Sugar, Spice and Everything Nice: 5 Things to Remember When Planning a Baby Shower

Contributed by Natasha Kapoor, a regular Confettish customer and part of Confettish's marketing team

Two years ago, I threw a (fantastic, if I may say so myself) baby shower for my sister. What preceded the big day, were daily reminder phone calls from my sister. “Are you throwing me a baby shower or not? Have you invited my girlfriends or not? Have you settled on a date or not?” Each phone call left me gasping for breath. There was something or the other I had forgotten, and up until the very last day – nay – minute, I was caught up with something or the other.

All the effort paid off and the baby shower went off really well. My sister was so delighted, her pregnancy glow had quadrupled in just a few hours. And that made it all worth it.

So here’s a list of things to simplify the baby shower process for you, so that the day goes by perfectly:

1. Set a theme: My sister loves the beach (duh, who doesn’t?) and since holidaying at the beach wasn’t an option during her pregnancy (we live in a landlocked city in North India), I decided to get the beach to her. I also figured my niece (or nephew) would be a real beach bum, based on what I knew of the parents, so this theme seemed to fit the bill. Also, I has envisioned my sister in a pretty beachy dress on her baby shower, so it all came together beautifully. Personalization means everything!

2. Send the invites: My sister and I were sure we wanted a girls-only baby shower, so setting the guest list was quite simple. Even simpler when it’s handed to you! Based on the theme, I took help from a friend to design an invite. Of course, it’s much easier now, with websites like Confettish who can personalize, design and print these out for you, but back then, I had to take a longer route. I wanted my sister’s friends to have these invites as keepsakes, so decided to courier these as well as send out email invites. The invite mentioned the date, venue and time, as well as the theme, so that people would dress accordingly.

3. Plan the decor: A theme means nothing if the decor doesn’t spell it out! Back then, I had to hunt a lot for the appropriate decor – foil balloons, banners, a special sash for my sister. Actually, I didn’t find anything personalised back then, so had to (clumsily) make a lot of things by hand. Now, of course, there are a lot of options to customise the baby shower decor as per the theme. It also pays to go the extra mile by having personalized badges for the mommy-to-be and the close family members.

4. Games: No baby shower is complete without gossip and games. Games like “Mommy’s belly”; “What’s in the diaper?”; “Paint on a onesie” can bring out a lot of laughs. And everyone knows how good laughter is for the mommy and baby both!

  

5. Favors and return gifts: I really wanted all my sister’s girlfriends to have a special keepsake as memory of her baby shower. Small keepsakes and my speciality – choco-chip cupcakes. Each favor package has personalised notes from the baby-to-be! Prospective Aunts were delighted to get messages from the baby saying, “Can’t wait to see you!”

There it is, my top five must-haves if you want to throw a “Babytastic" baby shower!

5 Reasons We Love Gifting ‘Handmade’

Looking for a unique return gift for your baby shower or your kid's birthday? Why not go handcrafted this time? Because....well, because handcrafted is Happiness, Creativity & Special all rolled into one! Here are just a few reasons why at Confettish, we love all things Handmade :

1. True Essence of Gift-giving – A handmade gift is the best way to say ‘I care.’ Make it unique, make it creative with a handmade favor which will never be replaced!

2. Truly Personal – Remember how you saved the handwritten autograph of a celebrity? Never thought the printed version could ever give the same sense of ‘personal’?

Each party stands out from the rest due to just one reason – the thought behind it. Make your favors truly personal when they are totally handmade. Each piece will have its unique-ness and each piece will hold a special place for those who get it…

Handcrafted Li'l Bow Wows

3. Totally Customizable – Make it exactly the way you would like it – we all love bespoke tailoring, so why not bespoke favors? Why not get each piece customized to the taste of your guests? If you are one in a billion, why should your party favors be any different.

Diaper Cakes

4. Value for Money – Yes, handmade comes at a price – but isn’t it so worth it? Buying something off the shelf which has been seen a million times versus buying something which was completely customized, personalized and handmade. Hmmm...the answer is clear!

Handcrafted Towel Cupcakes

5. More Than Just a Product – Handmade favors are like little treasures. They are a combination of creativity and uniqueness – like you! They are sure to stay most memorable for those who receive them and secretly, almost everyone longs for a completely customized handmade gift. Because you can never replace the charm of a handwritten note with an email. 

Handcrafted Towel Lollipops

5 Reasons Your Bestie Deserves a Bachelorette Party (& How to Make Sure it Doesn't Suck)

You've been mates for life. You probably went to school together, maybe even hated each other for a while before you realized you were meant to be BFFs. After those endless evenings talking about love, marriage and happy endings, the Big Day is finally here for your bestie! It deserves one crazy night – a bachelorette party she'll never forget! 

Still not convinced? Here's why you must:

Renew your friendship vows: A kick-ass bachelorette party is the best and most exciting way of reminding her of your life together - without the boys, without the commitment. By creating the most memorable night for her, you're symbolically renewing your vows of friendship, you know, over endless glasses of wine and nostalgic high school banter. Sounds like fun? 

Pro tip: Pick a theme that best represents her ... after all, you know her best! Don't stick to something safe and boring, think naughty - think Beach, Bikini, Booze…!

Time–Out: Mummy, daddy, uncles, aunties and the numerous relatives are flooding her house, and frankly, your friend needs you. She needs to breathe - (and drink?) - and let her hair down. As the Sex and the City Book of Commandments states: “When with girlfriends, be thy self.”

Celebrate Yourself: When an army of girls set out to celebrate freedom, you're actually celebrating womanhood. Appeal to your conscience. Here's another excuse to laugh loudly, dress the way you want to and just enjoy being a woman. Do it for the feminist in you.

Pro tip: An army looks good in uniform, girls. So give 'Team Bride' tees a thought. Or if you want to go down a simpler route, try some funky badges with messages customized to your bride. 

Create Memories: "Remember that time at your bachelorette when we..." No, you don't, because you never threw your friend a bachelorette party!! "Bad decisions make good stories" and parties make the "best" stories. So do it for that feeling you'll get when you're looking at an old album on Facebook. When you're thinking, "Wow, we looked so good." Or when your bestie and you need a reminder of the times you've had together, or the day you heralded a new era of your lives, with a glass of bubbly and a song on your lips.

Pro tip: A party doesn't have to end when it ends. Make sure your bachelorette party has customized favors that you and your girlfriends can enjoy for the rest of your lives. This little trinket would be that one secret from your crazy time together, making it totally worth the trouble.

Because Oprah thinks you should: "The more you praise and celebrate your life, the more there is in life to celebrate." – Oprah Winfrey

Had a memorable bachelorette party? Share your stories with us! Just drop us a comment and spread the joy :)