Where to Find Baby Shower Invitations
There’s many ways to find baby shower invitations; online stores, card shops such as Hallmark, superstores such as Wal-Mart, e-cards on the Web, downloadable cards, or you can even make them yourself. Whatever type of card you send, the following information will help you get the ball rolling.
Guest List
Unless this is a surprise shower, you should work with the mommy-to-be in making the guest list. You don’t want to leave out someone who should be included, and you don’t want to invite someone that the guest of honor would rather not be there. If the shower is a surprise, you still need to work with someone close to the guest of honor, such as a husband, mother, or sister.
If you are a co-worker or a member of the same church or organization as the mommy-to-be, you probably have a ready-made guest list. You’ll probably invite everyone at work or everyone that belongs to your church or organization.
Selecting the Invitations
You’ve made your guest list and now its time to send out the baby shower invitations.
Whether to decide to purchase invitations or make your own, try to select a style that goes with the baby shower theme that you have chosen. For example, if you have chosen a ducky theme, select invitations with baby ducks on it. If you are giving a more formal shower, select a more subdued, traditional shower invitation. You want to select an invitation that reflects the attitude and style of the type of shower you are throwing. Remember that the baby shower invitation will probably go into the baby book for posterity.
I have some ideas for free baby shower invitations , or nearly free, that you can make yourself.
Information for the Invitations
Give your guests as much information about the shower as you can on the baby shower invitations. The information that should be included should be similar to the following:
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Mommy-to-be’s name
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shower date and time
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hostess’ name and phone number
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address of shower
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map of shower location (optional, this can be obtained easily at www.mapquest.com)
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RSVP date and phone number
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shower theme information
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sex of baby (if known)
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where mommy-to-be is registered, if applicable
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if this is a surprise party, mention that detail
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if a meal or refreshments will be served
Number of Guests to Invite
Usually a baby shower has anywhere from five to twenty guests, if it is to be held in a home. More than twenty guests leans toward a more formal shower and you’ll probably need to find a larger space.
RSVP
R.S.V.P. stands for a French phrase, “répondez, s’il vous plaît,” which means “please reply.” In other words, you are asking your potential guest to let you know if she will be attending the shower. Having an approximate head count helps especially if you are planning a more elaborate shower, such as one that provides lunch.
On the baby shower invitations, you should include a date by which you would like to receive the RSVP. Something similar to “Please RSVP at (phone number) by (date).” will suffice. The deadline date for the RSVP should be a couple of weeks before the shower.
But be prepared – just because you display good manners doesn’t mean that everyone does. You may not hear back from many of the invitees, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t coming so you should plan for extra food and supplies just in case. And if you really need an accurate headcount, especially if you are having the shower catered, it’s perfectly acceptable to call those who have not responded after the deadline date.
When to Mail the Invitations
If there will be guests coming from out of town, it’s best to give them as much time to plan as possible. If possible, send the baby shower invitations to them 6-8 weeks before the shower.
If the guests are local, 2-4 weeks is acceptable. If you send them out two weeks before the shower, you naturally won’t be able to ask for a RSVP two weeks before the shower, but certainly expect one a week to three days before the shower.
I found this really great site that shows how to make your own baby shower invitations. You should check out http://www.do-it-yourself-invitations.com/baby-shower-invitations.html for some really great ideas.
Here are posts that you might enjoy:
Here are some other baby shower sites that are related to baby showers. Thanks for visiting Cool Baby Showers.
Baby Shower Invitations - Match Them to Your Party’s Theme
Baby Shower Invitations - Match Them to Your Party’s Theme
The Origin of Baby Shower Invitations and Baby Showers - YouTube
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List of Shrek characters - Wikipedia the free encyclopedia
BABY SHOWER TEA PARTY FOR SARAH | Flickr - Photo Sharing!
Graduation and Baby Shower for First-Time Moms
What do you think is better, store bought invitations for homemade? I like to get something that someone took the time to make, but I understand if everyone isn’t creative or have the time to do that. What have you done about baby shower invitations?
i liked the stuff posted here. wishing you best of luck for your future.
awesome post…thanks for posting.
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thank you for the info, it really helps.
I used to use CJ papers but their wbseite isn’t working it comes up with a series of useless links instead of an actual wbseite. You can always pick up a package of invitation paper from your local office supply store and purchase a rubber stamp with a western these and emboss them with an added design that matches after you print them. Here’s a place but they don’t have any country western specific hmmm I also found something interesting on e-bay that you should see as well. If you want to create and design your own just take a course on Microsoft Word because it has everything you need even for printing envelopes from your computer if you know how to use it.
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