Coordinate the guest list
Ask the couple to review names and contact details before the invitations go out, and clarify whether partners and children are included. The standard rule is that everyone invited to the shower is also invited to the wedding, unless the shower is deliberately a workplace event. Send invitations four to six weeks out and set the RSVP deadline two weeks before so you have real numbers for food.
Agree on the shower format
A shower works as brunch, lunch, an afternoon tea, or an activity such as a flower-arranging class. Pick one, set a two- to three-hour window, and put both times in the invitation. Budget it like any hosted meal: food and drink usually take 40 to 50 percent, the venue or rentals 15 to 20 percent, and decorations take the rest.
Use traditions selectively
Games, advice cards, gift opening, and dress themes are options, not requirements. Keep the ones the guest of honor wants and leave the rest out; a shower with zero games and good food is common and completely fine. If gifts will be opened at the event, warn guests in the invitation so they can plan their time, and assign one person to record who gave what for thank-you notes.
Make gifts easy to understand
Link to the registry, group gift, honeymoon fund, or no-gift request without implying that a gift is the price of admission. Registry details belong on the event page, not in the invitation’s headline. Name the organizer for any group gift and set a contribution deadline before the shower, so nobody is chasing money during it.
Feed the crowd and mind the room
Plan on 60 to 75 percent attendance from the invite list, then adjust to actual replies a week out. For a seated meal, plan one main serving plus two sides per person, and offer at least one non-alcoholic signature drink. Check accessibility early: a step-free entrance, chairs that are easy to rise from, and parking near the door all matter for a multigenerational guest list.
Host checklist
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Sources
Safety and platform facts come from the sources above; planning suggestions are PartyWelcome’s own.