Whether you are from the UK, America, Europe or Australia celebrating the impending wedding of your favourite girl pal involve’s organising a few extra events before the big day. With so many different names for kitchen tea, bridal shower, bachelorette party or hens night, which ones do we celebrate and what are the same? We take a quick look below.
Bridal Shower & Kitchen Tea
Depending on where you live, Australia and New Zealand are more likely to use the name Kitchen Tea, where as our American friends will call it a Bridal Shower. What ever name you use, it is virtually the same event!
Typically it is the bridesmaids duty to organise a Kitchen Tea for the bride. Hosted around delicious food for either a brunch, lunch or afternoon tea the guests present the bride with kitchen goods such as tea towels and crockery. It is a celebration of love and friendship. It’s the perfect time to treat the bride to lovely day as she moves into the next chapter of her life.
With the increasing number of couples living together and setting up home before they wed, the contemporary kitchen tea is slowly been taken over by the phrase bridal shower. It is less about getting a new sandwich press and more about toasting champagne with friends and family. These days, guests can bring just about anything, not just kitchen items. Hence many people interchange the terms kitchen tea and bridal shower.
The Bachelorette Party or The Hen’s Night
The thought that springs to mind when thinking of a Hen Party is often a wild night of partying similar to the groom’s bachelor party. However, these days the hen party has since been transformed into more than just a big night out on the town. Brides and their friends are embracing the growing trends of activity based hen parties which can involve cooking classes, perfume making, cocktail making, trips to the hot springs, rural retreats or visit to foreign cities. You can also choose to play some fun and silly games at either events! Often the activities the bridesmaids choose for the bride remain a secret as well, whatever you decide it will be perfect as long as it suits the bride.
Who To Invite
The bridal shower generally will include all the brides closest girl friends and her female relatives such as her mother & grandmother. A great opportunity for the grooms mother to bond with her new daughter in law is to included in the celebrations as well.
The hens night is often saved for just the brides girl friends but it isn’t uncommon to hear of her own mother to join in if they have a close relationship.
We hope this explanation helps all you first time bridesmaids out there plan two wonderful celebrations for the bride!