Bridal Shower Vs. Bachelorette Party: What's The Difference?

When it comes to celebrating a bride-to-be, there are two main events: the bridal shower and the bachelorette party. While both occasions celebrate the upcoming nuptials, they are quite different in terms of who is invited and what happens at the event. In this blog post, we are going to do a walk through of each event and look at the differences between bridal showers and bachelorette parties so you will be able to plan or help plan both . We will also discuss who should be invited to each event and go over a few ways for how you can make your bachelorette party as fun as possible. So let’s get to looking at these two important bridal events so you can knock it out of the park!

What is the Bridal Shower?

The bridal shower is usually the more formal event of the two. It is a celebration for the bride-to-be with her important friends and family. The shower is typically held a few months before the wedding, and guests will often give gifts to the bride that are related to her new home or her soon to be married life. The bridal shower is a great opportunity for the bride’s closest friends and family to get together and to not only celebrate her upcoming big day, but to celebrate her upcoming marriage and joining the married life.

Bridal showers generally take place over brunch or lunch, and there may be a few activities related to the bride and groom. There will typically be some sort of food and drink options there for guests to enjoy in the beginning before starting a few small activities. Don’t forget to ask the guests if there are any food or drink allergies so the food and drink can be enjoyed by everyone. The activities can include who knows the bride the best or couple questions quizzes like who said I love you first or who’s the better cook. These games are crowd favorites and a fun way to get the guests involved! You can even award the winners with small gifts to entice them into wanting to play.

Who should be invited to a bridal shower?

The bridal shower is usually for the bride’s closest friends and family. This event is all about celebrating the bride-to-be and her upcoming nuptials. If you are planning on having or in charge of planning a bridal shower, make sure to invite the bride’s mother, sisters, aunts, grandmothers, other bridesmaids and close friends. Although it used to be a women only type of event, as time goes by and bridal showers have modernized, it’s becoming more normal for bridal showers to just be about the close friends and family in the bride’s life and not specific to a gender, so in the end invite anyone who the bride wants to be there and will be positive additions to celebration.

There are several different ways to send out invitations from the mail, email, and even creating a private Facebook event. No matter which option you choose, make sure to have an RSVP system in place with a deadline so you can get a good headcount of who will be in attendance so you can order a proper amount of food and drink and have enough activities prepared beforehand.

Who plans it?

The bridal shower is usually planned by the maid of honor, bridesmaids, or close friends of the bride. If you are planning on having a bridal shower, make sure to delegate some tasks to your bridesmaids so that the event goes smoothly. The mother of the bride and soon to be mother in law can be great resources since they most likely have attended or planned more bridal showers in their days.

Gifts

At Bridal Showers, guests will bring gifts for the bride that come from the registry the couple will decide on together, so make sure your bride and her groom have completed those well in advance. The soon to be newlyweds can have multiple registries from a few different stores to give the gift givers some options. Most of the time, the gifts on the registries will be items for the couple's new home like home decor, kitchen accessories, or any other items that the couple may not have or will want when they become newlyweds.

Bachelorette Party

The bachelorette party is a celebration for the bridal party, and it is typically held closer to the wedding date. This party is all about celebrating the bride’s last days as a single woman! Bachelorette parties can be wild and crazy, or they can be more low-key. It all depends on the bride’s personality and what she wants for her party. However, one thing is for sure – bachelorette parties are always a lot of fun!

The bachelorette party is usually more informal than the bridal shower. This event is all about celebrating the bride-to-be and her last days as a single woman, so it’s usually a lot of fun! Bachelorette parties generally take place in the evening, and there may be a few activities related to the bride and groom, but there are truly endless possibilities when it comes to Bachelorette Parties, so it can be a good time to get creative and create a personalized and perfect plan for the bride and her besties!

Along with a day, night, or weekend of fun, Bachelorette Parties come with fun apparel and accessories for you and the bridal party. You can choose a theme or just stick to the classics but either way, we have tons of products to choose from to help get the party started! Bachelorette Parties are the perfect occasion for you and your girl gang to get those matching shirts and accessories and to have the cutest theme ever! Check out some of our favorite themes here.

Who should be invited to a bachelorette party?

The bachelorette party is usually for the bridal party and close friends of the bride. This event is all about celebrating the bride’s last days as a single woman, so it is important to invite people who are close to her. If you are planning on having a bachelorette party, make sure to invite the bridesmaids and other close friends of the bride. You may also want to invite the mother of the bride or other important women in the bride’s life, but only if the bride is okay with it. Whoever you and the bride decide on, the guest list should just be people who the bride loves and who will make the night memorable and fun.

Since there are usually less people invited to the Bachelorette Party, sometimes there are no formal invitations sent out since there can be more overall communication about the plans in the first place, but that doesn’t mean you can’t! Bach Party Invites can still be made and sent out to the guests and can always be a cute piece of memorabilia for the bride and her best friends on her last days as a single woman! Especially if you have a theme, you can talk about the theme dress code or any other special information you want to let the party goers know ahead of time and also when to RSVP by to get the head count by a certain date so you can plan accordingly.

Who plans it?

The bachelorette party is typically planned by the maid of honor with the help of the bridesmaids or other close friends of the bride. If you are planning on having a bachelorette party, make sure to discuss what activities the bride wants and is okay with. Don’t put all the pressure on yourself, ask the bridesmaids to help brainstorm, plan, and book hotels or vendors.

Check out our guide that gives you a perfect timeline to plan a bachelorette party here.

Gifts

The gift aspect for a bachelorette party varies from the bridal party. Now, don’t feel obligated to get the bride something for the bach party, especially if you get her a gift at the bridal shower. That being said, if you do want to get your bride something, Bachelorette Party gifts tend to be on the more mature side if you know what we mean ;) You could even talk to the other bridesmaids and all chip in together to get the bride a bigger gift, or individually get her gifts that you know she would enjoy!

As you can see, there are some major differences between bridal showers and bachelorette parties. The bridal shower is more formal and celebrates the bride-to-be with her important friends and family. The bachelorette party is more informal and celebrates the bride-to-be and her last days as a single woman. If you are planning on throwing either of these events, make sure to invite the right people and plan accordingly! Whether you are planning the bridal shower or bachelorette party, Sprinkled With Pink is here to help you not only with planning but any party accessories you may need! Let the bridesmaids and the bride’s close friends and family help you so you all can work together to celebrate the beautiful bride! Happy planning!