Bridal showers (or kitchen teas) and hens’ parties (or bachelorette parties) used to be two distinctly separate events, but most brides now-a-days only have one of them unless they need to separate them out for different guests – a hens’ night out for their friends and a bridal shower for their parents’ friends, for instance.

Traditionally bridal shower gifts were about setting the young bride up with the basics for her role as wife and homemaker. Gifts might have included a toaster or a set of measuring spoons. Nowadays most women would cringe at that statement, and besides, few newlyweds are moving in straight from their parents’ home as they might have in the past. The chances are good they are already set up with the basics for running their household.

So here are some contemporary bridal shower gift ideas; gifts that will be of interest to the modern bride, and meet our standards of sustainable, ethical gifts.

This 100% Organic Moist Heat Eye Pillow might be just the thing for a tired bride taking some time out to relax. These moist heat packs are filled with 100% organic flax seed.

A Market Basket, Handmade by Fair Trade Artisans This can be a useful gift in itself, or could be used as the basis of a gift basket, filled either with useful items or with luxuries (things like some excellent fairtrade chocolate, wine and a bath soak come to mind).

Handmade Fair Trade Cotton Quilt Bedding – Queen Size This beautiful quilt could create a new look and feel for the couple’s marriage bed, whether they were living together previously or not. And of course it would look just as good in the spare room of their new house.

Guatemalan Handmade Yellow/Gold with a touch of Green Patchwork Quilt – Twin On the other hand, this gorgeous quilt could be used for a spare room or a child’s bedroom (sometime down the track, presumably), or as a throw or wall hanging in the lounge room.

The Fairtrade Everyday Cookbook – from “lite bites” to main courses to not-so guilty pleasures, this is a great gift for your foodie friend bride.

This beautiful Handmade Ganesh Journal, made under Fairtrade conditions in Nepal, could be used to document the bride’s first year of marriage, or perhaps as a guest book either at the wedding or in the couple’s new home together.

These Rocamojo Organic French Roast Gourmet Coffee Beans come in a 5-Pound Bag, and may be just the thing to help the bride get through the hectic schedule that always seems to lead up to a wedding!

Not sure yet? See more fabulous bridal shower gift ideas here.
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Tags: bridal shower gifts, Fair Trade gift ideas, fairtrade gifts, gift basket ideas, Organic gift ideas