, ensuring a perfect meal.
No bridal shower book is complete without games. The Complete Idiot's Guide to Bridal Showers has some of the more original ones. Bridal Jeopardy with categories such as Childhood Memories, The Courtship, and Husband and Wife makes for some spicy competition, while Spice World, where the bride must guess a spice based on smell, will appeal to shower attendees of all ages.
There's also advice on invitations, favors, theme-events, and budget. While it's hard to believe that there is enough fodder for Barr to have written 300-plus pages on a bridal shower, it's true. The Complete Idiot's Guide to Bridal Showers is filled with some of the most creative, un-stodgy advice to please even the most high-maintenance bride-to-be.
FROM THE PUBLISHER
Every friend, sister, or neighbor of the future bride or soon-to-be mother has a big obligation. They are required to throw the dreaded shower. Once upon a time this wasn't such a hard job. It simply meant gathering together the brides closest friends and family, making some ham sandwiches, and tying ribbons to a paper plate. But times have changed and showers are becoming more and more extravagant and complicated. In this book there are tips on setting up a budget, and keeping it; choosing a theme for either the bridal or baby shower; deciding whom to invite; and coming up with the perfect menu.
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