Take the advice of Ms. Middaugh and learn to have fun showering with your friends.

What was it, you're wondering to yourself, that made you accept the seemingly innocuous offer to be the maid of honor in your sister's wedding? Was it the threat of her never speaking to you again if you declined? Was it the "honor" in being the best maid? Perhaps it was the thrill of being made to walk down the aisle in fourteen pounds of taffeta and French tulle? Regardless of the reason, now you've got the title, and all the honor that goes with it, but you've also got some fairly serious responsibility to the bride. One of the primary tasks assigned to the M of H is to plan and execute a bridal shower. Showering the bride with gifts is the primary function of the shower, hence the name. The reason this job falls to the M of H as opposed to the bride herself is that it would be inappropriate for a bride to throw a gift-giving party for herself. Instead, her most honored bridesmaid must determine which items the bride needs most, and translate those needs into a gathering of her closest friends. If there's a shower on your calendar, even if you're not the one to give it, you'll want to keep this in mind: Gifts should be relatively inexpensive. Remember, you're going to have to kick in for the wedding gift as well. If you're not invited to the shower you don't have to send a gift. Conversely, if you are invited to a shower and you attend, you absolutely have to bring one. If you're invited and you cannot attend it's nice but not necessary to send along something small. It's okay to combine shower and wedding gifts. If the theme of the shower is "Kitchen Shower" where all the guests bring a small kitchen utensil, but you bring an expensive breadmaker, consider yourself covered for both the shower and the wedding; The term bridal shower evokes images of women at their girliest. But thoughts of lace and bows and floral dresses can be downright uncomfortable to the urban, the career oriented, or seriously modern bride. There are ways, however to throw a shower that is in line with the character of your bride. With a little humor it is indeed possible to make even a bridal shower hip. Regardless of the theme you choose, keep the goal of procuring gifts for the bride in mind. A more needy bride is probably better served by a shower with a more traditional theme, such as a "Kitchen Shower" or a "Linen Shower" where guests bring a sheets, towels or the like. But for an older bride who may already have accumulated the basics, or for affluent couples, it may be more appropriate (and more fun!) to throw a bridal shower with a sense of humor. For instance: The Bar Shower. This shower is best given in the evening. You can write the invitation on the back of a common pressed-paper coaster, the kind used for beer glasses in bars. Guests bring gifts ranging from glassware, to jars of green olives, to hard liquor. The goal is to leave the bride with a fully stocked bar, but inevitably some gifts will be consumed over the course of the party. Dollhouse Bridal Shower. This theme shower is perfect for an occasion in which the bride is in need of only one item of great expense. Guests are asked to make a financial contribution to the single gift to the bride, and also to bring a miniature version of a regular shower gift. The bride will be perplexed as her collection of miniature housewares grows -- until the grand finale when the single large gift is brought out. The shower-giver also presents a small doll house to house bride's new miniatures. Double Wedding--Double shower. When two couples within the same family or circle of friends are getting married at or around the same time, throw a double shower and kill two birds with…well you know. Each bride is told that the shower is for the other. You can make the theme of the party the number two: serve two cakes, have twin clowns perform, and ask that guests bring identical gifts. You can create wedding invitations in the style of an advertisement for a two-for-one sale. Travel Shower. If the couple travels a lot, or has travel-related jobs, a travel shower is appropriate. You can hand-write invitations on picture post cards. Maps and train schedules serve as decorations. If you want to get really creative, you could put a little model airplane at each place setting (assuming you're having a sit-down meal). Gifts range from a compass, to a wattage converter, to a small piece of luggage. An open suitcase is an excellent way to display gifts until the bride is able to open them. Lingerie party. There is nothing new about lingerie parties, and they are invariably events full of humor and adult fun. Invitations can be made in the style of a Victoria's Secret catalog, with cut-outs of lingerie-clad models pasted inside. But the real fun ensues when the bride begins opening box after box of lingerie--the more risqué the better. Bridesmaid gown party. The most humorous party of all, the emphasis of this theme is not on the gifts, but rather the guests. Every woman comes to the shower in a bridesmaid dress from a previous wedding. The clash of extravagant styles is both hideous and hilarious. Gifts should still be practical and in line with the bride's needs, but the display will be a humorous reminder to the bride that whatever dress she has chosen for her bridesmaids will be a contribution to their catalog of similarly impractical, unwearable fashion catastrophes.