If you or someone you know is expecting a new baby, a baby shower is the perfect way to celebrate. From these unique baby shower party tips, you’re bound to pull out some helpful ideas to set up your or your loved one’s baby shower.
If the couple in question has decided to keep the gender of their child a secret, or you’re just looking for something a little more unique than a pink or blue-themed shower, check out these unique baby shower decoration ideas:
There’s plenty to do with this punny theme focused around cute bees. Having a bee-themed baby shower is a great gender-neutral party theme, and there are so many cute decorations and games you can play that go along with this theme. Small honey pots from locally-sourced beekeepers and gifts like beeswax lip balms and honey face masks will special this party. You can even coordinate the dress code to colors like yellow, black and white.
Based on the popular musical, an Into the Woods theme can provide a whimsical, magical theme for a baby shower perfect for any fans of fairy tales, Broadway or woodland decor. Using decoratively placed branches and twigs from outside can provide a cost-effective, naturalistic touch to this theme. Other elements to include in your decor might be pinecones, fake leaves and tree trunk slices to display food and yummy baked goods.
You can model this theme after a boy or girl if you know the baby’s gender and the parents want to use that in the party. For a boy baby shower, you might want to focus on the woodland, rustic theme and include princes and castles. Meanwhile, a girl’s Into the Woods baby shower can have more princesses and fairy tale elements.
This Twinkle Twinkle Little Star theme is another excellent gender-neutral baby shower design idea modeled after the classic nursery rhyme song. Using stars everywhere, make this party shine with twinkling glitter decorations. You can choose a gold or silver color palette and use different sized cut-out stars to decorate the tables, walls and ceilings. Many bakeries even have edible glitter to decorate baked goods like cupcakes or cakes.
While the themes above present some great ideas for baby showers, many cultures and traditions have their own customs when welcoming a new baby into the family. The concept of a baby shower originated in ancient India with a celebration called seemantham. The mother-to-be was showered with dry fruits, sweets and other gifts. Music was an essential part of the ceremony, as it was known a baby’s ears could hear from the womb.
Other traditions that have specific rituals for baby showers include:
While having a fun theme and good food is essential, what makes a baby shower fun are the games you get to play. Try out these cute baby shower ideas for games to keep guests engaged and ensure the expecting parents have a great time at their showers:
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To have an extra creative baby shower, arrange crafts and activities for guests to do during the celebrations. You can make these a set part of the day’s agenda or have a station for people to participate in crafting throughout the shower.
Having friends and family together for a special occasion like a baby shower is the perfect opportunity to snap some photos for everyone to enjoy and look back on. The expecting couple, in particular, will appreciate any commemoration of their special day. Check out these adorable photo opportunity ideas:
To add an extra fun flair to your party, you can hire a portable photo booth for the party. With a portable photo booth, guests can pose for photos with a special backdrop, and the photography equipment can print photos for guests to take home with them. The company can often compile an entire website for guests to look at all the pictures from the whole event.
You can choose from actual booths that guests can enter or have a station with a backdrop, lights and camera. Sometimes, companies also send assistants to help with the operation of the camera machinery, which means your guests can focus on having a good time.
If you want a do-it-yourself (DIY) solution for photos, consider making your own backdrop and using polaroid cameras to take photos. If guests have a polaroid camera, you can request to borrow them to save some money. You can also purchase one or two inexpensive polaroid cameras for the special occasion. Just be sure to have plenty of film on hand, no matter which option you choose.
First, choose a color that corresponds to the baby shower’s theme or decor to make the backdrop. You can get large rolls of paper from a local craft store or use a flat sheet. Then, add elements like banners, designs and balloons to accentuate the background of your photos.
A great idea if you choose this route is to have a photobook out so guests can add their photos and write special messages. Then, gift the completed scrapbook to the expecting couple at the end of the baby shower.
To ensure you get the best photos from your baby shower, you can hire a professional photographer to capture special moments. While having a friend or loved one take photos at the event is great if you’re on a budget, professional photographers have training on things like lighting, angles and editing. When you hire a professional, you’re sure to get the very best quality photos, as long as you do your research.
Take a look at the photographer’s other work, and ask to see pictures from similar events. Talk to them about their rates, and provide food and drinks for them while they are working the event.
No party is complete without at least something for guests to snack on. There are various food choices you can select for your baby shower.
Snacks are an essential part of party planning. If you’re hosting your own baby shower, offer unique snacks to delight and satisfy your guests. Some popular, tasty snacks might include:
There are many creative cocktail ideas for baby showers. You can theme them by color in correspondence to the baby’s gender or follow the shower’s theme. For example, select strawberry flavored cocktails for a girl and blue cocktail syrup for a boy. Even if you choose classic drinks like wine and beer, you can use themed glassware to make them more exciting.
If you want to make your baby shower extra special and host it at a venue, make sure you’re choosing somewhere with a premium selection of cocktails, wine and beer. While not everyone will drink, having a venue that provides wine, beer and even cocktails will make your guests happy and ensure everyone has a great time.
Many couples choose to host their baby shower with family and friends in their homes. Doing so can keep costs down and provide a cozy atmosphere for a small group of guests. However, you might want to host a baby shower for more than just a few members of your family and friends. In that case, you’ll want to outsource your venue.
You can always host your baby shower at a local park to save money. In most cases, hosting an event at a park is free, though you may need to reserve a space in advance. If you choose the park, you’ll need to bring everything you need, which might include:
Rather than go through the hassle of bringing all your gear to the park or whittling down your guest list to include only the friends and family that can fit in your house or apartment, choose a location that’s sure to have the amenities, space and refreshments. A country club is a perfect venue for your baby shower.
With gorgeous grounds, plenty of space to invite as many guests as you’d like and delicious food and drink options. Country clubs also have expert event planning staff, so you can be sure to have support every step of the way. These venues have options for every budget and party size.
In Harrisburg, there’s a beautiful and functional venue perfect for baby showers, weddings, anniversary parties and much more — Colonial Golf and Tennis Club. Here, you can choose from various amenities and options that will fulfill your vision for the dream baby shower.
In addition to our beautiful grounds and indoor venues, we have a Catering Director who can work with you to customize a menu, whether you’re looking for a full luncheon or simple hors-d’oeuvres. If you’re planning a baby shower, choose Colonial Golf and Tennis Club as the perfect venue to celebrate and get ready to welcome a new addition to the family.
Contact the Colonial Golf and Tennis team to get started planning your baby shower.