Baby shower planning and advice: who helped and who hosted?
The classic etiquette is that a dear sibling or other relation officially hosts your baby shower—and maybe that’s okay for the non-control freaks in the room, but it’s hard to let go. We asked four brilliant entertainers (to say nothing of their other talents) how they planned and hosted their baby showers, or more pointedly: how they didn’t. Here’s what they chose to leave in the hands of capable friends and what they chose to do themselves.
How much organizing did you do for you shower, and how did you draw the line between what you’d let a friend handle and what you insisted on doing yourself?
Images: Belathée Photography
Anna Bond, founder and creative director, Rifle Paper Co.: The only thing I wanted to do was design my invitations. That’s it! I wanted the chance to be creative and do artwork outside my job. Two of my closest friends organized everything for me, and if anything, they drew the line. I trusted them completely, but they absolutely refused to let me do anything beyond the invitations. They know me so well and did an amazing job creating a beautiful shower that just felt like a special, relaxing evening with friends and family.
Image: Little Owl event
Sylvana Ward Durrett, co-founder of Maisonette: My sister hosted my shower at a small restaurant in New York City called The Little Owl. I’ll be honest, as a former event planner, it was hard for me to stay out of it, so I did end up doing a lot of the organizing. But my sister snuck in some really lovely surprises, including a beautifully made set of gift bags.
Image: Stephanie Ott
Luisana Mendoza de Roccia, co-founder of Maisonette: So, my sister also helped plan my shower, and so did my business partner, Sylvana! Sylvana was the Director of Events at Vogue, so I knew I was in good hands. A few friends pitched in, and I’ll never forget that one went to the Chelsea Flower Market bright and early, then made a beautiful arrangement for the party. My level of engagement was none, and it made every wonderful contribution my friends made even sweeter.
Images: Annabel Braithwaite from Belathée Photography
Rachel Blumenthal, CEO of Rockets of Awesome: I dodged this question by having a very un-baby shower: a “sip and see.” I wish there was a cooler name for it. I just felt so grateful to have a healthy baby girl, and having friends over in a really low-fuss but special way felt right to me.
Regardless of who sends it, planning is a cinch with our baby shower invitations.
