The Season of Bridal Showers

June is the month of weddings, which makes May the month of bridal showers. Both giving many opportunities for memories. I often wondered how these events began. I had heard stories about poundings for brides beginning a new life without pantry goods and always assumed this to be the origin of bridal showers. But, I was wrong and will share with you my new found knowledge. You may already know the answer, if so, bear with me.

The custom of the bridal shower dates back to around the 16th or 17th Century in the Netherlands. At that time, it was expected that when a girl married, she would come into the marriage with a dowry, which consisted of cash, land or livestock, or the household goods needed to establish a home. It is told that a young Dutch girl fell in love with a kind hearted miller. The miller often gave free bread to any villager who could not afford to pay him, thus the miller was rich in friendship and respect, but poor in cash.

When the girl announced her intention to marry the miller, her father disapproved, and threatened to withhold her dowry. When the people of the village learned of the young couple’s plight, they decided to repay the miller for his kindness, and came together to assemble a sizable trousseau of household goods. They “showered” the miller and his bride-to-be with linens, china, vases, and all of the other items which they would need to set up their home as newlyweds. It’s said that the father of the bride was so touched by this sweet gesture that he agreed to the marriage and also dished out a hefty dowry to bless the new couple.

This began a tradition of helping newlyweds who could not afford a dowry, or those whose father opposed the alliance. Since then, it has been a custom for the bride’s family and friends to shower her with gifts before she embarks on a new journey, marriage.

Bridal showers became popular in the United States in the 1890s, when the idea came into fashion among the ladies of the upper middle class in the Victorian era. The ladies of high social standing organized bridal showers. These were held regardless of the need of the bride, as a social occasion, becoming quite a rage in America during the 1930s. In rural America, the event was often called a pounding, an old-fashioned type of bridal shower, in which guests would bring practical gifts to literally stock the couple’s future pantry with necessities, such as a pound of sugar or flour.

And… that’s how it began!