Any person in a mom-to-be’s life can throw her a baby shower. With this easy and comprehensive guide for planning a baby shower, you’re guaranteed to throw an event that won’t soon be forgotten.
Choose a Date aand Time
Ask the mom-to-be to select a date and time for the event. Typically, baby showers are held when the expectant mom is around seven months pregnant. This time frame ensures that she’s well into her pregnancy, she is still relatively comfortable and gives her enough time to get situated before the baby is born.
Create the Guest List aand Budget
Once you have received the guest list (complete with email and physical addresses) from the guest of honor, you will need to determine the budget. The budget will help you in determining where the baby shower will be hosted, food services, décor and invitations. A large guest list with a smaller budget may indicate that you need to scale back.
Pick a Venue
When choosing a venue, take into account the time of year, number of guests and budget. If the guest list is large, or you have a significant budget, consider a nice hotel or restaurant. The big perk with choosing a hotel or restaurant is the cleanup will be handled by the staff which enables the host to enjoy the baby shower. On the flip side, hosting a baby shower in your home provides a more intimate option and is cost-effective for smaller budgets.
Deliver the Invitations
The baby shower invitations should be received by guests no later than six weeks before the shower. This allows the guest to have adequate time to RSVP, shop for a gift and arrange their schedule. When choosing the invitation, consider the formality. An email invitation is a great option for a casual shower while a formal shower might need a paper invite.
Menu aand Decor
The menu and décor details should be planned roughly three weeks before the event. Non-perishable items can be purchased ahead of time. The day before is a good time to buy perishable décor items such as flowers. The menu should be planned according to the guest of honor’s tastes. For example, if she’s craving comfort food then the menu should reflect that. Lastly, consider serving guests miniature size options to make it easier to manage the food and participate in events.
Baby Shower Timeline
The timeline of a baby shower helps to keep the event moving along seamlessly. The key to a fun baby shower is ensuring that the games, gift opening, eating and drinking is organized in such a way to create a flow. Give guests 20-30 minutes to arrive and offer them a drink as they get settled. If they are from out of town and not familiar with the rest of the guests take the time to introduce them to a few people. Once everyone has arrived it’s common to start the games. As gifts are being opened, serve food followed by dessert and coffee.
Choosing Baby Shower Favors
A simple parting gift is an excellent way to thank guests for attending the baby shower. The gift does not need to be extravagant. One approach to choosing a favor is by sticking to the theme of the shower.