What should the invitations be like and when should I mail them?

Bridal Shower invitations do not have to be as expensive or elaborate as the wedding invitations. They should reflect the personality of the bride and of the shower. A formal bridal shower can have simple and elegant invitations, while a fun filled bridal shower with games and cake could be whimsical and informal. You can usually find inexpensive bridal shower invitations at your local card store or even use a computer print program to create custom invitations for pennies.

Make sure you give guests enough notice of the bridal shower as well. Invitations to out-of-town guests should be mailed out about 3-6 weeks prior to the shower and for local guests atleast 2-4 weeks prior. Nothing is worse then planning a shower and finding out half the guest list is busy on that weekend.

Make sure to include the following information on the invitations, too.

guest of honor's name
shower date and time
hostess' name and phone number
address of shower
map of shower location (optional)
RSVP date and phone number
shower theme information (if applicable)
couple's decorating colors for future home