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Is someone you know having a baby? Is there a baby shower in the works? Perhaps the responsibility of throwing the perfect baby shower lies on your shoulders and you don’t know where to begin. There is so much planning to be done. Where should it be held? What food should be served? Decorations? Cake? Invitations? Gifts? What does the mother-to-be want? What does she need? How are you going to keep it a surprise? Your head is spinning and you don’t know where to begin. Well, the first thing to do is sit back, relax and take a deep breath. You can throw and baby shower and a good one at that. Here are some suggestions to follow to make this wonderful and joyful occasion fun AND successful.
1. Choose a date for the shower. Be sure that the date will be convenient for the mother-to-be and her family.
2. Budget. The first thing you need to do is decide how much money the shower will cost and how much money is available. You will then have a budget to work with. Who’s paying for the shower? Is the mother’s family picking up the tab or is it up to a small handful of friends? Or, are you running the show entirely? Once you have a budget you will need to stick with it.
3. Make up the guest list. The first thing you need to do, before choosing the location and a menu is decide how many people will be attending? If possible, speak to the mother-to-be’s husband, parents, family. If this is going to be a smaller shower you might decide to hold it in someone’s home. If there are many people to invite you may want to look into renting a hall. Again, much of this will depend upon how much money you have to work with. If there are more people to invite than money to go around you may want to ask for help.
4. If the shower is going to be held in someone’s home then the two of you will be co-hostesses. Meet with her. Visit together at the location and discuss where things will be. Where will people be eating? Are there enough chairs and seating for everyone? Can any furniture be moved to make things more comfortable? Work together. If the shower will be held at another location, such as at a restaurant or a hall be sure to shop around. By this point you should know how much money you have allotted toward a location. Make a list of all suitable locations and start calling. Is the date you have chosen available? Are there special rates and packages available for groups? Will food be part of the package or will someone else be catering? Are beverages included? (Note: I always advise against alcoholic beverages at a baby shower. This is a special time for the mother-to-be and she will not be drinking. That is an unnecessary expense.) Once you have contacted and gotten price quotes from all locations, narrow your list down to the three best possibilities. Visit them but do not schedule an appointment. You are always better off catching them off guard rather than having them expect you. That way you can get a better idea about how they run their facility on a day to day basis.
5. If the facility you have chosen does not include food as part of their package choose a caterer in the same manner. Find out what the menu options are for the amount of people who will be attending and the cost for each. Try to choose healthy items – something that the expectant mother can enjoy as well as the guests. Stick to your budget. If serving an entire meal will be too pricey there is nothing wrong serving a variety of hot and cold appetizers. Many people enjoy making a meal out of them anyway.
6. The cake. The cake should be special. Following the gifts, it is one of the highlights of any shower. Research bakeries or have a capable friend or family member make it special.
7. Send out the invitations. Allow ample time to plan for people to schedule the date and to RSVP. If the shower is to be a surprise be sure to include that in the invitation. Find out if the mother-to-be has registered at any baby registries and include that information on the invitation as well. It’s always easier for guests to choose gifts if they have an idea of what the recipient needs and/or wants.
8. Carefully plan getting the mother to the shower. Brainstorm with her husband, her parents, those closest to her. They are the ones who will be more apt to help ensure a true surprise. If the shower is to be at someone’s home see if parking could be arranged at a neighbor’s around the corner. Or, if it is at a restaurant have someone offer to take her out to lunch. Be sneaky. It can be done and it is such great fun.
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