The traditional bridal shower once featuring petit fours and ribbon bouquets has evolved. Now more than ever, brides are celebrated by their friends with a variety of creative and modern parties. From activity-based gatherings to environmentally-aware practices, bridal shower trends of 2008 showcase a bride's individuality and spirit.

Today many bridal showers are no longer take place in the home. They range from a variety of public places, from a banquet hall to a favorite restaurant. These bridal showers can become quite expensive for the person throwing the shower. On top of location the typical gift for the bride to be also can be expensive, with the average price being $50 or more. Many brides are not only registering for wedding gifts, but also for shower gifts. The bride will open the gifts in front of all the guests where the hostess would then take them from the bride and put them on a table for the guests to admire later on.

Multiple showers are also becoming quite a trend. These days it is not normal for a bride to have one big shower, but numerous smaller bridal showers, with an average of three showers per bride to be. With smaller showers the bride to be will normally be given one from her family, the groom's family and by friends/co-workers. Smaller showers have become a trend due to the intimate and warm feeling a smaller group creates. The shower is no longer about the games, but about what the bride receives as well as catching up and talking with family and friends.

Spa Bridal Showers for pampering the bride-to-be and her closest friends is by far the most luxurious of the new shower trends. It's all about looking and feeling good, so long as the bride looks best. Budget-savvy showers feature a group manicure or pedicure followed by lunch at a local bistro. The more extravagant celebration includes all-day spa treatments or overnighters at resort spas. The bride is gifted with body products and spa gift certificates for future spa visits.