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Disappointing Bridal Shower Experience: My Vent Session | PC Consultant Story

In summary, the speaker shares their disappointment and frustration with a recent bridal shower where they worked hard to prepare food and games, but only five people showed up. They also mention feeling let down by a previous experience with a rude customer. The speaker learns a lesson to communicate expectations clearly with future hosts.
StephanieTPC
18
I think I just need to vent and most of my friends and family are tired of hearing about PC, so I hope you don't mind if I do it here.

I did a "bridal shower" last night. It was only my second show. I prepped and prepped and worked my butt off. It was supposed to be a surprise to the bride so I didn't have a wish list and due to the sheer number of people who were supposed to be there I made up a product book so people could take the card of the item they wished to buy out of the book and that would alleviate duplicates.

The MOH told me there was going to be at least 25 people there (or more) and that we needed to make two recipes that needed to be doubled. She picked out the Asian Pot Stickers and the Strawberry Amaretto pastries. My wonderful fiance wanted to try his hand at making the profiterole puffs and he made those as a special gift in the brides' wedding colours (pale pink, baby blue, peach and white). So I made 48 potstickers and 36 pastries. Plus we brought 48 profiterole puffs.

So I get there, I'm excited. I 've put a lot of effort into it. I came up with games. I decorate my table. I get all my things in order.

5 people showed up. WIth five kids. ALL brought her outside gifts. They all showed up around the same time - 45 minutes late.

I don't think I can begin to explain how disappointed I am. I worked my tail-end off prepping before the show, standing on my feet on concrete floors (it was being held at a church) - and I've got buristis in my knees that's flared up and makes it painful to stand or even walk. One lady commented that she doesn't think it's necessary to have Pampered Chef tools inthe kitchen as they're expensive and you can make anything with a little elbow grease and imagination.

They told me they didn't want to see the demo, only eat the food and look at a catalog. I sat in the corner of the room most of the night after I cleaned up all of my hardwork and was on the verge of tears. I drove over an hour for this show. My son and my fiance had to drive along with me and had to sit at their grandparents all night waiting for me to finish too..

Between the lady yelling at me from Babies R Us and this horrible show, I feel like a total failure. I mean I know it's not my fault no one showed up and no one wanted to buy anything for the bride. I did get some sales - $50 dollars total. They told me though to cancel the order if they had to pay direct shipping. No one bought anything for the bride and I felt so bad for her too - she kept saying how she wanted this and that and how she and her fiance had nothing to start their house with. She got a LOT Of lingerie though from people though. 4 out of five of the people who brought her gifts brought her some sort of lingerie.

Ok I know this is long and I went totally off on a tangent, but this is a pretty crappy mother's day weather wise and I'm not feeling so hot about things. I know people have it much worse than me and I shouldn't be throwing myself a pity party, but I just feel so let down. Five people and their five kids ate every bit of food - and two of the ladies had the nerve to comment that the food wasn't "good ol fashioned cookin'".

Thanks for reading this if you made it this far.
 
How Horrible!I feel so horrible for you Stephanie! You have every right to be upset about this. It looks to me like the person hosting (if you can call it that!:confused: ) has you confused with her local catering company! She obviously didn't bother to let everyone know what kind of wedding shower this was supposed to be. All I can say is thankfully this experience is OVER. The next time, be darn sure that your host knows what a Pampered Chef wedding shower is all about. Although I have not yet had the opportunity to do a Wedding Shower, I know I'm going to take a 'lesson learned' from your experience and make sure the host knows what I expect.

Thank you for sharing....and I hope this NEVER EVER happens to you again!!!!

And don't worry about venting to us....that's one of the reasons we're here! We understand the highs and lows much better than our friends & family.

Keep your chin up, it will get better!

Linda
 
Stephanie,

I'm very sorry this happened to you! Vent here anytime. We have broad shoulders and know where you are coming from . . .

Do you have contact information for the Bride? Perhaps she would like to start a Wedding Registry. Maybe she has "non-losers" in the family.

My suggestion for you and anyone else who might read this, keep a couple of Wedding Shower invitations on hand. If someone wants to have a shower, be sure they use these invites.

Shake it off.

Happy Mother's Day!
 
I am so sorry honey {{{{hugs}}}}...I would call the bride and have her set up a registry and hopefully people can purchase off of that for her. I absolutely hate it when things like this happen, it's just crappy.

Usually, these things will only happen once! Enjoy this day...it only comes once a year!!!
 
Hi Stephanie,

Wow, that is terrible! I'm so sorry your second show was so bad! Did you know the bride or maid of honor prior to the shower??

If the bride really loves the products, it's likely she will register, as others have mentioned. Have you thought about asking HER to host a show? If she doesn't have time now, maybe after the wedding? That way, she can earn lots of free and discounted products and get a bigger discount!:D

Good luck and don't let one or two bad things get you down! We all have our good days and bad days...
 
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Oh Stephanie!
That's terrible.:( I feel really badly for you!!! This was NOT fair to you at all and it seems like the bride would be disappointed too. Not just because she didn't get some things she obviously was excited about, but that barely anyone came to her shower!! What is wrong with those people? If the person hosting this thought there'd be that many people, I'd assume she got RSVPs right? How terrible that that many of her friends blew it off.

On a positive note, you will probably NEVER have an experience like that again. Sure, there will be shows with low/no attendance, but you will likely not put as much work into those as you did into this. I did a wedding shower a week ago and it WAS a lot of work. Next time you'll know that it can be a lot of work to prepare for it, but hopefully the host/organizer will be better about getting the shower off the ground.

On another positive note, the bride DOES seem to like PC so definitely call her and talk to her about the registry. Send her extra registry cards so she can let people know she's got a PC registry. The Home Office will send her 30. When is she getting married? Does she have other showers? Stay in touch with her and encourage her to have her own show once the stress of the wedding dies down. It's a good way to have her show wedding pictures to friends and relatives and tie it in with a PC party. I have a feeling the host didn't inform people what this show was about. AND she thought you were the caterer!!! Don't worry.....it WILL get better for you in this business. Stick with it!:)
 
  • Thread starter
  • #7
Thank you for all for your kind words. I really needed them.

I asked the bride if she wanted to do a bridal registry but she said no, that her wedding was in two weeks and since no one bothered to come to her wedding shower she wasn't up for the "humiliation" (her words, not mine). I think she was probably just as mortified and horrified at the whole thing as I was.

The MOH knew exactly what to put on the invitations, and she put in a note explaining. She said she got 20 confirmed RSVPs. I'm not quite sure what happened - other than maybe people just don't care? I don't RSVP to something unless I plan on going and unless it's a major emergency, I just don't not show up.

It brightened my day a little bit yesterday when the MOH of stopped by my house and dropped off a bouquet of flowers and thank you card. I thought that was really sweet of her. It doesn't change the sales or the effort, but I do think she genuinely wanted it to be a success.

I told the bride I would call her in a few months and maybe we'd try a Pampered Chef housewarming party, where she could do the inviting herself (rather than going off a list her mother insisted she use) and that maybe she could get her kitchen "pampered" that way.

I'm trying to chalk this up to "You live and learn" and this was a very good lesson.
 
I feel so bad that this happened to you!! And feel bad for the bride. I would send maybe a note to all the people that didn't show up and offer to put in an order for the bride-to-be. Explain that not a lot of people came and the bride-to-be was upset and you want to brighten her day!!! It was nice that the MOH came by with a thank-you. I can't believe that these people would do this to the bride!! Keep your head high and move on;)
 
ask for ordersYuck! How nice for her to bring flowers. Maybe now the MOH can ask those 20 people who RSVPd to make an order. If half order something, then you'd have a show and wouldn't lose your $50 order. You could also ask the bride to consider hosting a shower for one of her friends - she's bound to know somebody getting married soon.

Good luck.
 
  • #10
Way To Go Girl!!!Stephanie wrote: "I told the bride I would call her in a few months and maybe we'd try a Pampered Chef housewarming party, where she could do the inviting herself (rather than going off a list her mother insisted she use) and that maybe she could get her kitchen "pampered" that way".

This is the right attitude!!! Have her do her own show and she can be in charge of who is invited.

I like that you put her first even in the light of a bad event. I think it will pay off in the long run.

If any of the "old crowd" book off of her show, suggest a catalog show:D It sounds like the bride really liked the product. Make sure she has your website info - just in case she changes her mind.

I have a Bridal Shower next week - so you have made me wonder if I have done all that I can to help the host be successful for the bride - a few more phone calls couldn't hurt on my part - right??

Good luck on your next show.
 

What is a "Bridal Shower Disaster"?

A "Bridal Shower Disaster" is when a bridal shower event does not go as planned or encounters unexpected problems.

What are some common causes of a "Bridal Shower Disaster"?

Some common causes of a "Bridal Shower Disaster" include last-minute cancellations or no-shows, poor weather conditions, and issues with the venue or food.

How can I prevent a "Bridal Shower Disaster"?

To prevent a "Bridal Shower Disaster," make sure to plan ahead and have a backup plan in case of any unexpected circumstances. Communicate clearly with guests and vendors to avoid any miscommunications. It can also be helpful to have a designated person to handle any issues that may arise during the event.

What should I do if a "Bridal Shower Disaster" does occur?

If a "Bridal Shower Disaster" does occur, try to stay calm and address the issue as quickly and efficiently as possible. Use your backup plan if necessary and communicate with guests to keep them updated. Remember to focus on the positive aspects of the event and try to make the best of the situation.

Are there any products or services that can help prevent a "Bridal Shower Disaster"?

Pampered Chef offers a variety of products that can help make your bridal shower run smoothly. Our Party Planning Checklist can help you stay organized and on track with your event. Our Party Pantry Set can also help with food preparation and storage. Additionally, our consultants are happy to offer tips and advice to help prevent any potential disasters.

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