It’s become an essential part of the wedding activities: Prior to any formal wedding, the maid of honor will customarily host a bridal shower party for the bride. In some rare occasions, some other person besides the maid of honor will host the event…Perhaps a close friend or her mother. Regardless of who hosts it, there are some other important people who will be attending the event besides the host and the bride herself. We’re talking, of course, about the guests. A wedding shower cannot be truly successful if the bride’s closest friends and family are not there. Therefore, to make these guests feel that they’re truly appreciated, proper etiquette demands that you provide them with memorable wedding shower party favors.

What kinds of bridal shower party favors should you have at the event? There are almost an infinite number of possibilities: candles, key rings,candy, flowers, picture frames,satin purses, and more. Whatever you select, if possible, try to make them coordinate with the overall shower theme (and in many cases, the shower theme also ties in with the wedding theme). Also, it’s best if they suggest the wedding couple themselves so that the item becomes truly memorable. Remember that the best wedding shower party favors are items the guests will want to keep, and in addition, items that will point them back to the wedding and people that the item commemorated.

Let’s talk about who exactly the bridal shower party favors are for. Most commonly, they are for everyone. There are some shower hosts who will use the favors solely as prizes for the night’s games and contests. But more commonly, they will give a favor to each guest either as they’re arriving or getting ready to leave. Even more common are those who combine the approaches: They provide some small token to all guests, but hold out a few special prizes to give away during the evening’s games and entertainment.

And by the way, don’t feel like you have to spend a fortune on these favors. The bride understands that you’re not made of money. In most cases, for the average wedding shower, you shouldn’t expect to have to spend more than 50 cents to a few dollars per person. You’ll be surprised at how nice of a wedding favor you can get at that price. You can get something practical and memorable, yet without going broke in the process. Incidentally, some of the best prices are available at online wedding-related stores, so you might want to check there first before you blow your money at a real brick-and-mortar store.

This brings us to our final point. How do you decide what kinds of wedding shower party favors to offer at the event? For starters, you can always ask yoru married friends and family what they had at their shower. Even if you don’t want to copy these ideas, they will at least provide you with some inspiration. You can then take this idea and put your own unique twist on it. One of the best sources of ideas, though, is the Internet. Do a Google search on “bridal shower party favors”: and you’ll be inundated with hundreds and hundreds of ideas.

The Internet can also be a great place to order your bridal shower party favors. Just remember, as always, shop around and don’t be afraid to be a penny pincher.