If all of the bride's guests, family, friends, and relatives are far away, here's a cool idea! Have everyone out of town send a present along with a humorous or touching note or memory for the bride. Set up yourself and a few local friends to have the “unwrapping party.” Decorate some place and take pictures to send to the folks back home of the bride opening everything. It'll mean the world to those who cannot attend, and the world to your bride.

You would want to send the actual “invitation to send a present” on a piece of sturdy brown cardboard on which you have pasted a smaller printed explanation of what you want them to send. To decorate this invitation, use a bit of jute or even dress it up with a bit of ribbon and a tiny fan-folded spray of wedding gift wrap. Naturally, you will wrap these invitations, and a label preaddressed with your name and address on it, in plain brown paper, slightly oversized, and tie it with jute or twine. Very clever, and it will get the message across. This will probably cost fifty-five cents each to send, however.

At the shower, have the bride or someone read aloud the written memories before opening the packages.