Bridal showers

Spendless

Georgiegirl256 wrote: »

Present showing has been going on for many generations. Usually the presents are displayed in the brides parents home. I don't know if it happens that much anymore, more so if think when people didn't leave home until they got married.

Not sure if it's just a regional thing though?

Whilst I've never come across them at the brides parents house- (did people make a special trip to view them?) In the days when there was a gap of a few hours between day ceremony finishing and evening ceremony starting, the bride and groom would open the presents that had been given at the reception and they'd then be on display during the evening reception. The guests who were invited to all day celebrations tended to go home and get changed, if they didn''t live near enough they would go to someone's house, often the brides parents. Frequently as a child I had 2 outfits to attend a wedding, day and evening.

hieveryone wrote: »

I'm nearly 30 and this whole 'shower' thing has got big amongst my friends.

Engagement parties - what?! Why have a party to celebrate an engagement? = excuse for presents.

Wedding gift lists - totally vulgar and unnecessary to actually ASK for certain gifts - turns my stomach.

Baby showers - cheesy = another excuse for more presents.

I sound like a grinch!

I'm nearly 50 and engagement parties were common amongst my peer group and my slightly older relatives. Yes it was to start off a 'bottom drawer' with items as presents being bought. The wedding list was to furnish the house, not with furniture (well not in my circle of relatives and friends, maybe in wealtheir circles:D) but things like a dinner service, bed linen, kitchen scales etc. The idea being you selected the item that was in your budget to give as a gift .

Nowadays when many people buy and set up their own household before a wedding, I can see engagment parties in order to kit out a place becoming more common again.

I've never attended a baby shower- dare I admit I'd like to because I'd like to play some daft games.:o We have relatives in Canada where they are common place and I remember being told about one game where mustard was smeared on to one of the mini nappies handed out, the one with the mustard won the prize.

lazer

Gavin83 wrote: »

Is that a thing? I've never heard of engagement presents. I hope not as I've never given an engagement present!

We got engagement presents when we got engaged but didn't expect them at all.
Got them from friends, aunts, uncles, parents, and friends of parents who we barely knew!


I have also given engagement presents - mainly to friends.


Engagement presents are normally small "bottom drawer" gifts - I would spend around £10 on them

purpleshoes_2

Gavin83 wrote: »

Is that a thing? I've never heard of engagement presents. I hope not as I've never given an engagement present!

Ive given several engagement presents over the years, mostly when I've been going to an engagement party.

purpleshoes_2

Spendless wrote: »

Whilst I've never come across them at the brides parents house- (did people make a special trip to view them?) In the days when there was a gap of a few hours between day ceremony finishing and evening ceremony starting, the bride and groom would open the presents that had been given at the reception and they'd then be on display during the evening reception. The guests who were invited to all day celebrations tended to go home and get changed, if they didn''t live near enough they would go to someone's house, often the brides parents. Frequently as a child I had 2 outfits to attend a wedding, day and evening.



I'm nearly 50 and engagement parties were common amongst my peer group and my slightly older relatives. Yes it was to start off a 'bottom drawer' with items as presents being bought. The wedding list was to furnish the house, not with furniture (well not in my circle of relatives and friends, maybe in wealtheir circles:D) but things like a dinner service, bed linen, kitchen scales etc. The idea being you selected the item that was in your budget to give as a gift .

Nowadays when many people buy and set up their own household before a wedding, I can see engagment parties in order to kit out a place becoming more common again.

I've never attended a baby shower- dare I admit I'd like to because I'd like to play some daft games.:o We have relatives in Canada where they are common place and I remember being told about one game where mustard was smeared on to one of the mini nappies handed out, the one with the mustard won the prize.

From memory, any show of presents I ever attended was before the wedding, some people give gifts before, was really just an opportunity for people to get together, see the bride to be, have a drink, people who maybe couldn't make the hen night. It wasnt compulsory to take a present along, as if you were going to the wedding and hadnt bought your present, you'd be taking it along on the day anyway.

Mercenary

Never dealt with an engagement party (never got engaged myself - just got married). These modern hen-nights sound absolutely horrendous IMO :eek: .
I have only ever given wedding presents because engagements come and go, often without going on to an actual marriage.
At least having then made the effort to go through with a wedding, most marriages stand a chance of lasting for a minimum of one year so that the present won't have been a complete waste of my money!

I would avoid bridal showers and baby showers like the plague. I have British relatives in America who say that those showers are the most disgustingly avaricious, judgemental events to ever attend. They say no thank you to them now.

I suggest that accepting an invite only to make an excuse last minute is not the easy way to go. Simply decline the invite up-front and say that you look forward to the wedding (if you want to go to that).

Georgiegirl256

Spendless wrote: »

Whilst I've never come across them at the brides parents house- (did people make a special trip to view them?) In the days when there was a gap of a few hours between day ceremony finishing and evening ceremony starting, the bride and groom would open the presents that had been given at the reception and they'd then be on display during the evening reception. The guests who were invited to all day celebrations tended to go home and get changed, if they didn''t live near enough they would go to someone's house, often the brides parents. Frequently as a child I had 2 outfits to attend a wedding, day and evening. .

From what I've heard and can remember, they were mainly at the brides parents house, although sometimes they were on display in a 'present room' at the wedding reception venue.

I think years ago people didn't tend to have evening receptions as much, and therefore people went back to the brides parents house (after the wedding breakfast) to see the bride and groom off on their honeymoon, and the presents would be on display for anyone who was interested to see them.

purpleshoes_2

Georgiegirl256 wrote: »

From what I've heard and can remember, they were mainly at the brides parents house, although sometimes they were on display in a 'present room' at the wedding reception venue.

I think years ago people didn't tend to have evening receptions as much, and therefore people went back to the brides parents house (after the wedding breakfast) to see the bride and groom off on their honeymoon, and the presents would be on display for anyone who was interested to see them.

Brides parents house yes but any friends of mine who got married around 25 years ago now had an evening reception and the show of presents happened on a different day from the wedding. Obviously everyone does things differently, never heard of anyone I know who has got married lately having a bridal shower, just a hen night and a wedding planned to the way they wanted it.

Flossie.

Not a fan of hen parties/bridal showers. The last one I went on (about 5 years ago,) cost me about £150 altogether, for the room for the night, the train fare, a present, the drinks, the meal. And it was only in the UK. I didn't even enjoy it that much. I think I'm just to old for all that now LOL.

Torry_Quine

peachyprice wrote: »

Given just before maybe, or at the wedding, or just after. But surely not opened until after the wedding? By the bride and groom together in their own home.

No, presents were opened as they were received by the couple. I even sent my thanks as they came in before the wedding itself.

Gavin83 wrote: »

Is that a thing? I've never heard of engagement presents. I hope not as I've never given an engagement present!

I didn't have an engagement party but did get a few engagement presents such as tea-towels.

Gavin83

purpleshoes wrote: »

Ive given several engagement presents over the years, mostly when I've been going to an engagement party.

To be honest I've never heard of engagement parties either, none of my friends have ever had one!