For several years, I seemed to be the one who was always in charge of hosting bridal showers. Perhaps I unknowingly put myself into those positions, but I never minded. I loved being able to come up with a creative theme and made it unique to each person that I was throwing the shower for. Many years before I ended up being nominated to host a variety of bridal showers, I used to attend them and count the minutes until they were over. Most attendees at showers tend to be bored out of their mind. They come out of obligation or just out of curiosity. I tried to experiment with different themes and found that you can make them a great deal of fun. My favorite theme, thus far, has been to host an Around the Clock Bridal Shower. Some people know exactly what this theme is, others have never even heard of it. And if you decide to make that your theme, make sure that when you send out the invitations, you explain exactly what an Around the Clock Bridal Shower is.
These themes focus on specific times of the day. It allows for the guests to put some thought and creativity into their gifts and do something beyond what the bride may have registered for at a particular store. Each guest should be assigned a time of the day. Their gift should be catered to that time of the day. For example, you assign a guest the time of 12:00 noon. What kind of gift can the guest bring that would be useful at noon? Perhaps a picnic basket for a romantic lunch date. Or, that guest can look for something on their registry that could be used at that time of the day. Any breakfast time periods could easily be filled with coffee makers or omelet pans. Maybe even a favorite kind or flavor of coffee could be put into a gift basket for a morning time period.
The best thing about having an Around the Clock Bridal Shower theme is that is does allow the guests to be creative. They dont just have to buy a present and show up. They have an assignment, of sorts. They have the responsibility of picking out something for a specific time of day. Your invitations, when sent to guests, should assign and clearly identify the Around The Clock Bridal Shower theme and what time of day they are responsible for. The guest can take some time to think about what is appropriate for that time of day and what the bride-to-be may truly like. If the Around the Clock Bridal Shower assigns a guest 9:00 PM, thats probably around the brides bedtime. The guest may not find something on the registry that caters to that time of the day. However, it will allow the guest to find something else that may be appropriate perhaps shower lotions or face creams for the nighttime. Perhaps lingerie could even be purchased for the bride for a nighttime assignment. Having an Around the Clock Bridal
Shower allows the guest to feel in charge of their gift and not just obligated to purchase something for the mere sake that the bride asked for it. There is a sense of a bit more excitement.
There are, of course, invitations designed for having an Around the Clock Bridal Shower. You can find them on the internet or perhaps even at a party store. Or, you can create your own invitations. Creating your own invitations allows the host to be creative as well. There are so many avenues that this particular theme can travel; have fun with it and encourage the guests to do the same.