Groom 101

Unique Couples Wedding Shower Ideas (for Fun Loving Brides & Grooms)

Chris Easter

Getting the groom excited about attending a bridal shower has, sadly, been a traditional tough sell. The good news is that the times-are-a-changing! It’s becoming much more common for couples to have at least one coed shower that includes the groom and his friends. These showers are generally known as couples showers or Jack and Jill showers. They tend to be more focused on home improvement, bar accessories, backyard activities and honeymoons. This list of ideas will help get you ready to throw the best couples shower possible.

Who is Invited to a Couples Wedding Shower?

The guest list for these showers generally includes couples that the newlyweds-to-be are friends and family with. However, you don’t want to be rude. If a member of your wedding party or a close friends isn’t dating anyone, don’t leave them out. Encourage them to bring a friend or come alone. The more the merrier!

If you’re planning on throwing a couples shower, here’s a short list of our favorite shower themes along with gift and game ideas.

Bar & Grill Couples Shower Shower

Overview: Each guest/couple usually brings a gift that can be used for the bar and grill, including items to help stock the bar, grill accessories or maybe even a group gift of a new grill. This shower will put your new home in great shape for being able to host the next big shindig, whether it’s Monday Night Football or a casual afternoon BBQ.

Themes: One idea is a Hawaiian theme, complete with Hawaiian shirts, outdoor string lighting, pig roast (or just BBQ pork), deck lights, coconuts, and more.

Game Ideas: “How Do You Really Feel?” – Provide every guest at the shower with a scrap of paper and a pen. Have them write down the chore they least like to do and why in this format: “I hate _____ because _______.” Example: “I hate doing laundry because it takes all day and makes the house hot.” Have the guests turn in their chores, and then pass them back out so that no one gets their own chore. Now, have everyone read the paper they received, but replace the word “chore” with the word “sex.” The sentence then becomes, “I hate sex because it takes all day and makes the house hot.” This can be a fun game for a mature crowd and helps to keeps things pretty lively.

Gift Ideas:

Home Improvement Couples Shower

Overview: Each guest/couple usually brings some type of gadget that can be used to remodel, update or repair things around the home. This may include tool sets, painting equipment and dry wall tools. Not that your place isn’t already perfect, but depending on who moves in with whom, we can guarantee that you’ll either want to repaint the pink walls or be asked to put your shot glass collection away in the home-built chest downstairs — permanently.

Themes: The party can be casual, or you can get creative with costumes. If you go with costumes, guests could wear painting gear, Carhartts, or plumbing outfits (just make sure to review your guest list before you go with this idea).

Game Ideas: Clothes Pin Game with a Twist – Write out enough name tags for the guest list, but instead of writing the guests’ names, write down the name of a tool. When guests arrive, they’ll be asked to grab a clothespin and choose a name tag that best suits them — or least embarrasses them. For example, write “Tool” on a name tag. The person who takes the name tag must be called by this name all night. If someone is caught calling them by their real name, that person will have to give their clothespin to “Tool.”

Gift Ideas:

  • Tool sets
  • Tool storage
  • Power drill
  • Electric screwdriver
  • Wet dry vac

Backyard and Garden Couples Shower

Overview: Each guest/couple usually brings a gift that can be used for the yard, such as landscaping tools and equipment, hammocks, putting greens or outdoor lighting. There are so many odds and ends that will make you a regular at the hardware store, this is a good way to get started on your award-winning, back-breaking, greener-than-your-neighbor’s yard.

Themes: One option is to ask everyone to wear costumes. A Hawaiian theme is always popular. Colorful shirts, shorts, sandals, and piña coladas — how can you possibly go wrong?

Game Ideas: Late afternoon might even include a slip and slide contest (we don’t recommend drinking and sliding simultaneously, of course).

Gift Ideas:

  • Fire pit
  • Outdoor thermometer
  • Outdoor speakers
  • Party lights
  • Weed eater
  • Hammock
  • Birdhouse

Honeymoon Couples Shower

Overview: Each guest/couple usually brings a gift that can be put toward or used on the honeymoon. Depending on your honeymoon destination, gifts might include excursions, snorkeling gear, hiking equipment, towels or travel guides. Weddings and honeymoons are expensive celebrations that can be limited by finances, but a honeymoon shower will help ease these pressures for the bride and groom.

Themes: Take a look at the culture, food, drink, music, and clothing style of the honeymoon destination. If it’s Mexico, serving tropical drinks, Mexican food, and hiring a three-piece Mariachi band are good options. The location of the party can always be spiced up by hanging up posters and laying out travel guides.

Game Ideas: Think about the traditions of the honeymoon destination. For Mexico, the bride and groom could be blindfolded at different times, and lead each other to a piñata. The piñata could be filled with gift certificates, cash, and other items for the honeymoon.

Gift Ideas:

  • Gift cards (Visa, American Express, airline, etc.)
  • Honeymoon excursions
  • Camera
  • Beach gear
  • Travel guides

The Man Registry Recommendation

If we had to pick one, we recommend going with the home improvement shower. Tools tend to be gifts that last for a lifetime — regardless of whether you live in a house or an apartment. And remember to be creative. There’s no reason that a home improvement shower can’t include BBQ, grill accessories and other gifts that both the groom and the bride will be excited about.

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