Baby showers don’t have to be expensive in order to be fun and memorable.
I know what you’re thinking, it takes a fair amount of money to host an epic baby shower, and if you try and throw one on the cheap then everyone (worst of all mom-to-be) will be left disappointed.
But nothing can be further from the truth, because it is possible to put on a wonderful party without breaking the bank.
Not sure how?
In this post I’m going to give you seven tips on how you can stretch even the smallest budget to throw a baby shower that mom will love.
Let’s dive right in.
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7 Tips For Hosting A Baby Shower On A Budget
Over the years I’ve attended and hosted numerous baby showers, and I can tell you that it’s certainly not always the most expensive ones that are the best.
If you are on a budget (or are hosting your own baby shower), then I’m sure that will be music to your ears, because right now you’re probably panicking at the thought of throwing a great baby shower without having plenty of spare cash.
But all you really need is a little creativity, planning and the knowledge around what exactly to prioritize.
Here are our top tips on how to throw a budget-friendly (yet still memorable) baby shower.
1. Choose The Venue Wisely
Typically one of the most important and expensive parts of hosting a baby shower is directly related to the venue you choose.
Think about it, if you choose and commit to a fancy restaurant, then once you’ve made that decision there’s no escaping the fact that the event with cost hundreds of dollars, because the price of food and drink is being set by the establishment.
That’s why the first thing you’ll want to think about is whether there’s a low cost (or better yet, free) venue that you can opt for.
If you are on a budget but still want a beautiful and unique place to host a baby shower, the some wonderful options include a park or botanical gardens, the beach, a tea room or my personal favourite – someone’s house or back yard.
The great thing about this last option is that even if your house isn’t big enough, there’s still a chance that someone else on the guestlist has a big enough house or property that could serve as the venue.
If you are hosting a baby shower then don’t be afraid to ask one of the other guests if they are willing to offer their home or garden as the venue, especially if it’s someone who is particularly close to the mom-to-be.
This will save you a ton of money, and also free up budget that you could put towards other parts of the event, making it a real win-win!
2. Choose The Right Time
If a baby shower starts at 12pm or 1pm, then as a guest you would probably expect a decent amount of food to be available.
This is bad news if you are looking to throw a cheap baby shower, because feeding a sizeable meal to a lot of people costs a lot of money.
That’s why our second tip is to think very carefully about the time of day at which you throw the event.
Brunch (typically 9am-11am) or afternoon (say 2pm to 5pm) are great options, because people will still be relatively full from breakfast and lunch respectively, meaning you’ll only need to provide drinks and some light food or snacks.
3. Narrow The Guestlist
Sometimes the best parties are the ones that are most intimate.
Sure, you’re probably going to want more than three of four people in attendance, but you should think long and hard before inviting dozens of people for two reasons.
Firstly, it obviously costs more money to host a baby shower for a bigger group, because you’ll need a bigger venue and more food and drink.
The second reason is because the guestlist of a baby shower should ideally only include those who are close to the mom-to-be.
It goes without saying there are some special people who will always make the list, for example mom’s close family and best friends, and anyone particularly close to mom’s partner (i.e. a mother or sister in-law).
But there are also some others who are best left off the guestlist, so think twice before extending an invitation to any distant relatives mom never sees or any casual co-workers who probably wouldn’t expect to receive an invite anyway.
4. Ask Others To Contribute
As the host of a baby shower it’s easy to assume you have to plan and pay for everything yourself.
The good news is that this really is not true, and there’s nothing wrong with asking others to contribute in some way.
For example, one person’s contribution (and / or gift to mom) could be offering their house as the venue for the day.
Another person’s contribution could be to make a beautiful baby shower cake (complete with a wonderful message of course) if they are skilled at baking.
Is another guest an ace in the kitchen? Perhaps they could bring some delicious food.
You get the picture, and the wonderful thing here is that (1) these guests will probably love the opportunity to help in some way and use it as a way to show the mom-to-be how much she means to them, and (2) in the process they are helping keep the overall cost of the baby shower down for you as the host.
Another win-win!
Related: How Much Should You Spend On A Baby Shower Gift?
5. Go Easy On The Alcohol
There’s no two ways about it, alcohol is expensive, and can quickly lead to the budget of even the smallest of parties to get out of hand.
That’s why our next tip is to consider serving no alcohol at all.
After all, mom won’t notice the difference anyway, and she will surely appreciate a great mocktail like a Virgin Bloody Mary or Virgin Margarita instead of regular alcohol.
If that seems too extreme, perhaps just a welcome alcoholic drink or only offering a drink when making a toast to mom could be an acceptable compromise?
6. Use Decorations
One of the most effective ways to transform any location into a magical baby shower venue is by using gorgeous decorations.
While flowers are wonderful, the cost can quickly escalate if you go via a florist, so you might want to get these from a local farmers market or grocery store instead.
Provided you choose wisely nobody will know the difference anyway.
It’s also possible to get lovely decorations from dollar stores or Amazon for less than you might think.
The decorations below cost between $20.99 (Floral) and $25.99 (Sage Green) and contain a whopping 99 pieces in total.
This includes the pompoms, banners, backdrops and 65 balloons you can see in each image, all of which will go a long way to transforming a bland space into a beautiful and inviting space.!
7. Save Paper & Money Using Digital Invitations
At even just a few dollars per person on printing and postage, it doesn’t take a big party size for the cost of paper invitations to quickly add up.
Instead, do your wallet (and the environment) a favor and opt for digital invitations.
Nowadays everyone (from kids to great grandmas alike) have an email address at the very least, so all you need to do is create a gorgeous invitation from a free design website like Canva and you’re good to go!
In Conclusion
There we have it, throwing a beautiful baby shower does not necessarily have to be expensive.
Choose the right venue and time, keep the guestlist narrow, enlist help from others, go teetotal, decorate wisely and create your own invitations.
By following this advice you should be able to host an awesome yet low cost baby shower for as little as $100 to $200 if you wish.
Must Read: Everything You Need To Know About Baby Showers
