Advice for Potentially Huge Bridal Shower

Just remember that you have to open all those gifts. I would also forgo games, they make the day drag.

FWIW, these types of showers are the norm where I'm from. 60-80 people. Usually it's a luncheon at a banquet hall or church hall.

I invited 45 and have 35 coming to mine, and that feels overwhelming to me! If you aren't comfortable with it, talk to her and see if she can reduce her list a little bit.

Mine is only going to be about 25 people. We are not inviting every woman who is invited to the wedding only family, bridal party, and a few close friends.

Yepppp mine is going to have around 80! It's the norm for my family. As long as everyone invited is also invited to your wedding, it's fine. Enjoy!

This is about how many my mom also wants to invite to mine, and honestly I've never been to a shower that large, but i think bc of that is probably won't function as a traditional shower. Are these all ppl you would want there/ be comfortable w?

Thanks everyone! And yes, all who are invited to the shower are also invited to the wedding, so I don't think it's a gift grab as much as my mom and I have a lot of family and friends, I just wanted to see what was normal. I feel much better about it now.

I think that is too many people. I feel like a bridal shower should be family and close friends.

This is the norm where I'm from. Just make sure you have help opening gifts (assembly line style) and you don't wait until after you eat to start opening them. I was just at a baby shower where it took 2 hours to open gifts. I almost fell asleep since I came straight from work!

@Miami2NorthernVA I'm a small crowd girl myself, I too thought that it was supposed to be only close friends and family. I learned today that some bridal showers can be this big! I'm not judging how everyone else chooses to do it, I just want to do what's best for me and my family. I really appreciate everyone's feedback, and I will be bringing this up with her today!

@cokesmcgokes I am close to or comfortable with about half of those people. This has been a similar thing throughout the wedding process: I would like to invite a lot less people than my parents want to have. However, since I'm getting married young, my parents are graciously paying for the wedding, and I appreciate it, I know not everyone gets that luxury- but unfortunately for me it means they are inviting far more people than I would like. After several months of fighting with my mom, I've come to the conclusion that some battles aren't worth fighting, and she wasn't going to change her mind.

All I want is just to be married to the love of my life, and to start our lives together. The rest is just details to me so I'm willing to let her have it her way somewhat if it means no fighting and it makes her happy

I just had mine this past weekend and we invited about that many, maybe more. I'm typically a wallflowering, help-in-the-kitchen sort of person when It comes to parties and I hadn't had a party for me (or hosted by me) in years and years. So that was something. Not everyone will come but it will still be large. People visited with each other and I made sure I greeted each person. Other than that, I agree that games hurt rather than help (bless my bridesmaids!) and that the gift opening portion takes days. On the flip side, we have so many wonderful things for our home now!

80 seems like too many at one event. but if they are all invited to the wedding, then no problem with that. That's a lot of gifts to be opening!!! I had 40 invited (25 attended) to my West coast shower and 50 will be invited to my East Coast shower, hosted by my mom and sisters. I would get nervous and feel awkward having 80 people watch me open gifts. Idk, that is just me.

Reading your last post makes me want to be your friend, Blythe! And we get married a week apart! I totally hear the whole things not going as you hoped, details not being important, and just wanting to get married. I am so. there. Four more weeks - you're gunna make it!!

Most showers I've been to have about 40 people. Actually all showers have been that size now that I think about it. They've all been at a hall or restaurant. It's totally fine as long as they're planning accordingly for the size!

I would definitely have your BMs helping tho to speed up the opening of gifts - cutting ribbon, starting to unwrap (taking out tissue paper) so it's easy for you to open and move to the next gift otherwise it takes forever!

I also love bingo for opening gifts as a game. It entertains people while you open gifts and I've personally found it helps pass the time. The bingo options are gifts you could be opening. It makes it less obvious how much time is being spent opening gifts bc guests get to participate in a way

My cousin had over 80 for her. Its customary in my area to invite all the women that are invited to the wedding to the shower. I'm expecting around this many for mine. Although I don't know where/when mine is.

Awww thanks @LookUpTazGully! That made my day I would be your friend too. Where are you getting married?

My mom and FMIL are throwing me a shower in July. My mom showed me the list FMIL sent her, and was surprised it had 42 people on it (all invited to the wedding). Some of them are people I haven't met, and I thought it would be a bit awkward. But I convinced FH to come to the shower to help open presents so all the attention isn't on me.

Also thanks again everyone for the advice! I'll let you know how it goes

Personally, that would be way too many people for me. To me, a shower is an intimate party with closest female family and friends. I would not want random connections of my mother there. Nope.

Also, how do the hosts of the shower feel about having to host that many people? It can get very expensive.

I think you can put your foot down on this. The bride does not get much say in her shower, but the guest list is an area where she can have a say.

Mine's going to be about 45 people. I think 70 is fine if you know all of these people and are close with them, but if you're not, I'd say only invite your closest.