I went to a shower like that once...it was called "time of your life" shower and each invitation had a clock face on the front and the hands on the clock placed to indicate what your specific time was. Inside was a short paragraph to indicate what a "time of your life shower" was. It said please give a gift that might be used during the time indicated on the clock on your invitation....and the hours of the middle of the night were eliminated and there were more invitations sent with dinner time and breakfast time on the front....there were about 30 people at the shower.

I would make it a 5:30 PM shower....people don't really like to "waste a whole day" at a shower....
Serve some pretty Island type drinks, or just margatitas, and make a buffet of lots of cut up fruit, a rice salad, a side of cold poached salmon, BBQ pork with a fruity sauce ( look for recipes for "kaluah pork") and rolls of some sort....and perhaps a chocolate fondue with pineapple spears and strawberries with chunks of pound cake for dessert.....with, of course, either Kona coffee or Jamacan coffee...

Linda C

I think it's a great idea! I've never heard of that, and I like it. It will most likely require some creativity that will add to the fun of the shower (you will have the gifts opened at the shower?).

I concur with everything that Linda C said with the exception of having the shower at 5:30 PM on a Sunday. Personally, I don't like having to something like this on a Sunday night given that I like to use Sunday nights to savor what's left of the weekend and mentally start to gear up to the workday the next day. Just my opinion, for what it's worth. I'd rather do it mid-day on Sunday.

Suzieque

I think it's a terrific idea, too. Giving someone an hour of the day isn't telling them what to buy -- much better than including registry info!

I think it sounds like a fun shower. I'd come no matter what time you had it!

I do have one suggestion, and please forgive me for bringing it up even though you didn't ask about it --

Please consider not calling this a "couples" shower. I think what you mean is that it is for both men and women, right? But if you call it a "couples" shower, that could make your single guests feel uncomfortable, or wonder if they are supposed to bring a date, or look like a loser. What you mean is "coed," not "couples."

The other problem with "couples shower" (or, for that matter, "coed") is that people seem to use it because they think that it is somehow demeaning to invite men to a shower. If that's true, it's insulting to both women and men. If hosts feel that attending a shower is demeaning, then they shouldn't give a shower, for men or for women.

I would just write "shower." The men and women will know they are both invited; both names will be on the envelope. The groom's name, too, will presumably be on the invitation.

Sorry about the rant! Anyway, I think your 24 hour idea is great. It will be so much fun to see what people bring. Have fun!

Thanks for your suggestions !! I like all of the food ideas as well. I also hadn't thought too much about skipping some of the late pm/early am times and adding mealtimes (breakfast time, etc.) but I can see why that would be better. Gellchom, I saw your "rant" in another post about using the word "couples shower" and I agree with you. I think that if I specify that the shower is for both bride and groom, people will understand that it is co-ed without my having to say it. Thank you for your feedback, it will be fun to plan !!!
Amy

I have been to and given many couples showers....and never did the invitation say "couples shower".

And every single couples shower I have attended or given (and I have given 7) has been for cocktails and dinner or a buffet supper.

threedogsmom, thanks for not being upset with me!

No one feels the need to write "couples dinner party" or "couples barbecue." That's why I have the feeling that it is the sense that attending a shower is somehow beneath men that led to the odd "couples shower" name. It isn't only because showers used to be (long ago; I've seen coed ones for at least 25 years) exclusively single-sex events; I've never seen "couples PTA meeting" or "couples Super Bowl party," either.

Anyway, the origin of the term isn't the issue. I agree that using both the bride's and groom's names will signal that the shower is coed. I'm just saying that you don't have to signal it at all anyway, just as you wouldn't feel the need to do so for any other kind of party.

Threedogsmom-how many people are being invited? 12, 24, more? 2 hour time slots are alot easier to come up with ideas than 1 hour. For example, I went to one of these once and there were 12 woman were in attendance so each of us got a 2 hour time slot. Lucky for me my mom was also invited and she and I ended up with a 2 time slots in row. 1-5pm ...so we went with "Afternoon Delight"...tracked down the words & recording of the song, bought a lovely picnic basket and filled it champagne, fancy glasses, etc. The party was a luncheon so the signing part didn't go over as well as hoped (stuffy women also) but overall a good theme party.

As for men coming by all means! But I agree with the others it is nice to put it on the envelope than on the invitation. Also I like them later in the day so the guests day isn't completely shot.

Good luck and have fun.

I'll have to be the lone dissenter to say that I have been to a "time of the day" shower before and I hated it. I felt too limited in the gifts I could buy and bought something I wouldn't have bought otherwise. Just my opinion. Please don't be offended.

I like couples showers but have found that they are usually (a lot) less structured than the traditional bridal shower. Men typically don't like to sit thru the games etc. I think a cocktail party or a BBQ would be nice with less emphasis on the typical shower festivities.

Either way, I wish you the best of luck and hope your party turns out splendidly.

I guess the showers I've been to are different from the ones other posters attended -- maybe this varies by community, too. I have rarely seen any games; the showers I've gone to have all been just refreshments, conversation, and opening gifts. The closest thing I remember to a game was a bridal shower where we each had to draw a slip of paper out of a hat with a marriage-related topic on it and give the bride a piece of advice on the subject (I think she was the only unmarried one there). It was fascinating, especially hearing from the oldest people. I don't know if the bride was listening, but I was! I would probably find most actual games kind of silly, but they wouldn't bother me, and I would participate cheerfully.

The thing that I would find offensive is a "shower" at which the gifts are not opened in the guests' presence. As has been said many times on this board, showers are the only exception to the rule against including instructions to bring a gift on any invitation, because obviously that's the point and main event of a shower: watching the guest(s) of honor open the gifts. Calling the party a shower and then not having the honoree(s) open the gifts is more like a party with an admission charge than a shower.

I once was a co-host of a large party for a couple, which fortunately got changed from a "couples shower" to just a party in their honor. The bossiest person in the group was insisting that we call it a "couples shower," but not open the gifts -- I think that she felt that that was not appropriate for a coed or large group or something? I don't recall. Perhaps that is where I got the idea that people feel like showers are beneath men's dignity or something.

But anyway, several of us were very uncomfortable at the idea of calling it a shower (let alone "couples shower") and then not opening gifts -- one way or the other, we felt. Fortunately, someone else spoke up about it, so I didn't have to! When the bossy person said, "But then how will the guests know they are supposed to bring a gift?" everyone was grossed out enough to agree with the objector, and that was that. And then I didn't even have to say anything about "couples," because the bossy person didn't seem to feel the need to call it a "couples" party.

I wouldn't like that theme. For one, I wouldn't like being limited in what I could buy (puts more pressure on the gift giver) and second, I am a practacal person who gives practacal gifts. Yes, there might be something practacal like the 400 count sheet set, but maybe that's a little more than I wanted to spend (compared to baking dishes).

I also cringe at the thought of a couples shower. I would attend, if invited, but I highly doubt that my husband would!

I've been to many showers. After 3-4 hours, people have had enough! I like the ones that were from 1-2pm to 5 pm. It's a nice way to spend a Sunday or Saturday afternoon, and you don't have to cook supper when you get home and you still have the evening for yourself/family.

The food was always buffet style with about 2-3 choices of entrees with a few sides and condiments, appetizers, etc. (depends on how many people are attending).