Wedding shower: organized by my mother in law and sister in law (2012)

registry: I asked for donations to the food bank for wedding and don’t think I registered.

some standout wedding gifts: two weeks in London and Paris from my parents in law, a big cheque from my parents, stained glass art piece from an aunt, king size modern quilt from a friend.

Baby showers (2017): I had two!! The gardenweb one hosted by mtnrdredux was unique and fun for me. I loved getting a bunch of presents (on and off registry) in the mail. Fun surprises included a beautiful cake and succulent delivery (succulents still going strong btw). The standout gift otherwise was of course my3dogs’ raccoon. It’s amazing! But I was literally showered with thoughtful and kind presents from all over the continent.

The other one was once more hosted by my inlaws and was more conventional but lovely.

Standout gifts included a swing which was a real lifeline early on, a stroller we use daily, a personalized knitted stocking for Em, and another fabulous quilt.

Registry, I used babylist, which is a great online registry that you can add stuff to from any store. I thought it made the most sense with the virtual shower. Tried to add things at a wide variety of price points with emphasis on lower prices for my extended family, and tried to keep it mostly practical.

For my in-person shower barely anyone used the registry. The only “issue” it caused is that I received upwards of 40 baby blankets (I think because they were featured at homesense this year). But Em was a spitter so we went through a lot of blankets in the end. The nice thing was I used the registry as a checklist to make sure I had everything I wanted in preparation for baby, like a thermometer, snotsucker, breastfeeding cover and pillow etc.

Three wedding showers (1970). Registered at an upscale Jewelry Store for Sterling flatware, crystal and China. This really was a thing back then. Received full sets of each that we still use and have added to.

Also registered at our major local department store which was Maas Brothers. Received most everything I registered for and many other lovely gifts.

I remember hating being the center of attention at these parties.

Gifts were then displayed in my parents' dining room. Little numbers were put on the gifts which cooresponded with the gift giver's name on a chart. People really did visit to see the gifts. Some old customs are better disappearing.

We are still married and like each other, most of the time.

I was married in 1993, and was pretty young (24.) Remember, I live in the South, and it seems like we do things a bit different. I had 4 showers. I didn’t request any of them...and there was no guest list crossover. My MIL’s best friends hosted one ;guest list was basically all her buddies, they all wanted to check out who her little boy was marrying, lol! They were all super sweet, and my mom and I were happy to get to know them since they’d all be at the wedding, I received many practical gifts. One dear lady cross-stitched an entire set of Chrismons (Christian symbols) to hang on our tree...I think of her every year. Such a thoughtful gift!

Second- the moms of a couple of my bridesmaids hosted a big fancy shower at the country club. This is the one that my friends were invited to, and my mom and her friends. Lovely gifts, I don’t think I had registered at that point. I do remember the moms who hosted it had asked what my kitchen and bath colors would be & included it on a slip of paper in the envelope.

3rd- Tool shower. This was a couples shower, and actually did crossover done guests from the country club shower. A couple of friends hosted that...it was more of a party, but we received some great tools!

4th- My sweet co-workers insisted on throwing a shower for me at a restaurant after work one night. We had a blast.

I did end up registering for some things because it is expected. I didn’t register for flatware because my dear auntie left me two sets of Sterling. I registered for my china (Haviland, with Mottehedeh salad plates) at this fancy gift store that has a table set with each brides place setting & a card with her name on it so you can see it. Seems sort of silly, but it was fun to see what everyone chose. I also registered for my crystal and a few more practical things at the department store (placemats, pans, knives, etc.)

Oh, and here’s something we do that my Northern friends think is so strange...you rent extra tables, tableclothes, and these pretty scalloped risers to display the gifts at your mom’s house! (I was still living there at the time.) People drop by before the wedding weekend to check out the gifts! Seriously! Plus, my parents hosted the bridesmaids luncheon on Friday, and the goodbye brunch on Sunday so there were people in and out all weekend. I wish I had a digital pic of the set up to post...it was so pretty!

Anyway, that was my crazy wedding! Lovely showers, lovely memories of the people who were so gracious to us. I won’t do my baby showers bc this is already too long!

People display wedding gifts in Europe too.

Wedding Shower - 1979. A surprise party held in my aunt's basement. My mom got me there on a flimsy excuse. I knew what I was walking into. No registry. No one I knew did that. The invitations had a note that my kitchen was blue and my bathroom was yellow. My mom was the recipient of really ugly china at her shower, so she wanted me to pick out my own. We had shopped at Macy's(which was very shi-shi for us!) and picked out a Royal Doulton stoneware pattern which I still have and love today. I was very adamant against fine china or silver. My aunt did give me a very simple set of sterling plate which I cherish today because it reminds me of her so much. The only other thing I think I still have is a Good Housekeeping Cookbook. Don't remember who gave me that!

My baby shower was memorable. I worked for a large co. in Manhattan and adopted two babies from Russia. The amount of money collected by 'passing the envelope' was staggering. My manager had spoken to me before hand and we agreed that it was too much for just baby gifts. We agreed that I would donate most of it to the orphanage. When people heard that at my shower, just about everyone opened their wallets and I donated $1000. to the orphanage in my company's name.

Wedding Shower -

When: I married my first husband in April, 1982 so the shower must have been in early March. .

Register? No. There wasn't time and we were living in a rural area so there would have been no place to register unless it was JC Penny! We got engaged in January and had a super quick thrown together wedding less than 3 months later.

Where?Who? It was at my parents house. I know my future MIL was there as were my soon-to-be SILs. Some of my parents friends wives and his relatives. I had just moved to my parents home in Oregon from So Cal less than a year earlier and met my then boyfriend within a month and we decided to get married shortly after we started dating. I didn't have any friends except my SIL's-to-be because we lived out in the country and I was really d out of place with the other young people in town because I was from So Cal-I was too exotic and too threatening to the country kids. I wasn't able to make many friends there. Our relationship from dating to marriage was a weird, long story-did not involve shotguns even though everyone thought it did.

Gifts: I recall getting some linens, small appliances and one thing I remember very well was an owl wall hanging made of macrame and ceramic.

Baby Shower -

When: Late May 1983. Baby was due June 30th, but didn't arrive till mid-July!

Register? No, but we needed everything

Where?Who? I think it was at my Grandmother's house-we had almost all family parties there. All my family except my mother-who was in Oregon at the time (after we got married, we moved back to So Cal). Some old friends too.

Gifts: I think I got everything! I know I was gifted a car seat, a high chair, two different strollers, a play pen and of course, loads of clothing-mostly yellow and green sleepers (back in the days before gender reveals), baby tee-shirts, bottles, even a baby scale. Does anyone ever get those any more?

I got the scale and because of early health scares with Em I used daily to reassure myself! They now discourage weighing between Dr visits.

Wedding: Married in 1986. Showers: none. My sister offered, I said no thanks. I did register and received some sterling silver place settings.

1st child: 1991. I did not want a baby shower either ( superstitious). My SIL, who was out out of town, threw me a surprise shower with family only.

In yesterday's post I mentioned that I really don't care for showers. At least I am consistent. :)

I was married in 1999 and also had 4 showers, which sounds a bit ridiculous (it is). My husband and I both grew up in small communities. Although they don't seem to be as common anymore, at one time a community shower was always done, usually hosted by a group within the town - like a ladies church group, held at the church hall or Lion's Club, etc. Were these ever done anywhere else??

We had one of these in the community I grew up in, and the community my husband grew up in. I especially remember the one where my husband grew up. First of all, I didn't know 99% of the attendees, and second, my PIL are very well known in their small town, very involved, very charitable, very much respected - so it seemed like hundreds of people showed up for our shower. I can't even begin to tell you how many gifts we received, a lot of things like towels, etc. (DOZENS of towels) - an easy shower gift when you don't really know the people you're gifting. It was overwhelming, and looking back, a bit obscene. Just last year I finally went through the end of the totes of towels, kitchen towels, linens, etc. that have been stored in my attic. Surprisingly they were still in great shape. I kept a few and donated what I could to the animal shelter.

I also had a friends/family shower hosted by my aunt, and a shower at work - which ended up being for the guys and the gals, because I was marrying a guy who worked in the same department. :)

Gad, I can hardly remember - married in 1978 at age 21. I think my SIL-to-be had one shower that included high school friends and some family members on my DH's side, college friends had one, MIL's friends had one in DH's hometown, my mom's friends had one in my home town. They were all quite simple and basic though MIL's friends were very generous with gifts of china, crystal, etc. as shower gifts.

I registered for china that I still have and love but don't use as well as crystal that matched some stuff I got free from the bank. No silverware as my mother and grandmother gave me theirs (same pattern so I have lots of silverware). I had just finished college so really had nothing and registered for all the basic things you need. I remember being concerned about registering for (i.e. asking for) all this stuff, especially the relatively expensive china.

No kids so no baby showers.

They surprised me with a wedding shower at work. I shouldn’t have been surprised since there was nothing we loved more than an excuse to eat cake and waste time. I don’t recall any of the gifts. I remember the cake.

My husband has attended the same church his whole life and is a very active member. The ladies from the church threw a shower for me, it should have been for him but I suppose they wanted to get to know me. At that shower, I received a salad spinner and a hot air popcorn maker that I still use. I don’t remember any of the other gifts.

Very fancy wedding shower for my first marriage in one of those 'ladies who lunch' type of restaurants. Almost everything on my registry was purchased and many things I still use to this day. And that was 20 years ago! My second wedding 6 years ago I did not want a shower as I thought it was in poor taste for a 2nd wedding.

I had 6 wedding showers and had already lived on my own for a number of years. There was a wine/bar shower, lingerie shower, recipe shower, cup and saucer/mug/beer and wine glass shower and a couple of general showers. We were older when we met and got married so we had showers from my university friends, my high school friends, his high school friends, work, my mom and relatives, his mom and relatives.. It's been 35 years and we still stay in touch with those who hosted the showers given by our friends who were also our maid of honour, bridesmaid and bestman. I am glad of that.

Baby showers - we only had one. I wasn't doing that circus of our wedding showers again.

Married in 1982-

Registered at Dillard's

No silver, just stainless for flatware.

No crystal, and I chose ironstone instead of china.

5 showers, I think, my memory on this part is rather vague. It was a tumultuous time. My father was ill with cancer, and died 2 weeks before we married.

I cannot recall what order they were, but 1 was at my work.

Husband & I were members of different churches, and both churches gave us showers.

His Sunday school class gave us one as well.

Another shower from his church was a Kitchen or recipe shower. That's the one I remember best. It was "recipe, a pan or pot to make it in and ingredient." All of the recipes were hand written on index cards by the gift giver and had their names on the cards. I still have them! It does my heart good to pull out one of those cards and see the name. Such memories!

I will say, proudly too, that even under the circumstances of my wedding
shower, thanks to good records kept by my bridesmaids, I wrote every
single thank you note in a timely fashion!!

Baby shower --

1st -1987 again, 2 church and 1 work showers. I don't remember if there was a registry or not.

2nd 1992 - 2 church showers. No registry. But we knew the sex of this baby. :-) There was a high end department store going out of business, and we received a LOT of fancy frilly pink outfits in every size up to 2T. My DD was "pinked out." Which I enjoyed while it lasted. She was not a "fro-fro" kid. No ruffles & lace for her after she turned about 4. LOL

(and I wrote TY's for all of those gifts too ;-) )

Married in '88. Three showers. One from work, one from my MIL's bff and a small personal shower. I registered for my wedding but I do not recall if I was registered by the time of the showers. I too had great record keeping and could look it up I suppose. I lived in a very small town long before the internet when a good department store is all I had for China., which I had to go home to my mother's and the BIG city of Fargo to hit up Dayton's. No stemware or flatware, chosen. I just dug out the utensil holder and matching cookie jar this weekend, that I got at my work shower, and I still have brass candle holders. I still use the pots and pans we purchased with our wedding money. We both had been working and living on our own for several years but to set up a new household we were thrilled to put aside the hand me downs and start fresh! We had plenty of sorting and pitching between the two places we were renting. We began in a newly purchased home so had a lot of work to do. I stripped and retained all the cupboards that first summer.