Bridal Shower
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

A bridal shower is a party given for a bride before her wedding. Showers are usually coordinated by the bridesmaids, who invite guests to offer gifts for the home of the bride and groom. Because gifts are required of those who attend the shower, it has been considered rude for a relative of the bride to give it.

The custom of the bridal shower is said to have grown out of earlier dowry practices when a poor woman's family might not have the money to provide a dowry for her, or when a father refused to give his daughter her dowry because he did not approve of the marriage. In such situations, friends of the woman would gather together and bring gifts that would compensate for the dowry and allow her to marry the man of her choice.

The earliest use of this sense of the word in print may be in the Grand Rapids Michigan Evening Press 22 June 4, 1904: "The 'shower parties' that through mistaken hospitality the wedded couple are forced to attend..."

This custom is an American one. In other countries gifts are given at the wedding itself or sent to the couple's new home after the event.

Bridal Shower Articles

Bridal Shower | Bridal Shower Bingo! | Bridal Shower Favor | Bridal Shower Favor Idea | Bridal Shower Games on Love and Sex | Bridal Shower Game Idea | Bridal Shower Gift | Bridal Shower Gift Basket | Bridal Shower Gift from Maid-of-Honor | Bridal Shower Gift Ideas | Bridal Shower Invitation | Bridal Shower Party Favor | Bridal Shower Party Supply | Bridal Shower Recipe for A Lasting Marriage | Bridal Shower Supply | Looking for "Cheap" Bridal Shower Favor? | Homemade Bridal Shower Favor | Unique Bridal Shower Favor | Unique Bridal Shower Gift | Unique Bridal Shower Gift Idea

The Commonwealth of Virginia (named after Queen Elizabeth I of England, who was known as the Virgin Queen) is one of the original thirteen states of the United States that revolted against British rule in the American Revolution. It is located in the Southern United States but is sometimes included, geographically, in the Mid-Atlantic States. It is one of four states that use the name commonwealth. Virginia was the first part of the Americas to be colonized permanently by England. Virginia is known as the "Mother of Presidents", because it is the birthplace of eight U.S. presidents (George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, James Monroe, Woodrow Wilson, William Henry Harrison, John Tyler and Zachary Taylor), more than any other state. Four of the first five presidents were from Virginia, and seven of the first twelve. The most recent Virginian president was Woodrow Wilson, the 28th president. Virginia has also been known as the "Mother of States", because portions of the original Colony subsequently became Kentucky, Indiana, Illinois, and West Virginia as well as some portions of Ohio.