Starting a family is a significant event for both parents-to-be, and spoiling the expectant mother with a lavish and luxurious baby shower is a great way to send her off into the world of parenthood in style. An excuse to get friends and family together to celebrate the imminent new arrival and the beginning of a brand new chapter in life, it’s also an opportunity for some last minute pampering as the soon-to-be parents prepare to face the sleepless nights that lie ahead of them.
If someone close to you is preparing to welcome a new baby into the family, then planning a surprise baby shower is guaranteed to put a smile on her face and distract her from the stresses and strains of pregnancy. Here are some tips for getting this special occasion just right and ensuring that it’s a beautiful day to remember.
Choose the perfect date
Ideally, baby showers should be held five to six weeks before a mother’s due date. This is generally considered to be close enough to begin building excitement around the new arrival, but not close enough to cause parents stress should the baby decide to make an appearance a few days early.
Nevertheless, unexpected developments in a pregnancy can still occur, so be prepared to be flexible and ready to change the date if necessary. And, as some mums prefer to wait until after the baby has arrived for personal reasons, it’s best to check with them first before setting any plans in motion.
Choose the perfect venue
Getting the venue right is perhaps the most important task when it comes to planning a baby shower. Serving as the backdrop and the blank canvas for all the finer details, finding a beautiful setting is the first step to setting up the occasion for success – but be sure to bear in mind how far the guests and mother to be will need to travel to get there, as this could be a deal breaker. When heavily pregnant, mothers-to-be are often reluctant to venture too far from home in case the unexpected should occur and the baby should arrive early – so to keep things as relaxed and stress-free for them as possible, make sure to pick somewhere that is easily accessible for them.
Country house hotels, plush restaurants and cosy tea rooms are all worth considering, depending on the guest of honour’s tastes. If you’re not sure what they are, then enlist the help of some other close family members and friends to do some digging and make suggestions.
Consider hiring a party planner
Planning a baby shower can be a tedious task, and finding a date that works for everyone, organising the venue and catering and preparing games and entertainment can all take a considerable amount of time. If it’s time you don’t have, then consider bringing in a professional planner to do the hard work for you – the likes of houseofpartyplanning.com will help to lighten the load by taking the responsibility off your hands, and are experienced in planning luxurious and beautiful baby showers that are certain to blow any expectant mother away.
Make it fun
There are so many ways to make baby showers fun, from keeping things chic and sophisticated with a jazz band or singer to playing some traditional baby shower games. Some of the most popular baby game ideas are based around guessing the answers to baby-related questions about the mother-to-be or other guests, or predicting the weight and name of the imminent new arrival.
Choosing a theme for the party is another great way to make the celebration more fun; a 1940s style cocktail soiree or casino evening, complete with non-alcoholic mocktails and canapes are great ways to inject some glamour into proceedings, for example.
Wrapping it up
Organising a baby shower is a challenging task, but it’s worth the effort to see the smile on the guest of honour’s face and is certain to be a fun occasion for all the guests, too. Offering expectant mums emotional support as they prepare to head into a brand new chapter of their life is invaluable, and is a great way to show them just how much they mean to you before they embark on the adventure.
