In other words, the bride and groom had next to nothing. Bridal shower gifts gave the bride a chance to stock up on things like linens, delicate work, and other things deemed necessary to creating her home.

These days, though, people get married later, and most of them have lived alone and already own many of the things we used to give as bridal shower gifts. That can make coming up with unique bridal shower gift ideas all the more difficult.

So now it's a few days before, and whoops! Your house looks like a plain old house. What on earth can you do? Never fear -- here are some simple, fun, and inexpensive bridal shower decorations that will transform any room into party central.

The Internet is your friend, intrepid shopper. It's chock full of wedding shower ideas for even the pickiest bride.

Wedding shower poems are a great way to express what you really feel. You can do all sorts of things with them, too: use them in your own wedding cards, create posters for decoration, or create favors. There are so many wonderful ways to use poetry to express wedding shower ideas that it's amazing more people don't do it!

So lately I've been thinking up new and creative bridal shower ideas for the showers coming up this fall, and I thought I would share some of them with you. Enjoy!

For example, who doesn't love a sweet treat, no matter what time of day? Who can't enjoy a really delicious dip with a veggie platter? If you're looking to cook a roast for twelve, I can't help you out -- but if you want some simple and delicious bridal shower recipes, you're in the right place.

But if you really want to wow 'em, you'll need more unique wedding shower themes. An easy way to do that is to put a twist on a classic. In this case, take a classic theme -- the standard tea party -- and make it special by adding a magical twist.

Bridal shower quotes usually express exactly what you are thinking but much clearer and more beautifully than you ever could -- or at least, than I ever could! I rely very heavily on wedding shower quotes not only for all the uses I mentioned above, but for inspiration: I've been known to get all kinds of wedding shower ideas from quotes, or even base my entire theme around a single quotation!

But what if she isn't? Great news: it doesn't matter! Finding unique bridal shower themes is difficult enough without following arbitrary rules. No one ever said the shower and wedding themes had to match, and if the bride doesn't have a theme for her wedding, so much the better -- maybe you'll help her find one!

With that in mind, prizes for your wedding shower games should be an important part of the planning process, not an afterthought. Here are some tips on how to choose your prizes as well as some suggestions for unique gift ideas.

OK, so it's not as bad as all that -- but that's how a lot of women feel when they have to plan a bridal shower. This is especially true if you're not an experienced party planner, cake decorator, or interior designer -- and I'm going to go out on a limb and say that's most of you.

Fortunately, wedding shower cakes don't have to be difficult. Here are some simple tips for beautiful but simple bridal shower cake ideas.

Fortunately, the Internet is your friend when it comes to bridal shower gifts. You can find so many cool, clever, and interesting gifts online that you won't be able to decide which is best. No one will know how you thought of such unique bridal shower gift ideas, and the bride will remember your contribution for the rest of her life.