Amy,
I am turning to you for some advice about an upcoming baby shower that my husband & I are co-hosting because I know what a budget savvy and creative person you are!
A roommate of mine from college is expecting her first child in May. After asking her several times if anyone was throwing her a shower and her saying no, we offered to co-host a couple’s shower with a guy that works with her husband and his wife.
So here’s where I get to the dilemma…she e-mailed me the guest list this week and there are 30 couples on it…that’s 60 people!
I need some advice for how to pull of the kind of shower that they deserve, but on my budget!! I feel like we have to feed all of these people and provide adult beverages, but I don’t know how we could do that for less than a small fortune!!
Sincerely,
J.
Thank you so much for your question and I am so happy to offer a little advice on your baby shower! As always, if you have any questions that you would like to send me, you can email them to me at amy(at)momadvice(dot)com and I would love to share any expertise that I can offer.
Here are a few tips and tricks for throwing a fun baby shower on a budget:
Keep The Decorations Simple
You can burn through a lot of money quickly just on the decorations so one cost effective way to decorate is to decorate with item’s that the mother can use or by making a few sweet handmade items.
One of my favorite decorations for a table centerpiece are diaper cakes because it is a special gift for the new mommy and it can double as an attractive centerpiece for the occasion. You can visit my easy instructions and a little cost-breakdown and my tips for how to make these inexpensively.
Make a baby clothesline to hang near the food table or behind where the mother will be opening her gifts. Pick cute coordinating items and then give them as a gift to the mother at the end of the shower.
A simple, sweet banner can double as a decoration later for the child’s nursery. It doesn’t have to be anything elaborate at all, in fact, the simpler the better. If you know the mother’s nursery colors, try and coordinate the banner to the baby’s future room. For a simple banner tutorial, I love this cute square banner, a bunting made from newspaper, and for the ambitious a knitted bunting. The possibilities are endless and could be made from supplies that you already have on hand in your crafting supplies.
Inexpensive Food to Feed the Masses
If you have a large group to feed, you could stick to between meal times and just provide fun snacks or a fun dessert table. Appetizers will go a lot further than a meal will. If you would like to do a meal, a brunch can be a really cost effective way to entertain and is a classy way to throw a fabulous spread.
Instead of doing an elaborate cake, offer guests mini-cupcakes in sweet pastel colors with a creative cupcake topper. These cupcake toppers from papertreats are just one example of cute homemade toppers that can decorate your cupcakes very creatively and that will make them sparkle when your cake decorating skills are lacking. If you are really ambitious, you could make your own cupcake picks with the baby’s initial stamped on them or even something more elaborate like this. Check a scrapbooking supplies store or a craft store to find cute paper and embellishments for your project.
Remember that you can freeze cake ahead of time, so you can crank out those cupcakes even the week before and keep them in the freezer. I like to decorate the cake while it is still frozen because it helps reduce the amount of crumbs that can collect in your icing. Ice them the day before and assemble them on pretty cake stand or make your own cake stands for a thrifty and creative alternative.
You will need to modify the length of time you cook your cupcakes for cooking mini-cupcakes. Follow the instructions exactly, but just cook your cupcakes for half the time. Keep an eye on them just because they will cook quickly!
Here are some of my favorite cupcake recipes:
Moist Chocolate Cupcakes With Vanilla Buttercream Frosting
Snickerdoodle Cupcakes
Chocolate Cupcakes With Peanut Butter Frosting
The Best Birthday Cupcakes in the World
Fun & Games
I may be the minority, but I am not a fan of baby shower games. With sixty people in attendance, you are going to have a hard time pulling off an organized activity. Spend that time socializing or do a game like these that will not require everyone being quiet and sitting in a circle.
(photo credit: Emma Black)
Have your guests email you a picture of them from when they were a child. Print out copies of the pictures and make it a party game to Guess Who? is in the pictures.
How about a Baby Shower Price is Right card and choose the closest winner on how much common baby items would cost?
(photo credit: nhearon2003)
Of course the simpler the game, the easier! Why not throw candy in a clear jar and have your guests guess the total amount? With large group activities, the simpler the better! The bonus with this game is that this game can double as a centerpiece!
Parting Gifts
In a party of this size, I do not think people will be expecting to take home a party favor. Everyone is going to be happy to be included and will just be enjoying the celebrating. Concentrate your efforts on the food, cake, and entertainment and your guest will leave with the wonderful memory of the occasion rather than a gift that they probably will not use.
Consider your shower and any of the centerpieces and decorations your gift to your friend. If you want to add a special gift that she can use, give her a basket of thank you cards and stamps which she can use to thank all of her guests for their thoughtful gifts!
Good luck with your shower and I hope these ideas will give you a good starting point for a festive and frugal celebration!
(Photo Credit: Picture 1- Jerusalem)
Do you have any tips or advice for the hostess for throwing a great budget-friendly shower? I know she will really appreciate it!