Bridal Shower, Bachelorette Party?

A bridal shower is usually thrown by family members or sometimes by the bridal party. Anyone really can throw it for you. This would be more of the registry gifts and for the aunts, grandmas, young cousins, friends etc. Bach party is usually thrown by your MOH or bridal party or close friends. This is usually the last hurrah celebrating your last days as a single woman. Engagement party is usual a celebration announcement. Sometimes if your family does not know your SO its a good way to meet them. None are really necessary, but nice.

ETA: I did not have an engagement party, but everyone in my family knows my FH. He has been around for 6 years.

To start, none of these parties are mandatory! First comes an engagement party. Family often throws this for you to celebrate your engagement. Self explanatory. However, many people don't have them and use the money towards the wedding. A bridal shower is thrown usually 3-4 months before the wedding. You make a wedding registry and people give you gifts from it. It's a women's only party most of the time, but bride/groom showers are starting to catch on. A bachelorette party is something you normally do close to your wedding, like a week or 2 before, with girl friends, and bridesmaids. You go have fun somewhere and it's like your last "girls night out" before tying the knot!

The PPs nailed it! I agree with everything they said.

PP pretty much covered it, the only thing I would add is that a shower is generally understood to "shower" the bride with gifts, so the event is paid for by whoever is throwing it and the gift opening is part of it, whereas the bachelorette party sometimes people have lingerie or joke gifts, but each attendee usually pays for themselves (often everyone else splits the cost so the guest of honor needn't pay). The engagement party, I don't believe is a gift giving event either, but I've only been to one and didn't have one myself. It was thrown by family friends of the bride and was a catered dinner with no gifts. The engagement party also generally includes the groom and men, whereas the showers and bachelorette parties don't (this is only traditionally and obviously you can do what you want, and I think people often have "wedding showers" now where it's for both bride and groom). People of all ages come to the engagement party and shower, but sometimes bachelorettes are parties for peers more (people might want to go a bit crazier, though that's obviously not required either!). And as PP said, not a stupid question!

Lol I was talking to my fiance and he asked what a bridal shower was when I explained that it's to get gifts for the couples new home and said it's kinda like a baby shower except instead of baby stuff it's home goods he then asked why it's only for the bride if it's to get gifts for the couples house .... I said good point and I don't know lol

So hearing about wedding showers ... I might have to look into it cuz I think he wants to be apart of it lol

Lol I was talking to my fiance and he asked what a bridal shower was when I explained that it's to get gifts for the couples new home and said it's kinda like a baby shower except instead of baby stuff it's home goods he then asked why it's only for the bride if it's to get gifts for the couples house .... I said good point and I don't know lol

So hearing about wedding showers ... I might have to look into it cuz I think he wants to be apart of it lol