Avoid the tension, anxiety, suspicious, and fights about what happens at a traditional, drinkfest/stripper-fest bachelor or bachelorette party -- the most common pre-wedding fight between brides and grooms -- by planning something completely different! Something that everyone can attend, from the kids to the parents, even grandma!

Everyone needs a fun day out, right? Well, I've got your solution!

Go to a FanFest! Those conventions where celebrities appear, and you can talk with them, take photos with them, get autographs, and just jump up and down when you see them in person doing a Q&A onstage. I'd rather meet a celebrity than some male exotic dancer telling me to 'polish the apple' as he holds up his bicep in front of my face. Eeew! And I know I'd rather my groom meet celebrities than whoever's listed in some ad in the back of a magazine.

Here's an example: This weekend is the hot ticket TwiTour Twilight convention. Yes, it's Twilight, and all of our favorites will be there -- Ashley Greene included. This event has been sold out for months, and imagine the excitement of everyone from your flowergirls to your junior bridesmaids, all the way up to the Moms who love their Twilight when you announce that this is going to be your pre-wedding celebration! Everyone gets to sit in on a Q&A session, you may get to have brunch with the stars, meet the director of the movie, and shop like crazy -- money far better spent on Edward keepsakes than on shots of tequila!

I love these shows, for the creativity of the sets, the excited vibe in the showrooms, the chance to speak to artists and creators who are big in the news, and the thrill of getting to say, "I was there!" The same-old bachelorette party doesn't give you this kind of fun and excitement for your entire group, young and old!

For your local tour dates and the Creation Entertainment lineup of upcoming tour dates, visit their website today, and GROOMS, this means you too! You and your guys might prefer to go to a fanfest event in place of a stripper-party. I took my groom to a big fanfest featuring NFL stars, and he got to meet his hero Dan Marino. It was a great moment! And the pictures are fabulous!

These shows are often ultra-inexpensive to attend -- sometimes just $20 per person, and it's a very fun time! So check out the Twilight tour, see what else they have on tap, and get your group ready for a fun and conflict-free party!

What happens if you find out that your bridesmaids are having a LOT of problems with your mom as they plan the bridal shower?

Mom wants them to invite a few dozen more relatives, because 'that's how it's done in the family.'

Mom wants them to include shower games, which you all agree are tacky and hated by most guests.

Mom wants to decide on the menu so that the relatives 'will actually eat.'

If the battle's raging and you've heard about it from your mom or from your bridal party members, you need to step in and blow the whistle. You won't have a battle over a party in your honor, something that's supposed to be a happy occasion.

If your Mom is contributing money to the party, then yes, she should get some say in the planning. If she's just pulling rank as The Mom, then she gets a little bit of say. Why No say? Because that sets up resentments, and gets your Mom whining and moaning about being left out of the plans. Life was easier when Moms weren't allowed to host bridal showers, according to etiquette rules. Now that they're either planning or expecting to plan (because their friends have helped to plan showers for their daughters), it's best to give her a little something her way.

But you're The Bride, and you get to veto whatever you don't like. And the MOH gets to let you use that Veto. If your MOH says to you, "Hey, your Mom is driving us crazy with her plans for all kinds of games," you can and should call your Mom directly and let her know that A. you don't want all kinds of games at your shower, since you don't want the party to drag on for hours, B. you'd like your Mom to chill out about the games issue and focus instead on something she does have a chance at arranging, which is the decor or the cake choice, and C. "Don't call my friends at work to talk about the shower. They could get fired."

Some Moms get ultra-excited and forget about a little thing called boundaries. They don't like losing control...over you, over the wedding, over the fact that you getting married means they're the mother of a married person. So they might clamp down on a strange topic, like shower games, to see if they can get their way, to see if they can win and thus prove that they still have some authority. That's a bad thing to get caught in.

Better to lay down the law with Mom, but in a nice and respectful way, coming right out and saying 'No, I don't want that. This is what I do want, and what I'd like your input on, and here's the thing I need you not to do anymore.' Most Moms don't realize they're stepping on toes, and they need your firm, but polite guidance.

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The Ultimate Bridal Shower Idea Book