This weekend I had the opportunity to host a baby shower for our dear friends Kevin & Tiffany. Five other couples, along with my hubby and I, put together a shower to welcome K&T's third baby, but their first BOY! Talk about a happy dad! The most impressive hostess was definitely Katie, who had the shower at her house when she is about to have her first baby, Sawyer! Yes, she did all of this work 9 months pregnant. What a trooper! So, here are the details...
The theme was certainly all about the boy. This shower was definitely more of a party, and we invited guys & gals. Our invitation shared how they already have 2 girls, so we need to prepare these parents for their first little guy. K&T already have the "necessities" like swings, strollers, cribs, bottles, & pacifiers so we asked the guys to bring diapers or toys and girls to bring clothes or anything cute! This invitation paper is by The Inviting Co. out of LR. You can check out their blog at
Inside IC. I did the wording and the printing myself, but they designed the fun paper!
Our color scheme was orange, green, yellow, and chocolate brown. When guests entered they were greeted by our display of "boy toys." We also included lizards, snakes, and dinosaurs! Also, instead of a guest book we provided a photo frame & mat for the guets to leave a blessing for the baby boy. K&T are going to add the scripture that they choose for little Josephy Henry, put his sweet baby picture in the frame, and hang it in his nursery as a reminder of all the people who love him before he even arrives!
We decorated with green Bells of Ireland, orange gerbera daisies, green poms, white and green spider mums, white hydrangea, and yellow daisies. All of the flowers were in green, yellow, and orange vases and we utilized the brightly colored tablecloths from Katie's wedding.
We also added baby touches where we could, including a clothesline of onesies in our color scheme and pacifiers tied to the candle holders. We always try to decorate with items that the parents can keep, so the decorations can turn into a small hostess gift at the end of the night.
We had a BBQ dinner from a local favorite, Penguin Ed's BBQ, who provides very yummy food at very low prices for our large group! We picked up beer and sodas, and of course personalized Orange Crush drinks for everyone to enjoy.
The shower was a lot of fun! Here are some tips I can offer on throwing a co-ed baby shower for a young crowd, and a medium sized group.
1. If you want guys to come, don't make the invitation too baby-ish! Our invitation looked hip and incorporated the "baby" with the wording. We were specific that it was a BBQ dinner so the guys knew that it wouldn't be too mushy-gushy. We also included the guys' names who were the hosts with the hostesses.
2. A younger crowd usually does not appreciate the traditional baby shower games. If you want to play a baby shower game with a co-ed crowd, it had better be cool and creative and relevant to them. Otherwise it will be a big flop!
3. Do not structure the shower on a schedule. With a co-ed crowd, you usually want the shower to feel more like a party or a bunch of friends getting together to hang out. We made an announcement when the BBQ was ready to be served, but let the crowd mix and mingle until they were ready to eat. As a host, be ready to just go with the flow.
4. Again, to save on cost use things that you already have. When you choose a theme or an invitation, think about what items you already have that you can contribute first. For instance, I own the green & orange vases, Katie had the green, orange & yellow tablecloths, etc... This saves you a lot of money on decor! Choose things that will make a fun impact, like the orange sodas. We were able to use paper & ribbon we already had to personalize them. (The sodas cost us under $10!)
5. Turn your decorations into a gift. As I mentioned earlier, we gifted the decorations to K&T, including the onesies, the pacifiers, and all of those boy toys that were at the entry of the party. The parents-to-be always love taking home extra goodies!
6. And, last but not least, if you are inviting guys...always have beer! They are much more comfortable with a Bud Light in their hand than a sippy cup of fruity punch.
Those are a few tips about making a shower for the younger, co-ed crowd a success. Now for a few paparazzi shots...
I almost forgot! Kevin & Tiffany gave us the greatest hostess gifts! Each couple that hosted received a basket full of yummy-goodness from Mama Z's!!!! (This is one of our favorite local dinner spots!) Thanks for the pasta, the bread, and the jam. I know what we're having for dinner tonight!
Kevin & Tiff, we had so much fun throwing this party to help you get ready for Joseph Henry's arrival! You all are wonderful, Godly parents who we all look up to and love. Gabbi & Grace are going to be the best big sisters too! Now, we just hope he makes his arrival THIS WEEK!
