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02-18-2013 at 8:02 PM
HollyBee01...
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HollyBee013 is not online. Last active: 05-16-2013, 8:01 PMNewbie

I dont know how to throw a shower!!

My best friend in the entire world is having a baby and I want to throw the shower!  Any advice on throwing a successful shower would be helpful.  I have never been a party thrower or planner, Im just kind of bad at it actually.  Help please!!  Thank you!

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02-18-2013 at 8:28 PM
1026pumpki...
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1026pumpkin is not online. Last active: 05-15-2013, 11:55 PMSilver

I would think of what kind of budget you can afford, how many people you can host in your home or venue, and then ask the mom to be to provide a guest list within those parameters.  You can also ask her if there are any themes she likes or what the nursery theme is and go from there.

Then, Pinteest is your friend.  Plan a menu, get decorations, plan for shower games and prizes if you want to do games, and send out invites 3 to 4 weeks in advance.

 The Martha Stewart website also has good shower plans.... 


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02-18-2013 at 9:56 PM
baby Gs mo...
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baby Gs mommy is not online. Last active: 05-24-2013, 11:13 PMSilver
1026pumpkin:

I would think of what kind of budget you can afford, how many people you can host in your home or venue, and then ask the mom to be to provide a guest list within those parameters.  You can also ask her if there are any themes she likes or what the nursery theme is and go from there.

Then, Pinteest is your friend.  Plan a menu, get decorations, plan for shower games and prizes if you want to do games, and send out invites 3 to 4 weeks in advance.

 The Martha Stewart website also has good shower plans.... 

THIS....I am an event planner and the budget is where you always start. Pinterest has a ton of set up ideas and the menu doesnt have to be elaborate either. 


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02-18-2013 at 10:08 PM
rhubarb123
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baby Gs mommy:
1026pumpkin:

I would think of what kind of budget you can afford, how many people you can host in your home or venue, and then ask the mom to be to provide a guest list within those parameters.  You can also ask her if there are any themes she likes or what the nursery theme is and go from there.

Then, Pinteest is your friend.  Plan a menu, get decorations, plan for shower games and prizes if you want to do games, and send out invites 3 to 4 weeks in advance.

 The Martha Stewart website also has good shower plans.... 

I agree with this as well.  I would not ask the MTB her idea for themes.  You can ask if the nursery has a theme and use that if you want...but it sometimes easier to go with just certain colors, animals, boy/girl, etc.  I got a lot of my ideas via google...even more then pinterest (although I love pinterest).  Make sure the location you plan to have it (whether a home, club house, church, etc) has enough seating for the amount of $$ you want to spend.  Keep in mind the time of day...mid-afternoon you can get away with just appetizers and drinks, plus cake or cupcakes of course.  A shower will last approximately 3 hours - sometimes less if you have no games and there are not many people.  Just remember the more people the higher the expense.

Oh...and please have seating for everyone!  I have found about 2/3 of those invited actually show up.

THIS....I am an event planner and the budget is where you always start. Pinterest has a ton of set up ideas and the menu doesnt have to be elaborate either. 

 
02-19-2013 at 12:31 PM
joshysgirl...
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joshysgirl1220 is not online. Last active: 05-24-2013, 9:43 PMNewbie
Think of a budget and how much you can afford to spend on the entire shower. Start with having the guest of honor making a guest list I would stick to women only no children. To see what kind of head count your looking at. Start looking at places to host the shower. Think about the food can you get people to bring food or will you order from somewhere? For decorations check out dollar store.

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02-19-2013 at 12:45 PM
kennazebro...
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I agree that a budget is a must...you also might want to ask the mom-to-be's mother if she wants to be involved or any other close friends that could help.

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02-19-2013 at 12:46 PM
jess9802
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jess9802 is not online. Last active: 05-25-2013, 12:33 AMBronze

After you figure out your budget, you need to talk with the mother to be in and get an idea of her guest list and the date. Then you can figure out a venue and your menu (ha).

You will need adequate seating, parking, bathrooms, and a place to prepare food. Churches, community center rooms, your home, or the MTB's home are all okay. If you have a lot of money a restaurant is another good option, but if you do this you will need to pay for everyone's meal.

Every shower I've been to has been in the mid-afternoon. You don't need to provide a full meal in that case, but I think it's nice to provide a wide variety of nibbles. At my baby shower, we had pigs in a blanket, meatballs, fruit and veggie trays with dips, chips and dip, cheese and crackers, chocolate fondue, pinwheel sandwiches, plus cake and punch.

Then there's the decor - a banner (front door, above the gift table, etc.), balloons, tablecloths, napkins/paper plates, some confetti (to sprinkle on the table), maybe a diaper cake (my friends made one out of cloth diapers and it was adorable), and some fresh flowers, for example. My friends made tissue paper poms that they hung from the tree in our front yard. The tree was blooming and was pink and white, and the tissue poms were blue and white, so it was just super cute.

Think about door prizes, favors, and games. My hostesses had a frame each guest could sign; we've got it hanging up in the baby's room and I love seeing it. There was a big plastic baby bottle filled with blue Hershey's kisses and each guest had to guess how many kisses were in there - winner got it all. There were also four games which I thought was one game too many. Find out what the MTB thinks - some hate games and don't want any, and others like me think games can be a lot of fun and make the shower flow better.

There are lots of ideas on Pinterest or just googling baby shower ideas. If you have another friend who's crafty or creative, she might be willing to help, and that can make your job a lot easier.

Good luck!

02-19-2013 at 4:50 PM
ellewoodsS...
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ellewoodsSC is not online. Last active: 05-24-2013, 11:28 PMSilver
That's very kind of you to want to do this for your friend. The biggest thing to consider is your budget as the host is responsible for the invites, food, venue, cake, decor and favors.  If you feel overwhelmed, it might be a good idea to see if any of your mutual friends want to help out with co-hosting.  As pp said, pintrest has many ideas for themes, recipes, favor ideas, etc for showers.  GL!

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02-20-2013 at 2:16 PM
HollyBee01...
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HollyBee013 is not online. Last active: 05-16-2013, 8:01 PMNewbie
Thank you everyone!!  This has a ton of good things to consider and has already got me thinking!!  and I will for sure check out Pinterest!! 

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02-20-2013 at 2:59 PM
mrskelly73...
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mrskelly731 is not online. Last active: 05-25-2013, 12:23 AMBronze
Take up on people offering to help you.  They are not trying to steal your thunder, they actually would love to help :)

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