ASK THE EXPERT: Do I Have To Invite All My Female Wedding Guests to My Shower?

Digital Vision

Q: Do I have to invite all of my female wedding guests to my bridal shower, or can I keep it limited to close family and friends?

A: Generally speaking, it’s okay for you to not invite all of your female wedding guests to the shower, says Rebecca Richman, a planner with Philly’s The Queen of Hearts Wedding Consultants. Bridal showers usually include the bride’s closet friends and relatives as well as those of the groom (“Especially if the mother of the groom is involved with the shower planning,” she says.)

However, it’s important to keep in mind that if certain family or friends are not invited to the shower, they may end up to throwing you one on their own, anyway. “Over the course of the last few years, we’ve seen a lot of our brides attending multiple showers,” says Richman. “One at their current residence for friends and coworkers, another in their hometown for close family, and another with close friends from home.”

Richman also points out another rule of thumb, though, that you should take note of: You cannot invite someone to the shower who isn’t also invited to the wedding.The only exception to that is if your coworkers decide to throw you a shower at work in order to give you a group gift and celebrate your Big Day.

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