8 easy tips for planning a beautiful baby shower
What does it take to host your own baby shower? While baby showers are traditionally planned and hosted by someone close to the expectant mother or parents, it’s becoming increasingly common for people to host their own party with loved ones in the months and weeks before Baby arrives.
Hosting your own baby shower has plenty of benefits—the biggest of all being that you can plan everything out exactly the way you want it to be. For mom-to-be Kelsey White, who will be welcoming her first baby this spring, planning her own shower meant not having to compromise her individual style, and working with all her favorite vendors (and friends) to make sure everything fit her vision perfectly.
A fabric baby shower welcome sign beside a stuffed rocking sheep and wildflowers; Kelsey White smiles outdoors holding a swan stuffed animal with a large wrapped present on her lap.
Wondering how to plan a baby shower, and what you need for a baby shower? From invitations to gift bags, get inspired by White’s beautiful Los Angeles baby shower and find tips to host your own pre-baby party below.
Table of Contents
1. Pick a theme that feels natural to you
When searching for a theme for your baby shower, it can be fun to let your imagination go wild. There’s nothing wrong with going for an overtly baby-centric theme, like woodland animals or moons and stars. But the best themes—and the ones that end up being the easiest to execute—are oftentimes the ones that feel the most true to you and your interests.
For her baby shower theme, White took into account the outdoor setting of the restaurant where it was held, as well as her own personal style. “I wanted the shower to have an organic garden party feel,” she explains, choosing a pretty palette of neutrals, greens, ivory, and butter yellow. “I incorporated a cozy cottage theme with sweet little lambs, sage gingham linens, and wildflowers.”
She extended her garden party theme to other elements of her shower, too, adding a customized linen welcome sign for guests to see as they walked in. “I loved the natural look of it flowing in the wind, and it served as the perfect photo moment,” White says.
Not sure which design direction to go in? White recommends going online. “Pinterest is great for gathering inspiration,” she says. “Just start with a theme and color palette.”
2. Add cute touches to the table
Your baby shower is the perfect place to get a little creative and have some fun with whimsical decorations. Adding unexpected touches will surprise and delight your guests and get conversations going between people who may not have met before.
In addition to the bountiful wildflowers on White’s baby shower tablescape (which consisted of white cosmos, ivory butterfly ranunculus, scabiosa, white lilac, and sweet peas), she added decorative lamb figurines, crocheted baby booties repurposed as bud vases, and printed gingham menus. “The velvet bows were added on top of the menus as the final touch,” she says.
3. Take time on the menu
With all the excitement that goes into prepping for a new baby, planning a baby shower menu may not be at the top of your list. That’s not to say it shouldn’t be! For your baby shower, create a menu that will make your guests feel taken care of and most of all, satisfied. (And if you’re too busy or overwhelmed to make your own food for the shower, consider hiring a caterer or hosting at a restaurant).
White did the latter, hosting her baby shower at French-inspired Los Angeles restaurant Lumière. “The menu consisted of a fresh Bibb lettuce salad, Faroe Island salmon with Murasaki sweet potato, Chinese long beans, roe beurre blanc, and French fries, of course,” she says.
The dessert menu was equally as inspired: “We had a delicious homemade passion fruit pineapple sorbet with pineapple crumble, and a beautiful custom floral cake from Sweet E’s Bake Shop.”
For libations, “There was a cocktail menu with baby-inspired drinks: A Momosa (mimosa), Sweet Dreams (spritz), Mama’s Boy (skinny margarita), and Oh Baby (mocktail).”
4. Find the perfect playlist (or make your own)
Baby showers don’t typically have dance floors, but that doesn’t mean you should skip out on curating a great selection of tunes to set the mood for your guests. Use an online streaming service to find a premade playlist of songs you love or make your own to fit your shower’s theme or aesthetic. Want your baby shower to have a similar vibe as White’s? You can find her baby shower playlist here.
5. Get guests involved in the fun
No baby shower is complete (or fun!) without games and activities for your guests to partake in. Think beyond the typical bingo scorecards and take inspiration from White’s baby shower, where guests made custom jewelry they could each take home as keepsakes.
“We had bracelet DIY kits at each table setting,” she explains. “It was the perfect activity for guests to do after the main course was served and just before dessert. It was interactive, and everyone had so much fun putting together their bracelets.”
She also turned her and her husband’s cute childhood photos into an activity that got everyone involved and talking. “We did a ‘Guess the Baby’ game where baby photos of me and my husband were printed out, and you had to guess who the baby was,” she tells us. “I was surprised how many people guessed wrong! It was a fun activity with lots of laughs.”
6. Send people home with something sweet
Baby showers generally involve guests bringing gifts for the parents-to-be, but it’s a thoughtful gesture (and the mark of a good host) to send folk home with a little something to thank them for coming. Whether your parting gift is related to your shower’s theme or simply something you think your guests will enjoy, they’re sure to consider it a kind gesture.
For her baby shower, White gifted guests with a mix of small keepsakes and yummy treats. “We placed boucle zip cosmetic bags on each chair, filled with a Le Prunier candle, a pressed floral lollipop, a flower seed packet, and an ivory leather leaf keychain,” she says, adding that guests also took home “Oh Boy!” matchbooks (yes, she’s having a boy!) and custom lamb, daisy, and bow-shaped sugar cookies from Petite Sun Bakery.
7. Don’t be afraid to ask for help
Planning a baby shower can feel like a daunting task—but it doesn’t have to be. Ask around to see who in your life can help out, even if it’s just for a specific task. You may be surprised how excited people get to participate in planning.
Even though White’s baby shower reflected her own vision and style, “I planned the event with my mom, and a few of my closest friends helped out with the special touches. I enjoyed collaborating and getting creative with my friends and vendors to come up with ideas.”
Splitting up work (and hiring help, if needed) will allow you to enjoy the experience of hosting a baby shower that much more.
8. Choose invitations that make planning easier
There’s a lot that goes into hosting a baby shower, and the invitations you choose can make all the difference. Instead of sending printed invitations that often require follow-ups and chasing down RSVPs, use online invitations from Paperless Post that track RSVPs for you and make it easy to communicate with guests. (Psst, here’s when to send your invitations.)
Browse hundreds of invitations filtered by theme, season, color, gender, and designer. You can include a gift registry, maternity photos, directions, and more, then follow up with guests about reminders and party updates. (For advice on how to word your baby shower invitations, click here.)
For her baby shower, White sent guests the “Buffalo Check Bunny” invitation by Sugar Paper. “Paperless Post is always my go-to for invitations—even my wedding invitations were Paperless Post,” White reveals. “I love the selection of chic, functional designs, as well as the efficiency with tracking RSVPs.”
Whether you’ve recently learned that you’re expecting or your little one’s arrival is only a few weeks away—or even if you’re just curious about how to host a baby shower—Paperless Post can help you plan the baby shower of your dreams.
Ready to host a baby shower like Kelsey White? Start by finding your perfect invitation at Paperless Post.
Welcome a new little one with adorable, customizable designs to fit every theme.
