A source for baby gift and baby shower ideas

Baby Shower Planning - Page 3

Where? 

Location, location, location.  You always here how location is the most important factor when choosing a home to buy.  It’s also an important factor when considering where to host a baby shower.  When picking a party spot, you’ll need to consider the size, cost and accessibility of the site.  We’ll go over the pros and cons of various shower locations to help you determine the location that will be best for the party.

Baby showers are most often held at the home of a friend or relative.  Even if you are the primary person organizing the party, you do not have to host the shower at your home.  If another attendee has a home that is larger or more centrally located, and is willing to donate their home to the cause, then you might want to host the shower there.  The most obvious benefit to hosting a party in a private home is cost, which should be nothing.  If it is your own house, you will have plenty of time to decorate it before the party begins.  There are a few things to be considered before hosting the party at a private home.  Unless the house is large, it might accommodate a large party.  Parking could also be an issue, especially if the home is an apartment, condo or townhouse.  The home will need to be cleaned and prepped to receive guests, which might disrupt the routines of all who live there.  Then the home will need to be cleaned after the party is over.

Restaurants are probably the next most popular location for a baby shower.  There are several advantages to hosting the party at a restaurant.  Obviously, they would prepare and serve the food, which should make things easier on the hostess, especially on the day of the party.  They will do all of the cleaning before and after the shower.  Choosing a restaurant location should alleviate concerns about not having enough parking, seating or serving equipment that you might have with a private home.  Probably the biggest disadvantage would be the cost.  Whether you choose a buffet or a plated meal, the cost per person will almost certainly be more than if you prepared the food yourself.  A “Dutch treat” luncheon might be okay if the attendees are co-workers or members of a church or civic organization, but if you are a close friend or relative hosting the party, people will be looking to you to pick up the tab.  Most restaurants will not allow you to bring in any food.  (Don’t blame the restaurant.  Food safety and health regulations are often as much of a motivator as profit margins for this policy.)  A shower cake ordered through the restaurant will probably exceed the cost of one ordered from a bakery or prepared at home. 

As discussed on the baby shower decorations page, a restaurant may allow very limited decorating, and you may have a short window of opportunity to get in before the party starts.  If you choose to host the shower at a restaurant, you will probably want to go with a restaurant that can provide a private party room, or at least have a divider or partition to separate your group from the rest of the diners.  This will allow your guests the freedom to mingle with each other and make a little noise without disturbing the other restaurant patrons.

Baby showers are often held at church social halls or in the meeting places or lodges of civic and social organizations, such as the local chapter of the VFW or Elks.  These places will usually charge some type of rental fee, but for a large party, it might still be more cost effective than having a restaurant meal, as they will generally allow you to bring in your own food.  These places will usually have kitchen facilities, though you may still need to provide your own serving pieces and utensils.  Parking is usually plentiful, and there should be plenty of chairs and tables, though they may need to be set up before the party and taken down after it is done.  The décor of these locations varies widely.  Some are very attractive and party ready, others are purely functional.  You may have some flexibility in decorating, but you will probably be responsible for cleaning up everything before you leave.

Depending upon the type of shower you are planning, you may want to consider a less traditional location.  Places that host a lot of children’s birthday parties, such as pizza parlors, miniature golf courses and zoos, could be suitable for a baby shower.  This location would be great for a coed shower, especially if children will be in attendance.  Even if the party is ladies only, their husbands and children could stay otherwise occupied while the women party.  You would probably want to make sure that a private party room is available to shield you from the noise that often accompanies these family friendly locations.

Choosing the right party location will greatly impact not only the success of the shower itself, but the ease and expense with which you pull it all together.  Just be sure to examine the positives and negatives of each of your options before making a final decision.