| Like any successful event that you’re
hosting, throwing a baby shower is all about how you plan and arrange
it. The following tips will help the party planner plan out this
important and joyous day, remain calm and relaxed the day of the
event, and help make the shower an enjoyable and pleasant occasion
for everyone—most importantly, the guest of honor!
To stay on top of the organization of the baby shower, compile
a guest list for the event. This will give you a rough estimate
of the number of people that will be at the shower, and will also
help you determine how much money the shower will end up costing
for items such as food, party favors, etc.
Sometimes a soon-to-be mom will be thrown more than one baby shower.
It may be helpful to find out when the other showers will be and
who’s invited so you’re not duplicating efforts. Family
members of the guest of honor should always be invited to a shower,
but you can decide whether or not to invite other friends who are
already part of a different shower. Get updated contact information
for all the guests you’re inviting, and keep that information
handy so you can track who’s coming and mail out any correspondence
after the event.
Settle on your budget soon after you start planning, because it
will likely affect where you’re going to throw the shower,
what type of food and décor you’ll have, whether or
not to have party favors, etc. Even with a low budget, you can still
throw a great event.
If the shower is expected to be a small crowd, consider throwing
it at someone’s house (or even your own). Holding it at an
outside venue can run up large costs, so this will save you money.
If the shower is going to include many guests, think about having
the event at a restaurant or even co-hosting the shower with another
close friend of the guest of honor. You can even ask close friends
and relatives to chip in for costs if they can’t help co-host
the shower.
Are you going to have a certain theme for the event? If you know
that the baby is a boy or girl, having a blue- or pink-themed shower
is simple and classic. Having a definite theme can affect how you
decorate or what will be on the menu. Remember to think about what
the guest of honor might appreciate. You can find tons of shower
theme ideas are available on the Internet.
Pick a date, preferably on a weekend, about a month or two before
the due date. For important guests who may be out of the area, consider
their schedules when picking the date. Decide on the location and
make sure it will hold everyone you’ve decided to invite.
Hosting it at your home versus a restaurant will save you lots of
money. Call ahead and early to reserve space at a restaurant if
that’s what you decide. Pick a place that you think the guest
of honor and the invitees will all like. Don’t forget to ask
if you can decorate the restaurant space if you’ve decided
to go with a certain theme.
Send out invitations to the guests about a month and a half before
the event. Follow up for RSVPS with phone calls if you haven’t
heard back from some guests after a month. Make sure the invitations
clearly detail the date and time of the shower, the name of the
location and a map with directions, your own phone number, and a
request/date for RSVP.
For food at the baby shower, you have the option to have a meal
for guests or light hors d’ouevres and refreshments. If the
shower is going to be at a restaurant, try to get the restaurant
menu ahead of time and look at the options. If you have a theme
for the shower, see if you can find how to match the theme with
options on the menu. For a baby shower at home, remember that you
can order catered food if you don’t want to prepare everything
from scratch. You’ll want ample utensils, napkins, dinnerware,
etc., for a shower hosted at someone’s house.
Don’t forget the decorations! Again, any theme you’ve
picked will probably affect what color (if any) balloons you buy,
confetti for the table, etc. Remember that a restaurant may restrict
the types of decorations you can put up.
Every fun party has games and prizes—baby showers are no
different! You can find a ton of party ideas on the Internet. Remember
your theme again when deciding on games and prizes. Try to buy lots
of prizes so that if there are multiple winners, you don’t
come up short.
Baby-themed party favors are always a cute addition to a baby shower,
and a fun way to thank your guests for coming. One popular idea
is to stuff baby bottles with candy and small goodies. You can find
other ideas for party favors on the Internet.
Be creative! You don’t have to throw a typical baby shower.
If you want to try something fun, you can consider throwing a shower
for the soon-to-be daddy as well!
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