Tradition dictates that a bridal shower should not be thrown by the bride’s immediate relatives, such as her mother, future mother-in-law, or sister. Such behavior would seem like the bride were asking for gifts. Instead, the maid of honor or another good friend should host the party. Very often, the bridesmaids share the responsibility. Because it is common for a bride to have more than one shower, the hosts should communicate with each other about wedding guests to avoid duplication. If the showers are not secret, the hostesses may ask the bride for her input.

Showers are generally held from a couple of months to a couple of weeks before the wedding ceremony. Since guests know that they should bring a present to a shower, it is inappropriate to invite people whom you don’t plan to include in the wedding. The possible exception, however, is a shower in a workplace setting. Sometimes it is impossible to invite every colleague to the wedding, but they may still wish to celebrate with you. By the time the shower invitations are sent, the bride should have already registered for gifts, and it is quite acceptable (and, in fact, helpful to the attendees) for hosts to include registry information in the invitations.