Bridal showers can be traced back to ancient times and were a way for friends and other loved ones to shower a bride with thoughtful and useful presents for her marriage. This was especially true if she was going to forego a dowry or was unable to get one. But, we bet they never imagined throwing a co-ed bridal shower, which is becoming more popular today!
Modern-day interpretations of a bridal shower are markedly different and include both men and women with friends and family giving presents the bride can use after she is married. The couple may also choose to do a joint bridal shower called a co-ed bridal shower which allows for a lot more variety in fun activities but is no longer an all-girls event.
Here are some pros and cons of a co-ed bridal shower if you are planning out your wedding and are still on the fence about whether to do a conventional shower or one with your fiancé.
Pros
If you are having a co-ed bridal shower, you can definitely leave the bar preparation to your fiancé. He can manage all the booze for the event and that’s one less thing on your plate. Several manual labor-type aspects of hosting an event like décor (getting up on a ladder for lights etc) can also be delegated to your to-be husband and his groomsmen. Less work for you!
If you make it known that your bridal shower is not a girly, flowery event only meant for pretty presents you can actually get a lot of boxes ticked with regard to the gift registry. Gifts like a tool kit, a blender, or even some nice car polish suddenly become viable and desirable if people know you are doing the bridal shower with your man.
If you didn’t have a particular theme or style of bridal shower party pre-planned, now the sky is the limit. You can have an outdoor BBQ or even have a peg or make it more Prince Charming and Cinderella-themed. The world is your oyster!
Some brides don’t necessarily like being center stage; always the one to answer questions- ‘what goes where.’ By hosting a co-ed bridal shower party there will be two people instead of one in the spotlight. Not to mention your partner can smile and bow and have the appropriate expressions and reactions for all the gifts. Talk about a load off!
Cons
There’s always the chance that the event can become pretty manly and may just be too many men drinking beer and yelling when you’d rather have a quiet, sophisticated afternoon or evening with the girls.
A co-ed bridal shower means a break with tradition, so make sure the idea goes down well with your grandmother and aunts. If you are sharing the spotlight more people (the groom’s guests) will need to be included which means more planning and greater financial drain.
Risky and sexy gifts like lingerie are pretty much out of the picture because all your girls will know you would find it inappropriate to unwrap such gifts in front of the groom’s father and friends.
