I will be hosting a shower for the bride that lives out of town. How can I ask the guests to send the gifts directly to the bride and bring cards with descriptions of the gift to the shower so that she can share what she received with the other guests?

Put it in the invitation.

I am hoping this idea isn't just a matter of convenience to the bride since the in-person giving of a gift is part and parcel of the pleasure of it. I mean if it were too inconveninet, then why not just send her a gift card from the store at which she registered (tacky but convenient). I realize she is out of town but shipping is certainly an option, isn't it? Where I live there is a Pack-N-Ship on every corner. Is there an unusual reason the bride won't be able to manage getting her gifts home herself? This suggestion may not go over too well if that reason isn't apparent. Just a thought.