Planning A Baby Shower - Anything Goes!

Good News

Great news for anyone planning a baby shower these days: Anything goes! You can choose any theme, color scheme, menu, location, invitation, decorations, and even budget! Some baby showers are formal and structured, but many are informal and fun. You can make it a women-only baby shower or make it a Jack-and-Jill baby shower and invite the men too. When it comes to planning a baby shower these days...anything goes!

Baby Shower Planning Considerations

•1) Size: How many people are you going to invite? Obviously, location and budget will factor in here in a big way.

•2) Date: You can never please everyone, so choose a date that is the most convenient for the greatest number of participants.

•3) Invitations: When planning a baby shower, you can send formal invitations by mail, you can design online invitations, or you can simply do all your inviting by phone. Of course, the advantages of online invitations are many: you save money on stamps; you don't have to rely upon the postal service; invitations arrive immediately; most people check their email often; there are myriads of online invitations to choose from, or you can create and customize your own with but a few clicks of a mouse! And don't forget to include an RSVP option so that you'll know how many guests to expect...

•4) Theme: One of the most important aspects of planning a baby shower is choosing a theme. A baby shower theme can be as simple as a color scheme, or it can be as grandiose as an all-encompassing them affecting the menu, decorations, gifts, etc. The theme of a baby shower often sets its tone and ultimately its success. Baby shower themes can be related to the baby, to the occupations or hobbies of the parents-to-be, to the time of year (i.e. season or holiday), or to the gifts. Once again, when it comes to planning a baby shower...anything goes!

•5) Budget: You will want to decide upon your baby shower budget right away since it will impact all of your other choices and decisions. Remember: A small budget does not mean that you cannot have a fun, memorable and successful baby shower! It just means that you need to be a little creative and let other people help. For instance, you can cut costs by making a potluck baby shower where everyone brings a dish to eat. You can host the baby shower in someone's home, make your own decorations, invite people by phone instead of formal invitations, and even make "hand-décor" one of your baby shower themes.

•6) Gifts: It is traditional for guests to bring gifts for the baby and for the parents-to-be. Gifts can be left at the discretion of the guests, or you can set both a theme and a budget for baby shower gifts. Many people actually prefer some structure since it helps narrow their choices and removes the worry that their gift will not be on par with the other gifts. Moreover, if you know that the parents-to-be would appreciate certain types of baby gifts more than others, or that they have special circumstances, they will probably be grateful for a gift theme that meets those needs.

•7) Menu: Once again... anything goes! Baby shower food can be formal dinners, potluck, or just deserts; sit-down or buffet; catered or cooked.

So have fun if you are planning a baby shower. Enjoy planning a party where anything goes!