Do I bring a gift to a bridal shower?

Wow, I agree your boss is way out of line with this.

Anyone invited to the shower should be on the wedding guest list.

Your boss is basically forcing you to give a gift to a co-worker you don't know well enough to be giving a gift to.

Gifts Grace suggests are way too expensive for you to buy, as a person who isn't attending the wedding and not a friend to the bride.

I would bite the dust and take the high road and buy a gift.

Go to Hobby Lobby, Home Goods, TJ Max and pick up a small silver or white frame - under $20

Not that it matters, but your boss is way out of line doing this. As others have mentioned, gifts are mandatory at these, which can put people in awkward positions if they feel they can't decline. I reported someone to HR once for doing this.

Anyway, if I were you, I'd go to a place like Ross, TJ Maax, or even a half price book place and get a cookbook (new, of course) at reduced prices. It's easy to find something for $10 or even less that looks like a $30 cookbook.

I would not pursue a group gift. If these girls know her well, they're probably going to be spending more than you want to. (If you don't care about that, then it might be worth asking, but it sort of forces you to spend it. It would be odd to decline and tell them it's too much money),.

Is it a work shower, held in the office? If so, I'd talk to your manager, the shower organizer, or other coworkers to see what they're doing ... I've worked in many offices that held showers for brides and new moms/dads, and my office threw one for me when I got married, and every setup was different. Some offices just had a cake and a card for the guest of honor to wish them well, and occasionally HR would give them a gift on behalf of everyone in the company; other offices asked us all to bring in something small (one example was wipes or diapers for a baby shower); other offices asked everyone to kick in a bit of money so that the guest of honor could be given a large cash gift or gift card.

See what others are doing. Ask if you'll be contributing money to a group gift. If not, and if you want to bring something, then just get something small - a pack of cute dish towels, a measuring cup and measuring spoon set, or maybe even a small gift card. Or even a bottle of wine or champagne.

If it's a "traditional" shower at a restaurant or someone's home ... then, yes, definitely bring a gift.

A shower is a gift giving event, so you should bring a gift.

Pick something from her registry if she has one, or perhaps talk with some other co-workers and maybe do a group gift.

A shower is a gift-giving event, so yes, you should bring a gift. However, are you invited to the wedding? If you're not, you really shouldn't be invited to a shower, and personally, I would decline the invitation.

Yes you could all go in together or get her something impersonal but not thoughtless. Something like a massage/couples massage or a facial at a lovely spa, a voucher to a nice restaurant or a good bottle of wine.

Seeing as it's a coworker bridal shower she won't be expecting anything personal or sentimental.

The whole point of a shower is to give gifts to the bride to be and her guy to start off their life. Yes,a gift is in order.

A bridal shower gift that may be more personal for the bride such as a kitchen shower or lingerie shower would be one gift

Yes, you take a gift. Sometimes depending on how well you know your co-workers, they will all go in for a group gift and give her one larger gift. You do not have to give another gift if you do this.

Go to the nearest crafts store and get a recipe book.

Print out a few of your favorite recipes- the old go-to, easy to make from common stuff, and maybe something old and special that no one else would have.

Then write a little note in it, something simple about how you wish her the best. It will be sweet, thoughtful, and easy to do.

And best of all, cheap... but if you give her the right recipes, priceless.