There was a time when a bridal shower was held in order to help the new bride get all the things she would need to start married life. All you had to do was visit the housewares section, or choose something off the registry list, and you were finished. But, these days, many brides have already been living on their own before their wedding.

Instead of getting a bride's home ready for becoming a wife, the focus shifts to helping the bride herself. Bridal showers have become a time for women to get together and pamper the bride-to-be as well as to prepare her for married life. And that leaves a doorway for all kinds of unique gifts. Here are seven tips and ideas to make sure you give a memorable gift for your next bridal shower.

1. In this modern era, many engaged brides and grooms are paying for their own wedding and their own honeymoons. What would your bride love to have, but wouldn't buy for herself during this time in her life? Make some notes and, if necessary, get together with friends to purchase something that the bride will really enjoy. Another idea is to chip in to purchase something for the honeymoon: a romantic daylong getaway, for example, that the couple may not think they can afford on their own.

2. Some of the most popular bridal gifts are those that will help the bride-to-be remember the good times you have shared together. Create a collage or visit a photo processing website and create an album. Or simply frame your favorite photograph of yourself with the bride and include a sentimental message on the back.

3. Create a personalized gift basket for the bride. Fill the basket with her favorite pampering treats, including cremes and lotions or her favorite fragrance, which she can wear on her wedding day. For a really memorable gift, include a gift certificate to her favorite spa so she can enjoy a little pampering a day or two before the big daym especially during the hectic days before the wedding.

4. Another very popular bridal shower gift is lingerie. Try to coordinate the lingerie with the theme of the couple's honeymoon destination.

5. Give her a wedding day survival kit. You can purchase one of these already assembled from various online retailers, or you can make your own. Include anything that she might need just before the big day: hair spray, hair clips, her favorite bath gel, mints, deodorant, double-sided tape, and so on. Place all the essentials you can think of in a train case or other nice carrying case with a sentimental note.

6. Make something. Add a personal touch (and keep the costs down) by making something just for the bride-to-be. If you are handy with a needle and thread, see if there is something the bride would like you to make: a bridal veil, for example. Or perhaps you could help with the flowers or the centerpieces. Offer to create some favors or decorations, or, if you are a scrapbooker or a photographer, take some photographs of the days and weeks leading up to the wedding and create a keepsake album.

7. Think back to your own bridal shower, or any shower in recent memory. What bridal shower gifts drew the most ooh's and aah's from the other guests? Paying attention to things like this (and noting them at the time) will make you a great gift giver, in bridal showers, birthdays, and every other occasion, as well.

The key when trying to figure out a perfect bridal shower gift is to keep your focus on the bride and your personal relationship. Anything that celebrates the bride, or your relationship with her, as well as those items that contribute to her wedding day or honeymoon, will be perfect.