The bridal shower is said to be derived from dowry practices in medieval times. According to Beth Montemurro, when a poor woman’s family could not provide a dowry, her friends would get together and provide suitable gifts that paid for the dowry. Modern bridal showers are about celebrating the bride’s new life. Guests celebrate with the bride through games, blessing rituals and gift giving. Blessings are an important part of a bridal shower, and many shower organizers want to make their bridal shower stand out from the rest. One way to do that is through nontraditional blessings.
Blessing Toasts
Have the guests all toast individually using their favorite wedding blessings. Make your shower stand out by requesting that each guest come prepared with a special blessing for a toast. As an alternative, gather a number of blessings on your own, and hand them out as each guest enters. Blessings can be found in wedding magazines, online and through the library.
Bridal Henna
Hire a henna artist to apply bridal henna to the bride. A henna party is an excellent way to provide a spiritual blessing that will last for several weeks. Bridal henna is one of the oldest eastern Indian practices of today, according to The Henna Page, a website dedicated to the spiritual practice of henna. Henna is a thick paste that, when applied to the skin, dries and falls off. The tattoo stays in place for several weeks. The henna creates bridal Indian designs that serve as a good luck blessing for the bride.
Secret Poets
Request each guest anonymously write their very own blessing in the form of poetry, and hand them over at the end of the shower for the bride to take home. Request she not open them until the day of her wedding.
Blessing Rings
Give the bride a bridal blessing ring. Have the shower guests all contribute for the ring's purchase, and present the ring to the bride-to-be during her bridal shower. There are several types of blessing rings available. Some are actual rings, and others are just keychains.