Jack and Jill...

...Party, that is. Not the cute rhyme we all learned as kids :)

Although J&J's are becoming more and more popular in the world of weddings, there are still a lot of people who don't know what they are or how to organize one. In fact, even after attending a few J&J's myself, I wasn't quite sure what they were exactly, other than a fun party with money making games.

Most online sources, including Toronto Brides, defines a Jack and jill as a co-ed shower.

Generally, J&J's :

- Are less formal than a traditional bridal shower
- Include both male and female guests, usually close friends
- Include games and raffles to raise money for the couple

Who organizes this?
Like a shower, typically your bridal party would take responsibility for putting this event together. If it hasn't been brought up yet, it never hurts to mention it to your Maid of Honour or Best Man, but then leave everything else up to them!

Who do we invite?
If you're not planning on having a separate bridal shower, than you can invite anyone you want, but preferrably from your wedding guest list. If you are, than typically you would invite those who are not invited to the bridal shower (friends, co-workers, etc). And yes, you may certainly have a J&J AND Bridal shower, as long as your bridal party is cool with organizing it. Just don't be surprised if friends and family can't make every event. Weddings and wedding-related events can be expensive for everyone.

The date's set. Now what?
Again, what you do at your Jack and Jill is entirely up to you and your fellow organizers, but generally J&J's have fun activities for the guests to take part in, and to raise money for the couple. You also have the option of accepting gifts, but if you decide to do games instead or to have a separate bridal shower, it's probably best to indicate that gifts are not required for the J&J in the invite. It's all about etiquette, ladies.

Not sure what activities to have? Here are a few that the Office Groom and I liked from other J&Js we've attended:

- Raffle. Simple and fairly easy to do. The tough part is collecting prizes. Now's the time to ask a few favours from friends with hook ups. Gift certificates, professional game tickets, a free car tune-up - anything and everything will help!

- Booze Coin Toss. This one's fun to play and watch! Simply place a large bottle of booze on the floor (preferrably not carpet) and have participants stand several metres away. They must toss coins (luckily, Canadians have $1 and $2 coins!) at the bottle, and whoever gets it closest wins the bottle. Great game if you know a lot of drinkers :)

- Orange Dance. Couples on the dance floor please! Oh, but not before you place an orange between yourselves before you boogy down! Last couple with an orange between them wins. I witnessed my parents doing this at my brother's J&J and it was both hilarious and traumatizing.

- Cash bar. Not really an activity, but still fun to have! Set up a bar and charge a small fee for drinks all night.