Baby Showers Pregnancy

How Many People To Invite To A Baby Shower? 5 Things To Consider

As we covered in a recent article, moms-to-be traditionally don’t plan or pay for their own baby shower, although nowadays this etiquette rule is becoming less relaxed.

But if mom isn’t the host, this does not mean she shouldn’t have a say in who is invited, or indeed how many people are invited, to their celebration.

In terms of averages, the typical baby shower is a fairly intimate event with around 15 to 20 guests in attendance.

But you don’t need to stick to this range, especially as there are some important things you should consider when deciding on the number of guests to invite, including the type and size of the venue, the budget, and how intimate a celebration mom would like.

So let’s take a look at baby shower attendee numbers in more detail, to help ensure the host, guests and most importantly mom-to-be all has a great day.

How Many People To Invite To A Baby Shower?

Deciding on who to invite to a baby shower – and by extension how many people to invite in total – can be tricky, because there is no one-size-fits all approach.

If you are looking to follow traditions, then baby showers are normally quite small and intimate affairs, with only around 15-20 guests invited.

However, these are just averages and certain considerations like the size of your family and social circle, resources of the host and mom’s preferred vibe or atmosphere all play a significant part in how many people to invite.

So for this reason some pregnant women prefer to have a baby shower with as few as 5-10 guests, while others will invite up to 40 or 50 guests.

It’s important to remember that there is no right or wrong answer, and as with many things it comes down to personal preference, in addition to some of the key considerations below.

Must Read: Everything You Need To Know About Baby Showers

What To Consider When Creating A Baby Shower Guest List

1. Venue Type & Size

It goes without saying, but clearly a smaller venue, such as someone’s living room, will have a lower capacity compared to a large backyard or restaurant.

Not all large venues need to be expensive – think of a park, which is likely to be free of charge and capable of hosting as large a group as you wish.

But many times the type and size of the venue are influenced by the budget, which leads us on to our second point.

Luxurious restaurant interior

2. Budget

A typical baby shower can cost anywhere between $150 to $1,200 depending on the venue, food and size of the the guestlist.

Some of this budget will go towards paying for the venue, especially if the event is held in a fancy hotel conference room or private section within a nice restaurant.

But even if the venue doesn’t cost anything, the number of people invited to a baby shower will directly impact the amount that the host needs to spend on food and drink.

This means that even for a relatively small baby shower, the cost of food, drink and a cake can easily be $300 to $500.

See Also: How To Throw A Baby Shower On A Budget

3. Desired Level of Intimacy

Smaller celebrations with fewer people are naturally more intimate and cozy than a larger gathering.

So if mom-to-be prefers a more intimate celebration like I did, then you may want to consider reducing the size of the guest list to a number that includes the important people below, but still feels personal and cozy.

I found that around 10 people was a good number in this regard.

If on the other hand the guest of honor (mom-to-be) likes bigger, louder and higher-tempo celebrations, then the number of people invited will naturally be larger, and can easily include 30,40 or even 50 people.

Group of women smiling

4. Size of Family

The next thing to consider is how large the guest of honor’s family is, because the last thing anyone wants to do is offend someone by leaving them of the invitation list.

Again, it sounds obvious but if the parents-to-be have a large family and are close to many of their relatives like their aunts, sisters, nieces and cousins, then you’re probably going to need to invite quite a few people to the baby shower.

5. Size of Friendship Group

Lastly, another very important consideration is how large mom’s friendship group is.

If the guest of honor is someone who has a large and active social circle, and would like to also invite work colleagues and potentially clients, then the number of people invited will quickly rack up.

If, on the other hand, mom-to-be has a small group of close friends, and prefers to keep the list quite tight, the number of people invited to the baby shower might barely reach double figures.

It’s also worth stressing that there are other ways to include friends and extended family without inviting them directly to the event.

Two examples of how to include wider friends, family and associates in the celebration include a gender reveal party or a pregnancy announcement.

Gender reveal parties in particular are a great way to include any close male friends mom might have, as unlike baby showers, gender reveal parties aren’t traditionally limited to female guests.

See Also:

Tori is mama to 3 year old Isabella and co-founder of Rockinbaby. She has a BSc in Psychology, is a certified yoga teacher and is a working mom. In her free time Tori loves cooking delicious foods and baked treats, entertaining and working out. Learn more about Tori here.

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