Wedding Planning Tips for Brides -- from iVillage Wedding Expert Anne Chertoff
- Weddings
- From I Will to I Do
Unwrapped
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This past Sunday I attended the bridal shower of one of my closest friends. And I wasn't just any guest. I was a bridesmaid! (E - I promise I’ll pick up the dress this week, or next.)
There was a debate that took place between the 'maids and some guests as to how we should open up the bride’s gifts. At showers with over 50 guests, I’ve seen the bridesmaids create an assembly line to help make the process go smoother.
Each ‘maid gets assigned one position: opening up/unwrapping gifts, handing the opened gift and card to the bride, repacking the gift for the ride home, writing down a list of who gave what for thank you notes, garbage detail and making a bouquet or hat with the ribbon. (I prefer the bouquet, and still have mine tucked away with wedding planning pictures and papers.)
What do you think? How do you handle this at showers you’ve been to, and as a bride, what would you prefer?
I know there are a ton of excuses, but I think the bride should always be the one to open the gift. Location is the key here. You need one table for gifts that are wrapped and one for after they are opened. Two chairs in between (1 for bride and 1 for the writer), a trash can for the paper, and a box for the bows.
A little tip from a former bride: make sure you can read the handwriting of the person keeping your thank-you list before you thank someone for a can opener when they actually gave you a candle holder.
I've never been to a shower where anyone other than the bride did the opening. Usually the 'maids write down who gave what, and help with passing gifts around.
I was part of an assembly line once and we were really kicking ass... until I ripped the paper off a gift -- a cookbook -- and tore the cover in half in the process. So we had to tell the bride that when she held up the gift she had to just flash the back of it because it was pretty much destroyed. So friggin' embarassing.
I was part of an assembly line once and we were really kicking ass... until I ripped the paper off a gift -- a cookbook -- and tore the cover in half in the process. So we had to tell the bride that when she held up the gift she had to just flash the back of it because it was pretty much destroyed. So friggin' embarassing.
I was at a shower recently and we had the assembly line. The difference is the bride always opened the gift, we just opened the envelopes of the cards, loosened the bows, and started the unwrapping process to both save time and the bride to be's nails. That way the bride opens the gift, and everything moves quickly!
I recently attended a large shower where the hostesses greeted guests at the door & took the wrapped gifts to another room where they were unwrapped & put on a display table. The bride-elect never saw any of the wrapped gifts. Mine was custom wrapped with a personal note in the card since the honoree was my daughter-in-law to be. Is this a new trend in showers? It's very impersonal.