The pandemic has us all trying to figure out the best way to navigate life’s major events while keeping everyone safe. This question is from one of our very own team members about hosting a baby shower.
Hi guys!
I have a baby shower question. I’m hosting one in May and there are 53 people on the guest list. The mom-to-be thought that due to Covid, and for her protection, it would be good to have an “open house” or “drop in” shower. Are you familiar with this type of shower? I’m wondering about the logistics and I’m not sure if people really will “drop in” or if they will stay the entire time. How would I word the invitation? Any thoughts on this from you experts would be appreciated!
Thanks!
Jennifer
Hey Jennifer,
My first suggestion would be to shorten the guest list. I don’t think over 50 people is a manageable number for any type of baby shower, especially if the mom-to-be is concerned about Covid and limiting exposure for herself and others.
You can certainly have a “drop-in” shower. During the past year of social distancing baby showers have evolved. Virtual showers became the norm; then as time passed and people craved some human contact, drive by showers became popular. Now that some are starting to venture out, we are seeing more drop-in type showers.
To accomplish a drop-in shower you can assign times for individuals or groups of people to show up. I know of one baby shower where they had it outside and had six people at a time show up.
Think about the number of people that you and the guest of honor feel comfortable having in the space and work back from that. Ten people at time? Less? As far as how long people will stay at the event – you can try to make it clear on the invitation that you want to keep the numbers small.
You can label it as a Drop-In shower with assigned times. It could say something like:
Drop-In Baby Shower
Honoring Amanda Jones!
Since we have to keep the gathering small,
Please stop by
Saturday, May 8 from 1pm to 2pm.
(If printing, you can leave a blank and write in the time)
Held at Jennifer’s House
Address
Etc.
Etsy and Zazzle are full of cute baby shower invitations that can be customized for a Drop-In shower format. Above is an example of a Drop-In baby shower invitation from Zazzle.
Actually, we are still seeing more examples for drive-by baby showers. Check out our post on Hosting a Drive Through Baby Shower for more ideas that might be customized to fit your party.
From Rebecca (Blog Editor)
I’ve been to quite a few “reinvented” showers…I think my favorite that I’ve attended was a front yard, open house style shower. The host had drinks and snacks right in the front yard. People who wanted to hang out stayed for a bit and those who wanted to just drive-by and drop off their gift were also able to do it. You could even space people out by giving them an assigned time slot like Cheryl mentioned or word the invite to say something like: “please stop by anytime between 1:00-3:00 pm to say hello and share a sweet treat with (insert mom’s name).”
Best of Luck! And let us know how it goes.
If you have questions or comments about gift giving or wedding etiquette, please comment below or email AskCheryl@RegistryFinder.com.
Emails in this column are received from readers. Emails may be edited for spelling and grammar, or to remove sensitive information, however, we are careful not to alter the intent or content of the question.
