Opening gifts at bridal shower?

I love the showers where I don't have to sit and watch the bride open her gifts, it's such a dumb tradition. I am all about the clear wrapping or no wrapping at all. Sorry but showers are boring enough let alone sitting and watching someone for an hour open gifts. Not a necessary evil in my book, I vetoed the opening of the gifts already for my shower, they are all aware.

My bridesmaids have suggested this for me and said that it can be super awkward opening gifts and tiring. I still am going with the traditional route and having my gifts wrapped.

We’re doing a couples shower FH was really uncomfortable with opening gifts in front of people so we nixed it and were opening them at home. We’re going to make it a point to thank everyone and let them know that “we’re on a time crunch” so we can’t open them right now. I think it’s awkward to be the one opening gifts, I don’t mind seeing people open gifts from me though. So it really depends on what you’re comfortable with

I think this is odd..its just part of the whole deal. You unwrap the gifts, gush and move on. If they're just sitting there unwrapped, it just seems gift-grabby to me..I'm not sure why.

And while I HATE to be the center of attention, I can't imagine not opening my gifts in front of my guests. Its so incredibly rude to not do that and offer genuine thank yous in person when you open it(and a written thank you, but that goes without being said)

View Quoted Comment

Yes! I remember making my best friends, it actually turned out so pretty.

My family has something about the number of ribbons broken is the number of children you'll have. Everyone has fun tying extra ribbons or trying to make them impossible to get off.

And then I think my mom said you're supposed to save the paper to line dresser drawers. So people use really pretty paper.

I didn't open gifts at mine. we also had a couples shower and didn't open things there either. i'd asked the hosts of both to give the option of no gift or a bottle of wine (fit with the theme since one was wine tasting and the other a cocktail party) so there weren't mountains of gifts anyway. personally i hate watching people open gifts at showers and i also have social anxiety so the idea of all the attention being so fully on me for that portion made me want to die of panic. luckily our hosts for both were fine with that--maybe it's regional, but gift-opening isn't super common at showers i've been to, so no one really missed it.

my BFF actually did what you're suggesting with gifts being unwrapped, which i personally love--that was one thing about wedding events generally that bummed me out, just how wasteful all that wrapping was.

So my cousin had a baby that was born very pre-mature and we had a baby shower which was supposed to be without her and we would wrap our presents there. She ended up being able to show up (with her baby) and one by one we all would walk up to say something ridiculous and hilarious while showing off our gift like "Oh this blanket is for running around the house with a cape, pretending you are taming the bulls or you know for a nap". It still is my favorite way we ever did shower gifts. Way less boring .... if you have a half way witty/fun crowd I'd recommend it.

View Quoted Comment

I'm also gift-wrap obsessed!!

View Quoted Comment My sister had a baby shower for my niece and they asked for a book instead if a card to start the baby's library. Well, I wrote a message & and drew a picture in the book, wrapped the book.....and put a card on the book! LOL- I guess I didn't understand the directions, because mine was the only separate gift wrapped book.....oopsy....sorry...not sorry!

When my mom and I host showers we put on a timer for a random amount of time. When the buzzer goes off the person who's gift is being opened wins a prize. It kind of helps to keep people engaged. I would vote for opening presents, but keep things moving for those who do get bored.

I don't know if it's a common game or not, but the last shower i went to handed out blank bingo cards and the guests filled in items that they thought the couple would recieve. As they opened their gifts, they called out what it was and whoever won the round of bingo won a prize.

View Quoted Comment This is such a great idea, I might pass this along to my mom and MOH, if you don't mind, seeing as we'll have a similar number of people and the thought of wasting all that time I could be spending with friends and family opening gifts is nauseating. I guess I just don't like opening gifts in front of crowds. Not sure if family will agree with this, they used to make myself and my 4 siblings open our presents one at a time in a circle every Christmas/holiday and the opening would go on for hours and hours.

View Quoted Comment Definitely keeping this in mind as an idea, I remember attending a baby shower and the host had set up a Bingo game with mini pacifiers as the game pieces. This would be fun for a bridal shower setting!

I personally hate the whole unwrapping part of showers; I find it very boring and wasteful. But....my mother wants it, so I will most likely unwrap. With that being said, I am sort of a “green” person and will have my guests wrap in recycled paper (could be paper bags, newspaper, etc), doesn’t matter what they chose. In the end, I hope to appease a little of what everyone wants. I would rather socialize with everyone rather than open gifts! Would love to play games and do the other stuff later.

I love this idea!! Honestly I hate watching people open wedding gifts. I usually leave around the time that starts. I’d rather visit, eat and drink. A friend of mine requesting this for her baby shower and it worked out great.

A good idea is to have an assembly line, so have a couple girls unwrap presents then you can appreciate and thank everyone, and then have one girl on “garbage/clean up” duty. Or goes by fast

There's a bingo game, I'm sure you can find online, that I played at a wedding shower. It had common registry items on the board and when the bride opened a gift if it was on your bingo square you crossed it off. First guest that got bingo got a game prize, just like for all the other games. It made people pay attention, at least to the first half of the unwraing.

I just had my shower last weekend and I will say there were times I felt like everyone was chatting and my really paying attention to me opening gifts. Which I liked! I’m saying this as a good thing. If they get bored they will have side conversations.

I always feel so awkward opening gifts in front of people. Even at bday parties, I feel on spot, like I'm on a stage, and I HATE HATE HATE that feeling.

Idk if my mom or MOH will go with non-wrapped gifts, but I like the idea of blank bingo cards so people are at least engaged in something else besides just watching me unwrap gifts. I'll also have my FH there with me and he LOVES being the center of attention, so maybe he can take the focus off of me!!!

I do like this idea though, even though this is my first time hearing it. I'd say go for it if you don't think anyone will be super offended, and even if they are, you can tell them to bring a wrapped gift and you'll unwrap it for them?