Baby shower program for the day

Whether a "Hen Party" or a "Shower, this is a good time to have a party, and celebrate before the baby arrives. This is the perfect opportunity to invite the expectant mother's closest girlfriends and relatives to share this event.

As a close friend or relative, you may find yourself in a position where it's up to you to put together a baby shower for someone you really care about, but you have no idea where to start.

Take heart, this article will guide you to creating a wonderful shower for your pregnant girlfriend or family member, without driving yourself crazy. Throughout the ages, history has recorded the various ways women have consistently practiced rituals to celebrate the coming of new life.

The Ancient Egyptians, the Ancient Greeks, the women of the Renaissance, and the women of the Victorian era all had their special ways of gathering to show their delight at the coming of a new baby, and "shower" the mother to be with gifts.

It was during the s and s that baby showers were celebrated in the way most people today are familiar with. Giving the mother-to-be gifts, playing games, positioning her like a queen on a chair while she opened her gifts and showed them around - these were rituals that started with the baby boomers and they've been passed down to the next generations.

Showers are generally given around six weeks before the baby is due. By this time the baby bump is nice and ripe, but the baby won't make its appearance before the shower is held. Sending your invitations a month before the shower is generally a good idea.

People will be able to add it to their calendars, before they become filled. It also allows "the girls" to prepare for the event. This means they will have a better chance to prepare a gift for their friend, and they might even be persuaded to contribute a game or some other fun activity. However, a month can be quite a long time - long enough for people to forget. Sending a gentle reminder about 10 days before the shower would be a good idea. You might start an event on Facebook, as it will send reminders to the guests without you having to do it.

You might consider asking guests to list any allergies they have food wise , and whether they are a vegetarian or vegan. Two of the considerations that often dictate the size of the party are space and finances. In general, baby showers are rather small, intimate gatherings of maybe people at the most. Depending on your culture, this can change. In some cultures, it's not unusual to rent a hall and have over women in attendance.

For example - if the bride's family belongs to a German club, this is usual. The older women in the club would get together and cook all the food, and bake all those amazing goodies for the Shower. It's not unusual for an expectant mother to have more than one baby shower.

Since these gatherings are typically intimate and informal, friends and relatives tend to host smaller showers with the host inviting only people who are part of a somewhat defined circle. A host from work will have a shower with co-workers, friends from school will have one with schoolmates, and her sister will generally organize one with family members.

As the host, you will be expected to invite people from your common circle of friends and the mother-to-be's family members. Unless it's a surprise, you should show the guest of honor your guest list, and ask her if there are other people she wants invited. Traditionally, the baby shower is a kind of female bonding ritual. The presence of men in the gathering may change the dynamics of the group, but if that's fine with everybody, inviting the dad-to-be and the grandpa won't be a problem.

This is not usually done, as the men tend to feel very uncomfortable, yet, it's not unheard of to have a baby shower were friends include women and men.

A possible win-win arrangement would be to have an all-girl shower as usual, then invite the men to come later in the event. You might save an activity for them, such as cutting the shower cake, and toasting the bride with fizzy orange juice. As the host, it's your responsibility to make sure everyone has a good time, especially the "Guest of "Honor", and there are no awkward moments during the activities.

It all depends on what would be most enjoyable for the guest of honor and the other guests. Themes can be a lot of fun, but if this is too much trouble, and you'd not include a theme into your shower, then don't. It's the host's prerogative. However, as the host, bear in mind that the shower needs to be designed around the personality and tastes of the guest of honor, and what it will take to make her happy.

If a theme is requested for, be a sport about it. Some themes are not all that difficult to adopt. For example, how hard would it be to have a "pink" shower? With a little creativity, you can achieve most themes to. For example, leis and flowers will do for a Hawaiian theme, hats and neck kerchiefs will be fine for a Western theme, and dime store tiaras will turn everyone into a princess. Games can add a lot of fun to a shower, but not everyone has the skill and the personality to manage these well.

Managing games is a bit like delivering the punch line of a joke; some people just suck at it. If this is the case with you, ask someone else to organize the games.

Get someone from the group to prepare three games, and all you'll be ready with the prizes. Gift registries have become a very practical tool to make sure the guest of honor receives exactly the gifts she wants or needs. If you are hosting a shower where the guest's closest friends and relatives are invited, the registry can really help everyone. Guests won't have to think about what they will buy, and the guest of honor won't have to go through the trouble of exchanging duplicate gifts.

However, some people are not quite comfortable with the idea of a gift registry because it feels a little contrived with a sense of privilege. The bottom line is, if your guest of honor has a gift registry, as host it would fall upon you to promote it in a way that will not put your friend in a bad light.

The timing of some baby shower—related duties depends on the type of party. Is it a fancy, formal event that requires lots of coordination with caterers and decorators? Or are you throwing a more casual gathering that can be planned on shorter notice? Some hosts love a strict, organized task list while others thrive on just winging it—take this checklist as guidance, not gospel.

You may have started your registry already, in which case, good for you for getting on that early! Adults only? Kids allowed? Mixed gender? Keep in mind, too, that extra hands to help with planning can come in handy , so consider hosting as a group! Planning a baby shower often means decorations and food for guests, which also means spending money. And since you already have your budget, now is a good time to start thinking about decor, games and favors that will fit the theme.

Once you know your theme, it can help determine what kind of space you need. Are you throwing an elegant afternoon tea that requires an intimate indoor space? Whatever venue you decide on, be sure to clue in the parents so they know how many guests the space will allow for. This leaves enough time for guests to mark it on their calendars and, if necessary, take time off from work or plan for their travel.

No matter what type of party or what time of day, the partygoers are probably going to want refreshments of some kind. You may also see sample program agenda templates. You may also see best program agenda templates. Pick a venue In choosing a venue, you need to consider the season, your guest list and the simple budget.

If the shower is in summer or fall, the outdoors will be a better option, like parks. You may also see program word templates. Plan the decorations and the menu About three weeks into the shower, you need these details already figured out. For example, flowers should be bought or delivered to your door a day before the event and cards or other paper decors can be made or purchased a week or so before. If she wants an array of pastries so badly, then get her pastries. You may also see program outline templates.

Baby Shower Event Handbook content. Let them make it themselves. You may also see birthday program templates. If you want to, you can ditch the traditional way of throwing baby showers altogether.