Must everyone invited to a shower be invited to the wedding?

Yes, normally, anyone invited to a shower should be invited to the wedding. Showers are intimate gatherings for people you know very well. You should only invite people who are also invited to the wedding. ... It's also considered proper etiquette for close relatives of the bride-to-be's spouse to attend the shower.

One exception: when co-workers wish to throw an office shower for the bride, even though all are not being invited to the wedding. The shower in this case is their way of wishing the couple well.

You shouldn't feel bad about keeping your wedding shower intimate. In fact, the host or hostess may choose to narrow down their list to only the nearest and dearest people in their life and, in the case of a joint coed shower, their partner's life. Many of the popular games and wedding shower traditions wouldn’t lend well to a much larger guest list. The intimacy of a wedding shower allows that.