Spring is a season of fertility, birth, and new beginning. Recently I threw my bestie a baby shower. I have never done this and learned a few lessons along the way that might help you if you are ever charged with this honor. Keep reading for craft and decoration printables.
Throwing a baby shower can be daunting. Fortunately, my bestie gave me plenty of notice. One of the best bits of advice that she gave me was, “Don’t take this on all by yourself. Ask for help.” I listened and enlisted the help of some of her closet gal pals. Between the ten of us, we knocked the shower out with very little worry.
Getting Started:
Ask the momma for several dates and times for a potential shower (it is critical to make sure you, special guests, and out of towners can be there.)
Ask momma if this is ladies only, co-ed, kid-friendly, friends only, or family/friends
Ask the momma-to-be for a list of invitees with addresses denoting special guests
Ask the momma when she can get those addresses back to you
Do a little reconnaissance work to see who can be there on the dates chosen
Ask the momma if there is a theme for the nursery or baby shower
Ask the momma who she would recommend to help you get organized and what their “personalities” are like (aka strengths and weaknesses)
Determine if a venue needs to be rented (we had 40 people so renting was a must!)
Scout out venue pricing and accommodations for tables, chairs, kitchen access, sound system, parking, regulations, etc. (we used the Central Collective, a Knoxville-owned venue perfect for all kinds of events!)
Set a budget
Once you know some of the costs for the shower, enlisting friends can help you not break the bank
Time to Delegate (I have a toddler so delegating is critical!):
Take on the heavy lifting to eliminate personal stress (I made sure to reserve the venue, send the invites, and set the tone with themed decorations.)
Find out the best way to communicate with shower planners enlisted to help you (I say this because not everyone is a social media queen. I used an e-mail list and a couple of phone numbers.)
Try not to over load people with communication and send the same messages to everyone (things can get messy quickly.)
Delegate invitations, set-up, cleanup, transportation of the mom-to-be, food, beverages, decorations, music, crafts, games, party favors (I delegated some of the shopping and appetizers to friends and this really took a lot of my plate.)
Set a timeline for when tasks need to be completed (I checked in about three times with the large group of gal pals helping me organize so they would not stress either.)
Day of the Baby Shower:
Sit back and relax with a glass of champagne or non-alcoholic punch (just kidding!)
Get there early with a list of tasks to set up
As folks show up, ask them to help you check stuff off your list
Be sure someone documents the gift list (I used the notepad on my phone and emailed the list of gifts and givers to the mom to be as soon as she was done)
Be flexible (if things don’t go as you planned, breathe, let it go, and chillax)
Remember to tell the momma to be that she is gorgeous!
