Planning a baby shower for someone you love can be a stressful and tiring process. But, with these tips, we are hopeful that it can be a breeze. Here is everything you need to know to plan the baby shower of the year!
Pick A Time
Talk to the person you are honoring, and ask them what dates and times work best for them and their immediate family. Once you have a date set, you can start to prep for everything else. Try to pick a start date several weeks or months in advance, so that you have plenty of time to get everything ready.
Pick A Theme
If you want to that is. Many people like to have a theme or a specific decoration scheme to pull the baby shower together. Talk with the honoree and see if they would want a theme for the party, or for it to be more low key. Some great theme ideas could be safari, the beach, music, Disney movies, and much more. The world is your oyster in choosing a theme.
Make A Guest List
If it’s a surprise baby shower, try to include as many of the honoree’s friend and family members as you can. Make sure that you ask multiple family members and other friends they have who they would want to include on this special day. If it isn’t a surprise, then get together with the guest of honor and plan out how many people they would want to include.
Create A Budget
Before you make the guest list, it might be wise to create a budget. This is how much money you can realistically spend on decorations, food, and even the venue. Once you have that number, you can see how many guests you’ll be able to invite comfortably.
Decide The Venue
Is it going to be at someone’s house, a banquet center, or outside? Talk to the guest of honor about where they envision their baby shower taking place. Try to pick a venue that could accommodate the number of guests you are having, and fits your budget. Don’t be afraid to take a day to visit some venue options to see which would fit the party best.
Time To Send Out Invitations
It is essential before you consider sending out invitations, to discuss how formal this baby shower is going to be. For a more formal baby shower, it is respectful to send paper invitations to all guests. However, if the baby shower is going to be more casual, an email should suffice. The traditional etiquette would be to send the invitations around six weeks before the baby shower so that people have enough time to mark their calendars and RSVP.
Plan What Will Happen During The Party
This includes what games you’ll play with the guests, when the gift opening takes place, what time you will eat, etc. Get your schedule planned out to a T, and then run it by the guest of honor. There is no shortage of activity ideas and games that can be found on Pinterest. Because you are planning this party, you know what your friend would want to do and play. Try your best to think about what they would enjoy doing.
Get The Food Ready And Approved
Take time to make up the menu. Figure out if you will have it catered, if friends will pitch in to make the food, or if the food is something you can pick up at a local grocery store. The one essential element at all baby shower’s would be having a cake. But, that can be baked by you personally or picked up from a store. Try to pick menu items that everyone can enjoy, and have options available for people who may be vegetarians or have a gluten allergy.
Have Party Favors
It is standard procedure to give out party favors after the baby shower to thank people for coming. Get as creative or not as creative as you would like. Try to think of something that could be cheaper, and make you think of the guest of honor. Some examples could be chocolates in the shape of baby toys, CDs, scented soaps or candles, stationery, etc. Make sure that you stick to your theme when determining your party favors.
Be Prepared
Once the big day arrives, make sure that you come several hours before so that you have enough time to set everything up at the venue. If the baby shower is a surprise, make sure that someone is in charge of bringing the guest of honor to the baby shower location discretely. Pick up the cake, make sure the party favors are ready to go, and ensure that you have all the materials for the games. Once everything is in its proper place, try your best to enjoy the day. You have no idea how grateful your friend is that you went to all this trouble!
For tips for planning a sprinkle, check out our article here.
