What Is A Honeymoon Shower [All You'll Want To Know]

What Is A Honeymoon Shower? [All You’ll Want To Know]

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Have you heard of, or been invited to, a honeymoon shower but are not sure of what it is or what is involved? Perhaps you even like the sound of it and want to have one yourself but need more information before you do. Either way, you’ve come to the right place. Today, you will learn all you need to know about this particular event.

So, what is a honeymoon shower? A honeymoon shower is an optional event thrown for the happy couple with the intention of gifting essential travel items or helping to contribute to the overall cost of the honeymoon financially. A honeymoon shower can have a particular theme (such as the couple’s intended honeymoon destination) and can include family and friends of the bride and groom.

Your honeymoon is one of the most highly-anticipated and exciting vacations you’ll ever take.

Unfortunately, many couples can’t afford their dream honeymoon because of soaring travel costs and expenses or time constraints with other commitments.

So, a fairly new and increasingly popular solution to this problem is to throw a honeymoon shower to help the happy couple.

Honeymoon showers can be part of your wedding event lineup (which typically includes an engagement party, bridal shower, and bachelor/bachelorette parties), or they can take the place of one or more of the other events.

It’s really up to the couple to decide; you may not have a need for many of the usual household items that are gifts from a bridal shower, but you could benefit from some new travel items.

Similar to other wedding showers and events, such as an engagement party, the intention is to host the friends and family of the couple and gift the bride and groom travel-related items or money to go towards their honeymoon vacation.

Keeping this in mind, let’s dive deeper into what a honeymoon shower really is and all the other etiquette info when it comes to honeymoon shower events.

Who Organizes The Honeymoon Shower?

In short, anyone can host and/or organize the honeymoon shower; this means the bride or groom’s parents, the bridesmaids or groomsmen, or even the happy couple, can plan and throw the event.

Honeymoon showers are a relatively new wedding event, so there may be some confusion among those who have never heard of or attended a honeymoon shower before.

Traditionally, bridal showers are organized and hosted by a bride’s close family or bridal party/Maid of Honor.

Honeymoon showers are a bit different in the sense that the event is meant to include and celebrate (“shower”) both the bride and groom.

A honeymoon shower can be hosted by the parents of either the bride or the groom, by the bridal party, or the couple may want to plan and host their own honeymoon shower.

There isn’t a formal ‘rule’ that any one person, in particular, should host the honeymoon shower. The bride and groom can ask family or friends to organize and host a honeymoon shower, or they can simply choose to host it themselves.

Similar to a bridal shower, whoever decides to organize and host the honeymoon shower typically foots the bill for the event.

What Happens At A Honeymoon Shower?

Similar to a bridal shower, honeymoon showers typically feature games, delicious food and drinks, and gifts. Honeymoon showers often have a theme (travel, vacation, or the honeymoon destination as the focus) and a specific gift registry associated with the couple’s honeymoon.

Whoever is organizing and hosting the honeymoon shower will have plenty of fun and unique games and décor options for the event.

Organizers can create their own fun games, like Travel Bingo or Guess the Price (of select travel items, airfare for two, a couple’s massage, etc.).

Travel theme décor is also relatively simple to source and will beautifully enhance the shower location and theme; organizers could use suitcases, boarding passes, or tropical fruits as focal points of the honeymoon shower.

Organizers of the honeymoon shower can coordinate for the food and drinks to follow suit with the theme, whether it’s travel in general or the couple’s honeymoon destination.

For example, if a couple plans on going to Mexico for their honeymoon, shower organizers can cater Mexican food and have themed drinks, such as Margaritas, for the guests to enjoy.

Or they could have a Mexican-inspired and decorated Gazebo, for instance.

The happy couple has the option of creating a Honeymoon Registry, which can include travel items, such as a neck pillow or matching suitcases, or the option for guests to financially contribute to the honeymoon.

Some couples choose to register for honeymoon experiences (snorkeling, for example) that guests can gift the couple or meal tickets at local restaurants for the couple to enjoy on their honeymoon.

Who Goes To A Honeymoon Shower?

There isn’t a hard and fast rule that says who can and can’t attend a honeymoon shower. Second cousins? Neighbors? Why not! The guest list should include anyone and every one the bride and groom want to be there. However, a general rule of thumb to keep in mind is don’t invite people to the honeymoon shower that aren’t also invited to the wedding (that’s just bad taste).

While bridal showers typically only have the female family and friends of the bride and groom on the guest list, a honeymoon shower can include both male and female invitees.

Honeymoon showers are meant to shower the happy couple as they prepare to go on their honeymoon trip, and they may want friends, family, or coworkers there to celebrate with them!

If the bride and groom aren’t planning the honeymoon shower themselves, it’s best if the host/organizer goes through the guest list with the couple to ensure anyone and everyone they want to be there is there.

Again, the best rule to stick to when deciding on the honeymoon shower guestlist: don’t invite anyone to the honeymoon shower that isn’t also invited to the wedding.

(Imagine how awkward it would be to only be invited to the honeymoon shower and not the wedding…)

It would be a great idea to send personalized thank you notes/cards (you can add pictures from your honeymoon if you’d like) to everyone who attends your honeymoon shower; it’ll make them feel special to know that their gift is the reason you and your new spouse are enjoying your honeymoon.

When Is A Honeymoon Shower Held?

Usually, the best time to host a honeymoon shower is before the wedding and, ideally, not too close to the bridal shower (if the bride is having one). There’s a fine line to be wary of when planning a honeymoon shower; namely, you wouldn’t want the event to be too close to the wedding date (or other wedding events) as this could potentially affect the gifts the couple receives.

Depending on the other wedding events the couple wants (like an engagement party, bridal shower, stag, and doe or bachelor/bachelorette parties), it’s best to space out these events, not only from each other but from the wedding date.

You can have a honeymoon shower before or after the wedding. The key takeaway is to space all of your wedding events at least a few months apart from one another.

Chances are, the guestlist for each of these wedding events will have most of the same attendees; for the majority of these events, it’s understood that guests don’t show up empty-handed.

Whether it’s a cash gift or an item off your bridal shower registry, your guests will likely feel obligated to show up with a gift.

The problem with hosting a honeymoon shower that is too close in proximity to the wedding date and other wedding events (like a bridal shower) is that it may affect your guests’ gift giving.

By spacing out the honeymoon shower from the wedding and the other wedding events, you’re giving your invited guests a chance to recoup after the last event.

The last thing you want is for your guests to feel like they’re constantly having to buy you gifts or give you cash.

By spacing apart your honeymoon shower from the wedding and other wedding events, you’ll have much happier guests!

Some couples may want to have a honeymoon shower well after the wedding date, and that’s totally fine! Do whatever works for your unique situation.

Other Elements Of A Honeymoon Shower To Be Aware Of

Keep in mind the honeymoon shower date’s proximity to the wedding (and other wedding events like an engagement party or bridal shower)—you may ruin your chances of receiving useful gifts if the honeymoon shower is held too close to the wedding date or other wedding events.

Create A Honeymoon Gift Registry

Creating a honeymoon gift registry, such as over at Amazon, is a great way to let your family and friends know what’s important and needed for your upcoming honeymoon trip.

You can register for travel-specific items like matching suitcases, travel/neck pillows, beach towels, or matching passport holders.

You can also register for a honeymoon fund, where guests can directly contribute toward the cost of the honeymoon trip.

More and more couples are also registering for accommodations/room nights, meal vouchers/tickets, or experiences to enjoy on their honeymoon.

Space Out Wedding Events

If you and your soon-to-be spouse want to have all of the events that are normally held in preparation for the wedding (engagement party, bridal shower, stag, and doe, or bachelor/bachelorette parties), it’s best to make sure the events are not too close together.

If the honeymoon shower guest list is going to have many of the same attendees as other wedding events, you’ll want to leave at least a couple of months in between events to give your guests a chance to recoup.

You also want to avoid your guests experiencing “Couple’s Fatigue,” in which your attendees may wonder why they have yet another wedding event to attend for the same couple.

Many people are limited in the number of events they can attend, especially during recent years and the infamous pandemic.

If you space these events apart appropriately, it’ll make it easier on your guests (and they’ll probably be more likely to actually show up to each one).

Finally

Your honeymoon will be amazing no matter where, when, or how it happens.

Throwing a honeymoon shower, either as part of your ‘wedding event’ timeline or in place of more traditional events (like an engagement party), is a great way to celebrate with your family and friends.

Travel isn’t cheap, so creating a specialized honeymoon registry can help you and your new spouse experience the trip of a lifetime!

Enjoy every moment of your honeymoon shower, and be sure to send a personalized thank you to the people that helped give you a beautiful honeymoon vacation.

Researching for your honeymoon? Then my following guides may be of help: