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BABY
& BRIDAL SHOWERS
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by Robyne Beaubien
Baby and Bridal showers can be an busy part of a WM. The first thing
to decide is whether or not your church will sponsor these type of
events or if you will encourage friends and family members to do
so. It is a lot of work on a regular basis to plan showers for women
in your church, so be absolutely sure that this is something you
feel called to sponsor in your WM.
If you sense any hesitation on my behalf, it is because I believe
that showers should be given by friends or family members. Too often
when a church sponsors these events, some issues crop up that make
it a burden rather than the blessing it was meant to be.
The WM I currently oversee, does not sponsor showers, but we do have
a planning guideline that we offer to the hostess and they are able
to schedule and use the church facility for the event.
If your church has decided that the WM will handle showers, it is
important to set some guidelines for them. Again, as always, have them
in writing and available for anyone who has questions. Here are some
of our recommendations:
1. Decide whether you will hold showers for just members of your church
or if you will include people who attend but have not joined or family
members of a member of your church who do not attend.
2. Decide how many showers you will hold for any one person. A good
guideline for this is to hold showers for first marriages and first
babies through the WM. After that, they can be sponsored by a Sunday
School class, small group or friends and family.
3. Have someone on your leadership team to oversee this area and for
people to contact to schedule a shower.
4. Recruit someone to serve as the shower hostess who will work on
planning the shower under the guidance of the WM leader who oversees
the area.
Okay, you are going to hostess a shower! Here are some tips and good
resources to help you plan this special event.
BRIDAL SHOWER PLANNING
- Immediate family, close relatives,
members of the bridal party, and
close friends should be in attendance. Those invited to a bridal
shower must be invited to the wedding, unless the bridal shower
is hosted
by co-workers.
- The shower is usually held a few months to a few
weeks prior to the day of the wedding
- The party can be as formal
or informal as you wish
- The party can be hosted at someone's residence
or at a restaurant
- Although a gift is usually offered by the guest,
it should not be as prominent as the wedding gift.
- Bridal showers
are no longer limited to just the females. Wedding showers, or "Jack
and Jill" showers, bring together both
the bride and groom and their co-ed family and friends.
- Bridal showers can have an overall theme or motif.
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