I'm not very creative, I just went to Bed, Bath and Beyond and got a bunch of that scented soap, it's $1 a bottle and comes in about a dozen different fragrances. Everyone seemed to like it OK.....

Annie

Hostess gifts or party favors? 35 hostesses is a huge number so I'm wondering. You could build an idea around food-- such as canning or putting together a theme like "ice cream sundae", or biscotti & tea or coffee.
Kitchen tools are always fun as is a nice vase-- there are so many interesting shapes and sizes, a plant in a nice pot, perfume, lotion, candy even a nice hanky with potpourri.
I recently attended a wedding shower where the favor was a vintage (style) floral handkerchief bound with a larger unusual button. Another thought would be to order personalized note pads for each hostess.
Whatever you do, don't stress! I speak from experience, it all goes by so fast!

I am sure she meant hostess gifts...
I have never gotten a gift when I "helped with" a shower....but when I have had a shower in my home, even though I had helpers, I got a plant of an arrangement of flowers after the fact.
I think 35 hostess is a big of overkill....that means 7 or 8 "hostesses" per shower? Seems a bit much to me....I would bring flowers or candy or wine to the person who had the party at her house and ignore the rest.
Tell me are all 7 or 8 names on each invitation?
If you really do think you should have a gift for all 35 people make it small...scented soap or something similar.
Linda C

The showers here will have the person hosting the shower and usually around 20 people to help. I have helped with many showers and everyone gets a small gift, or that is how it is done here. The main hostess will get a bigger gift. The kitchen shower will probably be 2 or 3 people and I'm not sure how many in her hometown or his hometown.

We live in a small rural town and the showers are usually big, nearly everyone is invited. I have helped with showers that their were 350 ladies invited, especially if they are both from here. We won't have that many. The kitchen shower is only close friends, usually 40 to 50 people.

All the hostess names are printed on the invitation. I don't know how they will do it in her or his hometowns, but I want everyone to know we appreciate their efforts.

Thanks for your suggestions, off the see what I can find.

Holy smoke! That is a lot of people -- even 40-50 sounds like a lot to me. Sounds like a fun time -- every wedding is like a festival.

Okay, well, I think then that you get small gifts for the helpers and regular size gifts for the main hostess for each event.

I like your ideas. I think I would go with reusable shopping bags for the helpers, although I wouldn't bother to monogram. Just get slightly nicer ones than the $1 ones they sell at the store. If you don't like that idea, just think about what you have liked best when you were the hostess.

For the main hostesses, if they are your friends, get them something you know they'd like -- a book or whatever you might get them if it were a birthday gift. A gift certificate to a restaurant is usually appreciated, too.

For the hostesses in the other towns -- is that up to you? I would think that the groom's family would take care of the hostesses in his town, and your daughter would for the hostesses where she lives. (If she's ready to get married, she's ready to take care of that herself!)

I'm not sure why the wedding showers are concerning you more than the kitchen shower. You don't have to match the hostess gift to the type of shower. Just get something they would like.

Have fun!

Wow, now that's what I call a shower. Here it's just family, mostly, and each side of the family gives their own. Ashley's wedding shower was about 30 people and I did everything, so no hostess gift to OR from me, LOL, but I did get party favors for everyone.

So, I have absolutely no idea, having never given or received a hostess gift at a shower and I don't know anyone who has. I think gellchom has it right, just get something they would like or try to think what you liked best when you got hostess gifts.

Those showers must be expensive propositions, 350 is about how many guests we had at the girls' weddings! Do you have to feed them all too?

Annie

Each hostess brings a finger food and someone brings punch. It is just come and go, look at the gifts displayed and and have refreshments. Not a sit down and eat event or games or anything.

That is how we have always done it.

sort of an open house kind of thing? I like that a lot better than the silly games and stuff we always do here. I'd much rather check out the gifts, congratulation the bride or Mom-to-be, grab a snack and be done.

I wonder how I can convince people here to do that?

Annie

That's exactly how it is done! All the hostess give the bride and groom one gift, usually cookware, a KA mixer, vacuum or comforter and share the cost. They each contribute to the refreshment table and the only other things that they share a cost in are the invitations, stamps and a coursage for the bride. All the gifts are displayed through out the house, with cards attached. The one hosting at her house will have a reception line at the entrance and introduce the bride, her Mom and the grooms Mom, if any are from out of town. The guests view the gifts, visit, get refreshments and leave. Most of the things purchased for the wedding shower are from the bride and groom's registry.

The kitchen/recipe shower is different. We will probably invite 30-40 people, everyone is sent a recipe card with their invitation and asked to write their favorite recipe and bring something to help make the recipe. It can be anything from a pan, spice or an ingredient. The bride opens the gifts there. Usually cake and punch are served or maybe a few finger foods and punch.

That's the way it is done here. I know everyone does it different.

Thank you all for your responses. Back to my original post, my DD for her shower where she lives has already got hostess gifts, there are only two there. We are still waiting to see how many hostess we have here. The kitchen shower doesn't bother me, I can think of a bunch of things.
All the showers, except for the one where DD lives are going to be after the wedding, probably mid August. I think we have enough to think about now and by the time they get back from their honeymoon it will be late in July.

Thanks again for your help!

Everybody likes food.

I make homemade jam in small jars - and give mostly unusual jams - Peach Mango Tango, Marmalade Mambo, Thanskberry Conserve, Chocolate Raspberry, Golden Raisin, or Blueberry Lime. If you don't make them yourself, go to the local farmers market - surely there are jammers who make small jars of yummy - usually for $2 to $3. No preservatives, corn syrup, artificial colors or flavors, or weird chemicals, and mostly from local fruits, and handmade.

Another idea is a tower of candy. Just buy canning jars, or really, just any clear jars with lids, and fill in layers with 4 to 8 different brightly colored hard candies, jelly beans, M&M's, or what-have-you. Tie a ribbon on and you are good to go. Easy.

If you only have a few hostesses to gift, go to the local nursery/farmers market/big box store and get miniature roses in colorful metal foil jackets, to grow inside. They are usually under $5.

> I haven't been to a wedding or baby shower in more than 10 years. Hopefully the grandkids will be "of the age" before I become compost. I have been going to casual dinner parties over the years, and that is also a good time for the gifting of food for hosts and hostesses. The recipients are not expected to open the gift for all to share - like wine is - and sometimes I even get the empty jars back later for my reuse!

Nancy