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Offbeat Bride Tribe member Writeroffiction threw a killer coed wedding shower with her groom filled with trivia games and blind beer-tasting competition. They also didn't open any of their gifts at the party. The secret sauce of their “waiting to open gifts” plan was that they were able to write their thank-you notes as they opened the gifts. We're talking time-saver and one big to-do checked off the list.
So steal this idea: think about focusing your shower on the good times, and saving your gift-opening and simultaneous thank-you card writing for after.
More shower ideas await you in our wedding shower archive!
About the Author: Catherine Clark
Catherine Clark loiters at her local library, makes art, watches movies en masse, plays video and tabletop games, poorly cooks healthy things, cuddles with her feline fur babies, and blogs at BijouxandBits.com.
This is genius.
Alternate game for improvisers: write the cards BEFORE you open the gifts, in front of your guests, based on what you think is inside the things. Make up uses for the items before you even see what they are.
Alternate to the alternate: open the gifts, and time-trial the thank-you-cards: a minute per item, timer and everything?
One problem though: What if some of your guesses are wrong and you wind up hurting your guests’ feelings as a result?
I am all for trying the get the thank you notes writing out of the way and everything, but I also want to be considerate of my guests’ efforts in buying my gifts.
When I give a gift, I like to know that my recipient actually enjoys the gift they got. I don’t particularly want to get a thank you note that’s thanking me for something I didn’t give, that was *so* clearly written as an obligation. If you write the note before you get the stuff, I’m wondering if there’s any point to sending a note at all?
Oh, this is a nice one! If you write the thank-you the second you open the gift, you also get to express exactly how happy you feel to have this lovely thing, without the lost momentum of waiting days or weeks and possibly forgetting exactly how you felt. And I think a lot of shower attendees would not at all miss the public gift opening, though I guess it would depend on the group–I know some of the older generation in my circles would be sad not to see all the pretty giftees.
My fiancee’s mom and my mom threw us a shower at home, and instead of us opening gifts, they asked everyone to leave their gifts unwrapped. When each guest arrived, they received a small card on which they wrote their name. Our moms placed the gifts with the cards around the rooms where everyone was congregating. That way, everyone could see what the gifts were, and there was no awkward (and boring) gift opening extravaganza.