When it comes to life’s big events, the birth of a baby is certainly one of the most important and joyous occasions for a family!  A baby shower honoring the future mama is a great way to celebrate the days leading up to this monumental occasion.  Having a beautiful, meaningful shower does not have to be a huge expense. To honor these new beginnings you can get creative, add personal touches, and still have a budget friendly shower that the guests will love!

1. Choose the right venue. From hotel banquet rooms to a private home there are an abundance of options when it comes to choosing a venue to host a baby shower. When considering your venue you’ll want to focus on what’s included. Items such as tables, chairs, linens, and glassware will all help you stay on budget if they’re already provided with the venue of your choice.  If you’ll be hosting a shower in your private home you’ll want to factor in the cost of these items whether you purchase those wholesale or go through a rental company.

2. Send digital invitations. Websites such as Evite.com and Paperlesspost.com allow you the opportunity to design beautiful invitations while saving trees and money along the way. Websites such as these are used friendly and even allow you to track invitations and send friendly reminders to the guest list.

3. Choose a theme. When it comes to planning the décor and look of your shower I highly recommend consulting the mama-to-be to see if she has anything in mind. Not every woman want’s the traditional pink and blue baby shower and there are so many fun ways to get creative.  Does she already have a design of the nursery in mind? If you find a way to tie those two themes into together or even pick the same one you could even include décor and elements that can be re-purposed in her nursery later. This is a great way to add in personal touches to the baby shower with items that will later find a home in the baby’s room.  

   In the baby shower featured here we found budget friendly ways to add in floral elements without purchasing expensive centerpieces. The faux-floral cake topper, greenery garland for the balloons from La Boutique Nostalgie, and floral printed table linen for the gift tables were ways to add in these touches without breaking the bank.

4. When it comes to décor make use of what you already own. For this bridal shower we included a mirror with a custom Cricut vinyl for our welcome sign, a vintage dresser for the dessert display, and a bar cart as our drink station. You can get creative with the furniture and décor you have at home and include these in the design of your shower.

5. Feed your guests (and not just cheese & crackers).  Often times a shower can take an hour or two and occur over a meal time so you’ll want to keep this in mind.  To keep your menu budget friendly consider items such as sandwich platters, pasta salads, fruit and vegetable displays, and a dessert station.

6. Bake your own desserts.  You can create a beautiful dessert display with items made right from your own kitchen or by picking up over the counter items at your local supermarket.  Do you have a friend or family member who is a skilled baker? Ask them for help! I loved the beautiful cake we included in this shower that was created by Amanda’s aunt.

7.Create baby shower games that are free.  You can create word searches, puzzles, and other interactive games online for free and are a simple and fun way to give your guests something to do throughout the shower.

8. Stick to the registry. Most likely, she’s taken the time to create a registry and has added items that she has probably thoroughly researched herself or has been recommended to include by loved ones You can go in with a few other attendees to contribute to higher price items like cribs, strollers, and car seats. 

Thank you to my friend (and host of this shower) Amanda for asking me to help design this shower for the lovely Danielle.  All photos are courtesy of Amanda Collins Photography.

Location: The Lamb Center at the Metropark in Toledo