How to Plan a Low-key + Classy Baby Shower

September 27, 2018

I haven’t been to many baby showers, but I’m definitely a fan.

It’s such a fun way to get everyone excited about a baby coming, and it’s a really nice way to celebrate and pamper the mama!

I recently threw a really small shower for my friend Catherine one evening after work, and invited a few of our friends and coworkers. I had found out that she wasn’t having a shower (apparently showers for the 2nd baby aren’t really a thing), but she’s such a wonderful human and I wanted to do something fun for her!

This all came together really quickly, and we were working on a deadline, because the baby was literally due a week after the shower, and there was definitely a chance that he could come early. Catherine was also technically on bed-rest and was advised not to do anything too crazy, so I needed to 1) keep it low-key so she didn’t have to move around too much, and 2) not put in a crazy amount of effort just in case she couldn’t make it!

So, in order to throw a low-key baby shower celebration with minimal prep, I recommend the following:

Don’t go too crazy on decor

I always love a good theme, but for this event I wanted to keep it classy and neutral, and also try to reuse decor items I already had — or make things that I could definitely reuse in the future. I put part of our wooden wedding backdrop on our dining room table, and rested it against the wall to use as a focal point, and then made a few simple triangle garlands with my Cricut to drape around the edges. I also used plain white cardstock to cut out the word baby, and taped it onto the backdrop. Overall, the decor part was super easy to put together, plus I definitely plan on using the white, silver and gold triangle garland again for Christmas decor!

Definitely have snacks & a mock-tail (with the option of adding alcohol!)

I really enjoy entertaining, and always love a good charcuterie board! It makes grocery shopping really easy, because all you need are crackers, grapes or other fruit, and a few varieties of cheeses. Normally I like a good brie or goat cheese, but decided on a few varieties of cheddar, because I remembered that pregnant women shouldn’t consume soft cheeses, and I wanted to be as inclusive as possible! Another easy go-to appetizer that Brian and I like to have on hand is thin crust pizza or flatbread. It cooks really quickly, and looks great when it’s cut into little rectangles and placed on a serving tray.

We also had a fun mock-tail that was just equal parts grapefruit juice and grapefruit Perrier. My lovely friend Allison also cut up some grapefruit rounds to put in the jug to make it look pretty. And then I just put out some Gin and Vodka for people to add if they wanted something extra 😉

Have some kind of fun, optional activity

Having been to a few more-traditional baby and bridal showers, I know that typical “shower games” can sometimes be slightly overwhelming or embarrassing for some people, especially for those who may be more introverted. While I do think making people wear toilet paper diapers and tasting baby food is pretty entertaining, I wanted to do something a little more chill for my classy friend Catherine! So after a bit of Pinterest research, I came across onesie decorating stations! Not only was this shower activity right up my alley (because it’s a craft!), but it’s also super purposeful, because the mom-to-be gets to take home all of the finished onesies — and apparently you can never have too many of those with a newborn!

What you need for a Onesie-decorating station:

Onesies! I grabbed some plain white ones from Walmart in varying sizes
A workstation – we had an extra folding table that we brought upstairs, and put down some kraft paper in case things got messy
Fabric paint – I grabbed a few colours from Michaels
Foam brushes – I had a package of stencil brushes on hand, and there various sizes and styles. Round ones work really well for making circle stamps. Any other stamps you can find would work also work really well
Cricut + heat transfer vinyl for quote onesies – you can access the SVG design file I used here, I recommend cutting and weeding the designs beforehand to save time. I didn’t have time to do this, so it took a little longer, but everyone got to choose the design they wanted, or come up with their own saying.
Somewhere to hang/dry the finished products – we created a mini clothesline in our living room

The onesie station seemed to be a hit (even for our friends who aren’t as crafty)! We had it near the seating area, so that people could still be involved in conversation while they crafted. And Catherine seemed to be really happy to take home some cute + trendy new baby clothes!