My response to " I hear that wedding showers suck"

Frum Satire recently posted about wedding showers: http://www.frumsatire.net/2008/06/02/i-hear-that-wedding-showers-suck/

Here's my response: Wedding Showers are actually a lot of fun!

Being frum, your options are pretty limited when it comes to bridal showers. You can't invite in a hunky fireman to strip for you, and the lady with all the "pleasure" toys is off limits as well. Unlike Frum Satire's friend, my friends aren't the type to go to gay/lesbian clubs (not that we're anti- anyone, but a goyishe club is a goyishe club), so that's out too.

And yet, we creative girls manage to find ways to keep it all interesting. The point of a bridal shower is really to make your good friend happy, shower her with gifts and attention and well wishes, and to make the month leading up to the wedding slightly more enjoyable. It's also one of the last few times you'll get to see your friend.

You and I both know that once your friend is married, its GOODBYE! See you at the bris! Unless you're one of those people who are the type to really work on your friendships (the type that still keeps in touch with your bunkmates from sleep away camp), your friendship is no longer the same once the Chassan smashes that glass. She now has more important priorities in life - aka her husband. You can't just call a married friend in the middle of the night to discuss a horrible date you just had. You can't just swing by on Shabbos afternoons without making arrangements first. And you certainly cant make dinner plans without advance notice (who's going to babysit the hubby while she's out?)

So the bridal shower kind of serves as a way to mark the bride's friendships with everyone invited before she embarks on her new life as a wife.

One of my favorite parts of bridal showers is the games. Somehow, my competitive nature always comes out and it's kind of like a mini-reality/game show without a million dollar prize - you really only win the satisfaction of having won. I am totally stealing some of these toilet paper dress ideas next time I'm at a shower! (http://www.cheap-chic-weddings.com/wedding-contest-2007.html)

Oh, and about the Gift Registry? All I have to say is that it is definitely Hashem's gift to wedding guests. Honestly. Do you know how much I hate brides that dont have registries? Not having a registry forces me to devote an entire day and search all over the city for some creative, gorgeous gift that looks more expensive than it actually is, then look for a way to wrap it decently and get a card to match. All of this hassle is done while knowing that the bride will most likely hate my gift because her taste is sooo different from my own (which usually means she doesn't have any) and either return it or re-gift it. (we all know everyone re-gifts, right?)

A registry takes all of the complication out of the equation. All I have to do is go online, provide a credit card number (something I'm very good at) and presto! the bride gets a gift that she actually wants and needs!

There is nothing worse than going to a wedding shower where the bride opens all the gifts, and suddenly all the applause stops when she gets to the ugly what-on-earth-is-that-supposed-to-be gift that then gets the "oh, you can use that for Pesach" line. hopefully, that gift isn't the one you brought!