Food & Party Planning Ideas
Spring Showers for Babies and Brides
April rain storms may be the subject of nursery rhymes, but the coming of spring heralds the arrival of other types of seasonal showers: bridal and baby showers. Nowhere near as wet and a whole lot more fun than a rainstorm, the gift shower is enjoying a renaissance of sorts as the children of the baby boomers reach the age of marriage and parenthood.
"As members of Generation X are growing into adulthood, they are embracing many of the old traditions that their parents discarded when they were in their 20s," said Nancy Siler, consumer affairs director of Wilton Enterprises and a home-entertaining expert. "The return of semi-formal bridal and baby showers is one of those traditions."
According to Siler, while gift-giving for weddings and births has remained relatively constant through the years, the shower itself is enjoying newfound popularity.
"A shower is nice because it turns gift-giving into a unique event and a social occasion," she explained. "Brides-to-be and expectant mothers like to feel special, and the shower provides an opportunity for friends and family to do just that."
But while the gift shower has returned to vogue, there is some confusion as to the proper etiquette for hosting a bridal or baby shower. Siler offers the following basic guidelines:
. . . Showers should be hosted by a friend of the couple/mother-to-be. Historically, it has been considered improper for a family member to host a shower. Because showers are a gift-giving event, a member of the family was thought to appear greedy. While attitudes have changed slightly to allow sisters to host a shower, the bride or expectant mother should not host her own shower.
. . . The bride/expectant mother should be consulted in planning the shower. The hostess should talk to the guest of honor about possible dates and times, the guest list and gift ideas. It's important for the hostess to know what items are needed because many of the guests will ask about this. For this reason, a "surprise" shower is generally difficult to plan.
. . . If it is not the first wedding or child, host a "sprinkle" instead of a shower. Just because it may not be appropriate to host the traditional gift-giving party this doesn't mean that a wedding or impending birth isn't a good occasion for friends and family to gather.
. . . Hold the shower at least one month before the wedding or due date. Avoid scheduling a shower too close to the big day, as that can be a busy time for the guest of honor.
. . . A shower should last approximately two hours. This leaves time for the gift exchange, general conversation and possibly a couple of games.
. . . Serve finger food. Unless the guest of honor requests it, a shower does not typically include a full meal. Instead serve an assortment of finger foods that guests can eat while gifts are given and the games played.
According to Siler, the ideal menu for a bridal or baby shower is an assortment of homemade candies, petit fours and fruit tarts.
"Everyone likes to nibble on something sweet, and by making the candies and Petit Fours yourself, you can decorate them according to the shower theme," said Siler.
"Wilton Premium Candy Melts® are perfect for making shower treats. They taste great and are very easy to shape and mold into special candies."
Homemade Candies
