Showers add excitement By Ann Stack Staff Reporter - U Cy/ or those who are not plan yf ning a wedding right now, v'—^ but have friends, siblings or other relatives who are, throwing a pre-wedding party may be one way to help celebrate. Traditional parties such as bridal showers and bachelor parties are still popular, and couple parties are be coming increasingly popular. For traditional bridal showers, wed ding consultants say the maid of honor or someone else in the wedding party should throw the shower. However, the shower should not be thrown by a member of the immediate family, Dillard’s Bridal Consultant Kristin Bock said. Bock, a senior interior design ma jor at the University of Nebraska-Lin coln, said while some traditions re mained, showers tended to be less formal than in the past. “Really, anymore you can do al most anything the bride wants,” she said. “These days, anything goes as long as it’s in good taste.” Most bridal showers are held in the home of the person hosting it, although it is not uncommon to have the shower in a restaurant’s party room. “A lot of couples like to have them in restaurants. Chi-Chi’s is a popular place,” said Mary Wehrwein, wed ding consultant at Occasions by De sign. “The White Rose has a wonderful menu, which is unique as far as Bridal showers go. They offer desserts like Really, anymore you can do almost anything the bride wants. These days, anything goes as long as it’s in good taste. — Bock Dillard’s bridal consultant cream puffs,” Bock said. Other interesting places would be P.O. Pears or The Garden Cafe. No matter what the year, some as pects of showers never change. Games and themes, for example, will never go out of style. Bock said she had seen some cre ative theme ideas, such as an ‘‘Around the Clock” shower where each guest was assigned a time of day and a room and the guest leaves an appropriate gift in that room. For example, Bock said, if a guest was assigned the kitchen at 6 a.m., he or she could leave a toaster as the gift. Koc alcA CAAn n . ** where the guests each brought a recipe and something to cook it with. Other theme ideas include the age old lingerie party, or a bachelorette party. Bock suggested incorporating a lingerie and “stagette” party and go ing out to bars afterwards. Although games are not always the most popular form of entertainment at bridal showers, they are usually played out of respect to tradition. “There are books available with games that can be played at showers,” Wehrwein said. Crossword puzzles, Pictionary and charades are staple shower games. Another timeless tradition is the stag or bachelor party, the men’s ver sion of a bridal shower. Typically, these are usually more informal than showers and are given by either the best man or by a brother of the groom. “There’s a wide variance in stag parties,” Bock said. “Usually, his friends get together, get him a gift and go to the bars.” msieau oi navmg a separate onaai shower or bachelor party, couple par ties are on the rise. “I’ve seen a growing trend towards couple parties,” Wehrwein said. “The couples are getting together, and it’s geared more towards both of them and the marriage in general. “I saw one couple who had a non perishable food shower. The guests brought food to stock their shelves with,” Wehrwein said. Bock agrees that she has seen an increase in couple showers. “These days, couple showers are more popular; they get everyone in volved.” Looking to decorate with more color for a low cost? We have it aW ▼Balloon Decorating ▼Helium Tank Rental Do ii yourself or we'll Wide Variety of Mylars & Call For An d° & for you Latex Balloons Appointment ▼Centerpieces ▼Balloon Arcs 435-SEND (7363) ▼Gift Baskets Make your wedding reception memorable with Mobil DJ. and Karaoke services. Let us provide a total entertainment package for your wedding reception at one low price. • Over 1700 songs currently in our library and growing every month! Nobody has a larger Karaoke library. • We take requests-if the bride and groom want particular songs we will make every effort to secure them for your reception. For Karaoke or Dance Bookings ?=-===■ " 1—'*-j M-F 8:00 AM-5 00 PM 489-8651 Ask for Bruce For Whom the: Bells Toll 1 If wedding bells are beckoning, make your entrance into marriage in bold style — make it in a Holway tuxedo. Christian Di PERRY tor ELL LORD WEST chaps CROWN COLLECTION RALPH LAUREN HENRY GRETHEL FOR AFTER SIX*