When is the last time you heard a bride say she was having a bridesmaids' luncheon? If a luncheon was mentioned, did you wonder what the bride was talking about? Unless you live in the southern U.S., there is a good chance you are not familiar with this custom. In generations past, a bride honored her bridesmaids by hosting a luncheon, tea, or a similar social event for them. Other women in the wedding (such as soloists), the mothers and grandmothers of the bride and groom and perhaps an aunt or two were also invited (but not usually the flower girl). The bride often presented her gifts to the ladies at the party. The event was often held a week before the wedding, though some brides held it the day before the wedding. (The luncheon occurred in addition to a bachelorette party, not in place of it.) The luncheons, tea or brunch were sometimes held at a restaurant and other times at a private home. Dessert was usually a special cake containing charms, such as a coin, thimble and ri
