Wording library

Bridal shower
wording.

The one invitation where gifts can legitimately be mentioned — and where the guest list rule is stricter than people expect.

How do you word a bridal shower invitation?

Name the host, say who is being celebrated, then the particulars and any theme. A shower is the one invitation where registry information is acceptable, because gifts are the occasion's purpose — put it on a separate line at the foot, never in the main body. Everyone invited must also be invited to the wedding.

The wording.

Classic

Please join us for a bridal showerin honour ofAmara Okonkwohosted by Priya Anand

Naming the host matters — a shower is hosted for the bride by someone else, and the invitation should say by whom.

With a theme

A garden teato celebrate Amarabefore she becomes a Reyes

Themes are welcome here in a way they are not on a wedding invitation. Keep the practical details clear beneath.

Registry line

Amara is registered at Liberty and John Lewis.

Its own line at the foot, in smaller type. Never inside the invitation sentence itself, which is what makes it read as a demand rather than a convenience.

The rule people break. Everyone invited to a shower must be invited to the wedding. There is no exception to this one — a shower invitation without a wedding invitation reads as a request for a gift from someone not welcome at the event, which is exactly how it will be described afterwards.

Common questions

Can the bride's mother host?

Yes. The old convention against immediate family hosting has largely gone, and in practice mothers and sisters host most showers.

Can we say 'no gifts'?

You can, and it is increasingly common — but be aware most guests will bring something anyway, and it removes the shower's stated purpose.

How far ahead?

Send four to six weeks out. The shower itself usually falls one to three months before the wedding.

Part of the same story.

A shower designed alongside the wedding suite carries the same palette and hand, so the whole run of events reads as one celebration.

See how it works

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