Bridal shower - skip opening gifts?

I would not ask guests to wrap gifts in clear wrap. It's not appropriate to dictate how a gift is presented.


Most people already have wrapping paper at home, but many would probably have to buy cellophane just to accommodate your request. I'd be annoyed as heck.

So I've never been to a shower. Mine will be my first lol. As an adult I've always felt as though opening gifts in front of other people is strange. I am also uncomfortable with it personally. I have a very expressive face, and I'm sure I'll be overwhelmed that day. And I would worry my very expressive face would cause offense.

View Quoted Comment All of this! A lot of bridal showers do bingo during the gift opening, and that can take away a lot from so much attention because while guests will be watching you, a lot of the times their attention is more on getting a bingo on their card. So that might put you at ease of having people watch? I personally hate bridal showers, but one of the fun parts for me is seeing everything the bride got, so I like the gift opening portion.

View Quoted Comment I’m the sameeeee way! I like the bingo game idea others have mentioned. Think that’ll help take off the awkwardness

I don't personally care for opening gifts in front of people, watching other people open a mountain of gifts, or too much focus on gift-giving in general. These are the biggest reasons I don’t attend showers and didn’t want any for myself.

All of that said, the gift opening is still very much an expected activity at showers, across regions and age groups, I think if you want to have a shower and receive gifts, you are going to have to accept this part of it.

If you don't want to open gifts, then just don't have a bridal shower.

Skip it ! super boring

Open the gifts during the shower or ask for no gifts. It’s awkward to bring someone a gift to a shower and then they don’t open it. I put a lot of thought and money into my gifts and it’s nice to see the reaction. 🤷🏼‍♀️ However, I am like you and I don’t want to open gifts for an hour while people stare at me. So I will probably be saying no gifts please. I just want their quality time and to celebrate my marriage and how excited I am to have found the one for me. I will also get a kick out of certain friends/family members meeting each other! 😂 That’s a gift to me. (As cheesy as it sounds!)

If you are that uncomfortable with the idea of all eyes on you while opening gifts and would rather mingle and play games with your guests, it sounds like you'd rather have a bridal luncheon than a bridal shower. Bear in mind though that at a bridal luncheon, you aren't going to receive gifts.

The point of a bridal shower is to bring the bride gifts and see what she and her new spouse will be receiving as they start their life together. Personally favorite part is seeing what everyone brought and if I carved out a portion of my weekend time to go to an event where I gave a gift and didn't even get to see the recipient open it, I'd be a bit put off. At events where I don't know more than 1 or 2 other people there, it is literally the only reason I would go. As uncomfortable as it can be to be the center of attention, it's really the least you can do to open the gifts that your community came together to give you.

I feel the same way! I hate the idea of opening gifts in front of a bunch of people and as a guest I hate watching it. A luncheon is a good idea or just do games/drinks. It’s your day!

If you do not want to open gifts in front of the guests, do not accept anyone's offer to give you a shower. Have a bridal shower, or a luncheon, no gifts, and be so ia le. Make it clear to people. Everyone coming to the shower, whether or not they can make the wedding, will already be buying a wedding gift, which will be sent to you, or brought to the wedding (some cards.) Every one chooses a second gift, solely to have you open it in front of them, and the group. Why get you the second gift if you are just going to collect them and open them out of sight, as you already do the wedding gift? It becomes gift collecting without giving anything of yourself , because you cannot be gracious enough to open gifts? Really Rude. If you announce it as a luncheon or tea ( light supper) , no gifts, then people will know and make their decisions accordingly. And not waste their time and effort, and money, on a gift, since you find it too much trouble or embarrassment to open them publicly.

View Quoted Comment This . Good manners matter. You should not dictate how to present a gift to you. And, you should not imply it is better to not waste the 2-3 minutes you spend per gift, talking to the givers and the group. Being in too much of a hurry to properly and graciously receive a gift, is just bad manners.