Tuesday, July 26, 2011

showers ~ then and now

And I'm not speaking of rain showers...
the kind we have become quite accustomed to this summer.

We are approaching our fortieth wedding anniversary (can that really be so?)...
and so I'm taking a trip down memory lane.

When it comes to bridal showers...
some things have changed over the years and some have not.

My good friend and bridesmaid threw a shower for me...


...and her cute little sisters were quite happy to be in on the action!

They presented me with a lovely corsage.
When did that custom get left behind?

Crepe paper streamers?
I haven't seen those in awhile either.


I opened the gifts...
and passed the bows along to friend who was creating something beautiful with them.


There was a time when the bride wore the 'bow hat' once the gifts were unwrapped.
It's been awhile since I have seen that.


What a fine looking group of grooms and brides!
The shower guests were divided into three teams...
and each team was given white and black crepe paper to use in creating a 'winning bridal couple'.
I think the wee girls take the cake!

Oh...and a cake, of course!
Then and now.

The guests mostly wore dresses in those days (rather short ones, I see)
Today...anything goes.

Bridal showers are all about  friends blessing the bride...
then and now.

What a fun tradition!

I'll be strolling down memory lane all week...
so feel free to come back and join me!


19 comments:

  1. How fun! Congratulations on your upcoming 40th anniversary.

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  2. Great photos! (Mine are so far buried that I'd not be able to find them without great effort. I know I wore pants, did not have a corsage, and no one made a bow hat.) You knew how to dress for an event or perhaps this was not a surprise shower. All showers in my corner are surprises. And you certainly have the legs for the dress, my dear. You're lovely!

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  3. Vee...yes, it was a surprise shower. In those days they were all surprises. Now it seems they are mostly pre-arranged.

    As for 'the legs for the dress'...they look somewhat different forty years later!

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  4. What a sweet pots, Judy. Those long-ago showers seems so innocent and fun. More and more I see showers that are pre-arranged and where guests are 'invited' to contribute to a pre-determined gift. I've even seen showers where guests are asked not to wrap gifts to save time at the shower. Funny though, for all that sophistication, when I had a shower for a friend's daughter I did it in an old fashioned way and the bride and her friends were delighted.
    Congratulations as we approach your anniversary weekend!

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  5. Oh Memory Lane, a street a love to stroll!
    Sandi

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  6. Fun times from the 70's! Love all these great photos. How brave of you to cut that cake on your lap! The wedding bonnet is a cute idea. We do the wedding bouquet but I like the bonnet :0)
    Katie has her first bridal shower tonight...

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  7. Judy it was a trip back in time to see your bridal shower; your long hair, the style of your dress, the fireplace, the bow hat and your little companions. Thanks for sharing these photos with us. You didn't mention the gifts though. I bet you might have received a laundry basket to carry your gifts home,perhaps a matching set of 4 juice glasses, some tea towels, or perhaps some glass pie plates. When I had a shower for a cousin's daughter I was amazed to see her opening what we might have considered lovely wedding gifts in the good old days. It made me wonder what the shower guests would be giving to the bride and groom on their wedding day. Congratulations on the upcoming

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  8. This is fun! I will be back to enjoy your memory lane week. Enjoy your week as you celebrate your blessed life of 40 years.
    Oh Judy......you got the legs:)

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  9. Judy you looked so young..not more than a teenager! That is why after 40 years you look so young now!

    I had a very small wedding shower in my sisters house and one at the unit in the hospital I worked in as a nurse..both were nice surprises and I still have a few of the items i was given that day (almost 37 years ago!) :)

    I'm looking forward to my daughter's shower next year and I think we will be making her a "bow hat" too!

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  10. That was a fun trip down memory lane. I always enjoyed playing the games at showers, but that seems to be a thing of the past. You look so cute in the bow hat. We used to make a bouquet on a paper plate. Congratulations to you on this special anniversary.

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  11. What a fun trip down memory lane. Things have changed over the years, but gathering to bless the new bride (and sometimes the groom) is still the focus, isn't it?

    Congratulations on your upcoming anniversary!

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  12. Weren't we stylish in the seventies? ha! ha! You are a couple of years ahead of us, but those pictures look way too familiar! :-)

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  13. I remember as a teen admiring any girl with long straight hair like yours! Mine was super wavy and I had no idea what to do with it.
    Those surprises were a lot of fun ... simple gifts ... streamers ... games ... a cake . . . although I also wondered about cutting it on your lap!

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  14. I have noticed lately at my daughters' generation of showers how very informally they dress. At a recent one, almost everyone was in jeans or crop pants. But the friendships and well-wishing are just as genuine as ever.

    Twice now, when we've had international students living here, they have been puzzled by the "Bridal Shower" and "Baby Shower" parties. Why would we get together to give the baby a bath?!

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  15. Oh, how simple things were years ago. A simple shower with loving friends and family showering the bride to be with heart-felt, well-thought out gifts. My daughter was recently in a wedding and the shower was combined with a destination bachelorette party, not to mention her shelling out a lot of money for the dress, shoes, jewelry, manicure/pedicure the bride wanted. So much money and attention are thrown upon the wedding/party instead of focusing on the love and commitment of the marriage. How times have changed. I love your sweet photos.

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  16. I loved this. We just celebrated our 40th as well. I remember the look well - long hair, short skirts, even the bow bonnett. Thanks for sharing the memories. Congratulations on reaching #40.

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  17. So cute! My bridesmaids made a bow bouquet for me at my shower 18 years ago! Such fun!

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  18. I'm so glad that we could be part of a new memory with you tonight. It's fun looking way back at the girl you used to be and who you've become over the years.
    Continue celebrating the years that you have been given and more health for the years to come.

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  19. I am just getting caught up and just loved the whole wedding flashback! Happy Anniversary! What a great hoot looking back at pictures from the 70's...and Sharon and Patty...LOL, they looked like twins! I must say, you sported that bow hat quite gorgeously! Yeah, what happened with that tradition? Oh right, gift bags...no bows. Dang.

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'The ornament of a house is the friends who frequent it.'
~ Ralph Waldo Emerson