So one of your best friends or maybe your sister is having a baby and you are over the moon with excitement for them. The chances are that it is now falling down to you to organise them a baby shower. This is exciting and fun but also daunting and a little bit of a ‘where do I start?’ situation.

So here are some of my tips to help you plan a baby shower to remember whether it be big or small.

Guest list

If the mum to be knows about the shower then this is an easy one, you can just ask them who they would like there. But if it’s a surprise then you might have to do some subtle digging. In my opinion baby showers should be intimate and a celebration with your closet circle of people. It’s not a wedding, you don’t need to invite their uncle’s girlfriend or a cousin they haven’t seen in years. Just think close family and friends most of which you will probably know already. And they tend to be just a female dominant group of people, although who am I to tell you who to invite, I am all for bucking the trend if you fancy it.

A theme

You don’t need to go overboard with this but the obvious one is, if you know what the gender is, you can go with a colour theme. Even if you don’t know the gender you can still focus on colours but perhaps opt for neutral pastel shades or a bold bright rainbow of colours. Otherwise you might want to think about something that the mum to be is really into, maybe Alice in Wonderland or Disney or afternoon tea. The possibilities are endless but of course a theme is not essential it just is a bit of fun.

Food

If you are wanting the shower to be a relaxed affair then a buffet style meal is a good choice. Or if it’s mid-afternoon you might feel that just snacks are enough. You could even ask everyone to contribute and bring a dish, this keeps your costs down but does take a bit of organising.  Alternatively if you are having the shower in a restaurant then that takes care of the food entirely.

You can get themed cakes made or if you want to diy it you can add cake toppers which is very simple but effective

 

Venue

Many showers that I have been to have taken place in someones house which makes it intimate and relaxed (except maybe for the host!). You could think of hiring somewhere but this of course comes at a cost. Or you could book a table at a restaurant or local stylish café. If the weather is nice then a garden party or picnic in the park is also a lovely choice.

Decorations

It is nice to decorate the venue as this makes it feel like something a bit more special. Balloons, bunting and paper pom poms look particularly nice. Also flowers are bound to make her feel special.

Entertainment

It’s fun to have a few things to do on the day so maybe some photo props or prediction cards. You can also play some games such as guessing the baby food and pin the nappy on the baby.

Momentos

The mum to be will want to remember this day forever and so creating some momentos is a lovely way to do this. A personalised print where everyone can put their finger print and name and then can be framed for the baby's bedroom is such a nice idea.  Another idea is a book or card with messages from everyone inside or Polaroid pictures of the day in a frame or an album. Perhaps everyone could sign a message on a baby grow or bib.

Gifts

I am going to talk about gifts in my next blog post so I won't go into too much details here but they don't need to be extravagant or expensive just something thoughtful. 

 And there you have it, obviously it is totally up to you how far you go with all of these. You may decide that you want it to be a low key intimate affair or alternatively you might decide to go all out with large guest lists and venues and photobooths etc. There is no right or wrong but the important thing to remember is it is all about the mum to be and celebrating their baby coming into the world. So when you are planning it think if them and what they would like, their taste and how they want to celebrate.

To make the planning just that little bit easier and more affordable I have put together some baby shower bundles for you. They are full of many of the ideas mentioned above and are worth £40 but are available to buy at just £20 so make sure you check them out.