Prairie HiveMany people often find themselves confused about the difference between bridal shower and bachelorette party.
Well, no one can blame them. After all, couples often find themselves wondering about these two events. But if you are familiar with these parties, you will know that they are very distinct from each other in their own simple ways.
Continue reading below to learn more about bridal showers and bachelorette parties, their pros and cons, and more.
Bridal Shower vs. Bachelorette Party: The Planning
Bridal showers require lots of planning. Bridal showers are often held at the venue or the house of the hostess. A bridal shower occurs between 4 to 6 weeks before the wedding date itself.
Many things should be planned for bridal showers such as the location, decorations, food, and theme activities. Bridal showers are often planned for a big group.
A bachelorette party, on the other hand, is held about one month before the wedding. Bachelorette parties are planned for a smaller group and are held at a hotel or club. Activities for this party are already predetermined and there is often no need for a host.
Bridal Shower vs. Bachelorette Party: The Guests
The traditional invitees to bridal showers are the bride’s mom, the mom of the groom, aunts, cousins, friends, and close members of the family of both the bride and groom. Guests in bridal showers are mostly women although Jack and Jill options are also available.
Guests for bachelorette parties are the bride’s close friends. The maid of honor and the bridesmaids are invited to this party.
Bridal Shower vs. Bachelorette Party: The Costs
The costs of the theme, venue, menu and decorations are all considered. Other costs to take note of include the gift for the bride, party favors, supplies, and prizes.
With a bachelorette party, you can just buy your club charge or ticket, and you will be good to go. Drinks and food are the other expenses you will pay for.
Bridal Shower vs. Bachelorette Party: The Expectations
During a bridal shower, it is expected that there is a gift for the bride. Women are typically invited, or couples or men in the case of Jack and Jill bridal showers.
For bachelorette parties, it is not required to prepare a gift for the bride although you might need to buy her one or two drinks.
Pros and Cons of Bridal Showers
A bridal shower has its own good and bad sides that you should know before you decide to host one.
The Good
- A bridal shower is meant for the bride to feel more special.
- There are lots of activities prepared for the guests.
- The host has more control over the event.
The Bad
- There are lots of expenses involved.
- Bridal showers require plenty of planning.
- You might need to please a large group.
Pros and Cons of Bachelorette Parties
Bachelorette parties are not free from flaws. While they do have some positive points, these parties also have their own share of negative sides.
The Good
- You don’t need to buy or prepare a gift for the bride.
- Since it is informal, a bachelorette party doesn’t need a lot of planning.
- Only a small group is involved.
The Bad
- There is limited flexibility for Jack and Jill or the family option.
- These parties are not that exclusive.
- There is less control over the event.
Bridal Shower vs. Bachelorette Party: Which Comes First?
Each of these events is held at a different time. Bridal showers should take place between 2 weeks or 3 months before the wedding. Meanwhile, bachelorette parties can take place as close as possible to the wedding day. It can even be held just several days before the big day.
This means that the bridal shower must definitely take place before the bachelorette party if you plan for these two to be held as separate events. But if the two are hosted together as a single event, it can be thrown closer to the day of the wedding.
Can You Have a Bachelorette Party and Bridal Shower Together?
For sure, you might have thought about having your bachelorette party and bridal shower together. But is this possible? Well, you actually got more options here.
The bridal shower can be held during the day and your girls can gather together at night for the bachelorette party.
While this might sound a bit tiring, you can be sure that this will be a moment to remember not only for you but also for all your guests.
Your bridesmaids might need to spend some time preparing everything so you can go from one event to the next with the least hassle on your part. This can be a great choice for you if your ladies organize everything well.
Another option is to have your bachelorette party and bridal shower held simultaneously. Yes, it might be a bit challenging to combine these two events, but it can also be so much fun for everyone. Besides, the only thing you will do is to open a few gifts at your bachelorette party for it to have a touch of the bridal shower. You also need to hang out with just the girls alone because only ladies are invited to a bridal shower.
If you plan to combine these two events into a single occasion, you can pick a local restaurant that has a private area available for reservation. It would even be better if there is a dance floor at the restaurant as this will let you have the best of both worlds this way.
Are Bachelorette Party and Bridal Shower Necessary?
Yes, of course! A bride-to-be deserves both events before her special day. If you have a limited budget, you can schedule the two events in just one day since these are held at different times of the day.
Now that you know the difference between bridal shower and bachelorette party, make sure you enjoy both evens to the fullest. After all, you deserve it!
