I was a bride who was already living with her groom when she got engaged, and my MOH and bridesmaid did throw me a shower, which we were grateful for. Despite having a very nice apartment we really didn’t have many things, and what we did have were hand me downs from family. As far as I’m concerned every bride deserves to have a shower thrown for her-as long as that’s what she wants. Some brides don’t like the attention, or really don’t need anything, and that should be respected.

I wonder if the people who disapprove of showers being given to couples already living together really disapprove of the living together? After all, just because a couple is living together doesn’t mean they have everything they need. As far as showers go I think it’s really up to what the bride and her friends/family want to do.

That said, showers don’t need to be fancy or extravagant. Instead of fancy gifts from a registry they can shower the bride with recipes, household goods, lingerie, and more. If you’ve got one to plan, use your creativity! If you want to register, by all means do so as most of your guests will expect it and it does make things easier for them. Here are a few things to remember when you do:

Do register for a variety of items in different price ranges so that your guests will find it easy to choose something to fit their budget.

Don’t register for expensive home electronics or furniture. It’s rude to expect your guests to spend thousands on a plasma TV or leather living room set.

Do register at more than one store. Not every store is available in all areas. However, limit your registries to no more than 3 to avoid overwhelming guests and looking greedy.

Want to share your thoughts on showers and registries? Leave us a comment!

Madeleine Begun Kane presents Ring Of Truth (Limerick) posted at Mad Kane’s Humor Blog.

TherapyDoc presents What’s Wrong with Being Angry? posted at Everyone Needs Therapy, saying, “If you’re getting married, you better know something about arguing.”

Sam Carrara presents 10th Wedding Anniversary posted at Sam Carrara’s Marketing Education.

garry presents Chose Barbados For Your Dream Wedding Location! posted at Travelers stories.

Sally Thompson presents Wedding Planning on the Web: 100 Tools and Resources for Brides to Be posted at Nerds Do It Better.

TherapyDoc presents The Art of Validation posted at Everyone Needs Therapy, saying, “If you’re getting married, you may as well learn this.”

Bridal Fashion

Mike Remer presents A Great Weight Reducing Secret | My Path To Fitness Blog posted at My Path To Fitness Blog.

Andrea Pace presents Top 5 Bridal Shoe Bargains From Touch Ups posted at Your Feet Make You Unique, saying, “Bridal Shoes For Women Who Wear Shoes In Sizes 10 and Up.”

Courtney presents
A new view posted at Simply Pretty LIttle Things, saying, “Some food for thought about choosing your dress. Also beautiful and very inspiring gowns. Inspiring enough to plan your entire wedding around.”

Honeymoons. Wedding Favors

Lisa Gerstenberger presents Creative Wedding Favors! posted at SunriseGlassArt, saying, “I’m currently working on coasters as wedding favors and pendants as favors for the bridal party. These make colorful and useful gifts!”

Wedding Cakes

Woman Tribune presents The Worst Wedding Cake Toppers posted at Woman Tribune.

dmh presents Wedding Tips: Buy A Small Cake posted at Daily Money Hack.

Wedding Jewelry

WRE presents Purchasing Wedding Rings posted at Wedding Ring Experts.

Wedding Planning

Allie presents Allie’s Answers » Blog Archive » Tip of the Day - Eco-Friendly Weddings: Invitations posted at Allie’s Answers, saying, “Part one in a 5 part series on planning an eco-friendly wedding.”

Lokendra Rathore presents Marriages May Be Made In Heaven But Are Solemnised In Jaipur posted at Karan’s Guest House.

Amy Hobbs presents Saying ?No? to Wedding Extras posted at My Daily Dollars, saying, “Advice on how to stick to your wedding budget”

Scott Blackburn presents How to Hire a Wedding Photographer posted at Blackburn Imagery, saying, “I just thought I would share one photographer’s experience in selecting a photographer for his wedding. Tips to ensure you get what you want out of a photography for your big day. Thanks, scott”

Home Life Weekly presents Wedding Budget Planner and Calculator Spread Sheet posted at Home Life Weekly, saying, “If you are planning a wedding on a budget? Then this printable wedding budget spread sheet will help you keep a close eye on the costs”

Toni presents What would you change about your wedding? posted at So You’re Getting Married, saying, “Learning from those who’ve gone through the big day!”

Donna Freedman presents My daughter got married without going broke posted at Smart Spending, saying, “Not everyone has $30k to spend…”

Sarah Fuller presents Giving back on your special day posted at Alive with Anticipation.

freefrombroke presents Why You Should Hire A Wedding DJ And Not A Band posted at Wedding DJ Advice, saying, “Some reasons why you are better off hiring a wedding DJ rather than a band.”

Kandice Brooks presents The Details Matter posted at Eventfully Yours, saying, “Eventfully Yours features planning tips for all types of events and is the official blog of Signature Soirees Event Consultants”

marryology.com presents Wedding Flowers, Silk Or Fresh? posted at Amazing Wedding Planning Tips - Marryology.com Wedding Blog.

Wedding Receptions

MyMaria presents Budget Wedding Gifts posted at Financial Tips, saying, “As frugality becomes more mainstream, finding budget wedding gifts is important for many attending weddings this Spring.”

Wedding Traditions

Eva Campbell presents Picture it. Sicily 1928… posted at And another thing….

Toni presents Something old, something new… posted at So You’re Getting Married.

Wedding Trends

NAOMI presents >Diary From England: BRITAIN’S OLDEST NEWLYWEDS TIE THE KNOT posted at Diary From England.

Dezzi Rae presents Handmade Wedding Invitations posted at The Cheap Chic Couple, saying, “If you’re having a green wedding, are on a budget or simply want wedding invitations that are truly unique, consider handmade wedding invites! All you need is the paper that you would normally throw out, dried flowers and leaves and some “sweat equity”!”

That concludes this edition. I invite you to submit your blog article to out next edition!

I am currently out of the country on vacation. Posts will resume on July 25th. Thank you for your patience and have a great week!

Don’t bring a crowd. It’s tempting to invite your entire bridal party to go with you, but don’t. Bring one or two trusted friends, no more. The problem with inviting a crowd is you have to listen to all those opinions, making it hard for you to form one of your own!

Do be wary of registering.The first thing you’ll be asked to do when you arrive is register. They tell you this is so you can win door prizes, and some shows do give out some nice prizes and vendor discounts, but you should still be wary of filling out the registration form they’ll hand you. Why? They will ask for your phone number, postal address, and email address. Hand them over and I promise you you’ll be bombarded with calls, emails and catalogs/flyers/postcards from all kinds of vendors. I have been married a little over a year and I still get wedding catalogs in the mail and emails from DJ’s hawking their services! I recommend putting down a fake postal address and phone number, and if you must give an email address, make it a fake one or use a “throw away one” from Yahoo or Hotmail if you have one. You won’t be sorry.

Do bring a tote bag and a notepad. The tote bag is to hold the literature you’ll get from vendors, and trust me, you’ll probably get tons. The notepad comes in handy if you want to take notes on ideas you’ve seen or vendors you’ve spoken to.

Do wear comfy shoes. You’ll be doing a lot of walking and standing!

Do be brief when talking to vendors. This is not the time to interview or book any vendors! Save that for a less hectic time. Look through their samples, ask a few quick questions, and if you’re interested take a business card and any other literature they offer and move on.

Do enjoy yourself! You’re only a bride once (hopefully!) so enjoy every wedding planning experience!