I am the maid of honor and am starting to plan the bridal shower. I am a student and have already put out a bunch of money for the dress etc. The bride knows and understands that there is not a lot of money for me to "host" a shower. I was considering having the shower in a restaurant and letting each guest know by the invitation that they were responsible for their own meals. Is this proper? Another thought I had was to have a private cooking lesson for the group where the cost for food would be per person. I was thinking of having each person again pay for their own food and I could cover the cost of the chef. I don't know if this is proper etiquette and I could really use some advice. I am the only attendant so there is no option to share the cost among the other attendants and I don't know any of the guests the bride wants invited except her mother. Help!!
Hosting a party where you make your "guests" pay is never an acceptable option and is not proper wedding etiquette.
Host a shower you can afford. Perhaps you could invite the guests to your home for tea and finger sandwiches (home made) or coffee and cake. Under no circumstances should you invite people to a party and then suggest they pay for themselves.