How About a Virtual Bridal Shower?
I was recently involved in helping a friend host a virtual bridal shower. The idea came to us as we tried to figure out how we could shower the future daughter-in-law of a good friend when the bride was unable to take time away from her new job in California. We live in the Midwest.

As we chatted about it we decided on doing a virtual shower. The usual friends and family members were invited for a lunch, but were asked to ship their gifts, in advance, to the bride in California. The bride was alerted to the day and time so she could plan on being with us virtually.

We took pictures of the tables and all of the guests so the bride could see what was being done on our end. The mother of the groom called the bride to let her know when we were sitting down to lunch and then what time to log in to open the gifts. It worked perfectly. As each gift was opened by the bride, the person who had sent the gift got in front of the camera so the bride could meet them and the guest could see her open their gift. The brides mother was visiting her in California so she got to be part of the day too.

These days with couples living far from their home, hosting a virtual shower can be the perfect answer to connect everybody. It isn’t as good as being there in person, but it does allow friends and family members to do something special for the couple.

So the important things to remember are to:

• Schedule the date and time that suits everyone involved.

• Ask shower guests to ship their gifts to the bride directly, well in advance of the shower.

• Take photos of the tables and guests so the bride can have them as a keepsake.

• Introduce guests to the bride as she is opening their gift.

• Encourage the bride to invite family and or friends to join her on her end so it seems more festive for her too.

The idea of a virtual shower could certainly work for mothers to be, who are confined to bed rest.