Bridal shower timeline

Sorry, my dog jumped on my lap and it made me post lol.

So, bridal shower, early April. However, my wedding isn't until December. Is this way too soon? I don't want to hurt her feelings because she's already planning it with her best friend (who's also invited to the wedding, btw) but I don't want to offend people either. We have a definitive guest list at this point so anyone who came would absolutely be invited to the wedding.

Also, is there a difference between a bridal shower and wedding shower? According to my mom, the bridal shower is for gifts just for the bride and the wedding shower is the gifts-off-the-registry kind. This a weird Southern-ism, isn't it?

Most of the time, showers happen 1-3 months before the wedding. But, if that is the time that works for you and for those who are planning it, it's not a huge deal if it's early.

My understanding has always been that a bridal shower is ladies only and a wedding shower (or couple's shower) is what you call the shower when it is co-ed. Usually, there's no difference in the gifts...guests would purchase off the couple's wedding registry for either shower.

View Quoted Comment Agree with both points.

When I got married 20 years ago, we had a bridal shower (lingerie registry, all girls) and then people brought gifts from the registry to the wedding (when we got home from honeymoon, our living room was full of gifts a la Friends) and we got very few cash cards.

Now it seems like there is a registry shower, sometimes coed, and then people do cards/money for the wedding.

I think it's too soon. It seems disconnected form the wedding. Showers are normally held 2 weeks to 2 months before the wedding.

I'm not from the south, so I've never heard of differentiating a bridal shower from a wedding shower in that way. Here, when it's called a wedding shower, it is often co-ed, in the evening and less girly. The end result is the same- gifts for the couple to use in setting up their new home.

As long as everyone can make it I think it’s okay. My friend had her shower November 1st and got married April 29th. It seemed a little early but I didn’t hear any complaints.

If this is what works for your guests, it is fine. Do not feel beholden to what someone else thinks is a good timeline, do what you think is best for your guests.

I'm from the south and was always told a bridal shower is girls only but if you want a coed one you have to call it wedding shower.