The Best Locations for a Baby Shower
Expecting a new baby is most definitely a reason to celebrate, and baby showers are the best way for the mother-to-be to spend time with her close friends and family members in honor of the occasion. From giving gifts and playing games, these special events mark the beginning of a new life, so when you plan one, you want it to be perfect.
If you're tasked with organizing a baby shower for your best friend, sister, or coworker, you'll have plenty of work to do. This is no easy job, but with the right venue, it can be a beautiful celebration. Choose from Giggster's selection of baby shower venues, which range from peaceful gardens and cozy studios with natural light to grand halls or fancy restaurants.
With our fantastic venue availability and options, you'll find the ultimate location to host a baby shower, no matter where you are. Renting a venue can be expensive, but our budget-friendly options guarantee that you'll have gorgeous spots to choose from, no matter how much or how little you're willing to spend.
Preparing for the arrival of a baby is an exciting and memorable time, and everyone will want to celebrate differently. Browse our list of baby shower venues to find a location the mom-to-be will love.
Why Choose Giggster for a Baby Shower
Bringing a baby into this world changes your life forever, and baby showers are a way for the community of the soon-to-be-parents to show their support and excitement. The Giggster app has the best choices when it comes to unique baby shower locations.
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If you're planning an intimate gathering, choose a venue that's comfortable for small groups. We have modern lounges and cozy cafes where the mother's friends and close family can share gifts and mingle in private.
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One of the best parts of planning a baby shower is decorating it. Choose a space that has plenty of potential for your chosen theme, like our studios or warehouses that are fully customizable.
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If the baby shower falls during the summertime, an outdoor event is a wonderful idea. Consider hosting the shower in a lovely garden or even a rooftop bar.
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Whether you're looking for a space right in the heart of town or a secluded property away from busy city life, we've got you covered. Giggster has properties to rent both near and far so you can choose one that's convenient for you.
Plan an Amazing Baby Shower Starting at Just $19/hour
Exceptional Variety & Quality: With Giggster's 10000 locations to choose from, you'll find the perfect venue for a baby shower in no time. We're happy to offer quality spaces to inspire you to create the event of your dreams.
Hassle-Free Booking: Booking the ultimate baby shower venue is just as easy as finding it with Giggster. Sort through our selection of venues based on specific features and price, and even talk directly with hosts all through our user-friendly platform.
24-Hour Free Cancellation Policy: Browse venues starting at just $19 per hour, find one in your price range, and start planning. Thanks to our flexible policy, you can book stress-free. Reserve the venue knowing there are free cancellations for bookings canceled within 24 hours of confirmation, provided the booking is made at least 48 hours before the event.
Platform Protections: With our optional platform protections, you'll have damage and liability insurance so that nothing can ruin your day. Host your event at a beautiful location like Diverse Character Multi Use Studio and relax worry-free, knowing you're protected from any potential mishaps.
What Kind of Venue Can I Rent for a Baby Shower?
Lots of work goes into planning a celebration, and one of the biggest steps is finding your venue. We have 10000 affordable venues to choose from so you can find the right place to suit your needs. Start searching right away on the Giggster app.
Homes and Mansions – Comfortable and Convenient. Many people host baby showers at their own home, and houses make a beautiful setting for these types of events. Choose one of our beautiful bungalow properties, homes with backyards, or charming mansions with enough space for everyone.
Studios and Lofts – Create Your Own Beautiful Space. Why not choose a bright studio with large windows or a huge warehouse with a high ceiling? These spaces are like a blank canvas where you have the freedom to decorate how you want.
Banquet Halls – Celebrate in Style. Banquet halls or social clubs are versatile spaces used for all sorts of gatherings. The available seating and layout make it easy to walk around and chat.
Gardens – Celebrate Under the Blue Sky. Don't overlook our outdoor locations; manicured gardens, manors with private patios, and rustic ranches can be wonderful baby shower venues. Aside from celebrating in the fresh air, these outdoor spots can usually accommodate many guests comfortably.
Villas and Vacation Homes – Spacious but Private. Choose a spacious country villa, lake house, or hillside property for a small getaway from everyday life. These properties have enough rooms to set up different baby shower games and activities, too.
Baby Shower Location Must-Haves
Popular baby shower activities include giving gifts to the expecting parents for the new baby and playing pregnancy-themed party games, so you'll need to make sure that your venue works with what you have planned. Remember these important features when searching for your venue.
Is there room to serve food and drinks? Refreshments are an important part of any event. Make sure your venue has space to set up snacks, and also room for your guests to sit and eat.
Is the venue accessible? Are your guests most likely driving to the location or taking public transit? Choose a location that's easy to get to for everyone, young and old.
Does the venue work with your ideas? If you've already got a vision of the perfect baby shower, make sure your venue ticks all the boxes. Maybe you need a space that suits your theme, enough room to play games, or even audio-visual equipment for a slideshow or background music.
Organizing a Baby Shower
Having a baby is a wonderful occasion, and you want to celebrate the joy and excitement with the best baby shower. From finding the ideal place to planning fun activities, organizing a baby shower has many steps.
Rent Your Venue – Use Giggster to find a venue that works for your baby shower. From private event spaces ideal for big groups to cozy rooms suitable for intimate events, you can choose your venue and book it right away to secure your dates.
Sent Out Invites – Have a conversation with the mom-to-be and narrow down a list of guests. Send out your invites with plenty of notice and maybe even plan a baby gift list with ideas of what toys, clothes, books, diapers, and other resources they need most.
Organize Fun Games – There are plenty of fun and creative ways to celebrate at a baby shower. Set up activities and games like seeing who can match baby socks the fastest, having a diaper changing relay, baby shower bingo, and more.
Plan Refreshments – If your baby shower has a theme, you can try finding refreshments that go along with it. Cookies and cupcakes are terrific baby shower snacks and can be decorated in imaginative ways to suit your event.
Hidden Costs for a Baby Shower at a Venue
Like any kind of event, hosting a baby shower can get expensive. With Giggster, renting your venue doesn't have to break the bank, but don't forget to plan for these hidden expenses, too.
Are you hiring vendors?
Will you want a photographer to take beautiful photos of your event? How about professional catering? Hiring vendors can add uniqueness to the baby shower, but it also adds to the cost.
What are you planning for decor?
Depending on the vision for your shower, decoration costs can add up quickly. Are you just blowing up balloons, or completely transforming the space?
How many guests are coming?
Of course, the more guests you invite, the more expensive the baby shower will be. Keep in mind that the price of food, venue size, party favors, and more will increase if you have a bigger event.
Plan Your Baby Shower with Giggster
Having kids is always something to celebrate, and to show your love for the mom-to-be and the new baby, you'll want to throw the best baby shower possible. Whether you'd prefer to host the shower in a community center, banquet hall, restaurant, or mansion, Giggster is here to help you find the right venue for your budget. Visit our website or the Giggster app to browse our list of venues. Happy planning!
Written by: Elizabeth Jackson
Everything you need to know about throwing a baby shower
Baby showers can feel like a very modern activity, but in truth, its roots go as far back as the first celebrations to welcome new life into the world.
Godh bharai ceremonies are held all throughout India during an expectant mother's seventh month of pregnancy. The name roughly translates to "fill the lap" in Hindu, and at the celebration, the mother is showered with sweets, flowers, bangles, and saris. In South Africa, stork parties celebrate the coming of a new life with family and friends—and a beautifully decorated cake. In Chinese cultures, red egg and ginger parties are often celebrated 30 days or 100 days after a child is born—after the new mother and child have finished their monthlong confinement (to give parent and child enough time to heal and to protect them from germs in more public settings). In this ritual, eggs dyed the lucky color red become themes or party favors, and guests are often served pickled ginger, a spice well-known for its health benefits. These rituals, filled with love and well-wishes, are how a community welcomes the birth of a new child but also helps ease mothers into their new caregiving role.
The modern baby shower has roots in the baby boom after World War II. Baby showers became a way to welcome the baby and provided the community with a way to help alleviate the financial burden of caring for a new child. In this era, now familiar rituals like shopping trips for baby needs, a party atmosphere at the shower, and parents-to-be opening their presents in public were born.
Many things have changed since the 1950s and '60s, though. Nowadays, guests of all genders are welcome, and technology has made it even easier for communities to gather. No matter the era, throwing a baby shower can be a fun and exciting way to celebrate the upcoming arrival of a new baby, but it can also be a daunting task. Luckily, there are ways you can ensure the shower you're hosting is both memorable and fun. Giggster compiled a list of eight pointers for throwing a baby shower you and the parents-to-be will never forget, using tips and tricks from party planners and parents.
Choose the right venue, but check out the extras
Mood is everything. The right venue will help set the tone for your party. It should be comfortable, spacious, and have enough parking for all the guests. The shower can be held at someone's home, a restaurant, or a community center. Just make sure it's easily accessible and convenient for everyone.
It's also a good idea to consider the venue's atmosphere and whether it matches the theme of your baby shower. For example, if you're hosting a baby shower with a rustic theme, a barn or a park may be a good fit. Alternatively, if you're hosting a more formal baby shower, a hotel ballroom or a restaurant may be more suitable.
Don't forget to look into any services the venue might offer. Some offer catering, which gives party planners one less thing to worry about. If not, look into their kitchen facilities to see if meal prep is appropriate for the dishes you had in mind. Keep an eye out for any venues that offer cleanup services after. It's never fun to pick up plates after the last guest has left, so better prepare for it beforehand.
Pick a fun theme or keep it simple
The theme should be relevant to the baby and parents-to-be. It can be anything from a gender reveal to a nursery rhyme theme. Once you've determined the theme, the next step is to decorate the venue with balloons, streamers, and other decorations that match the theme. Don't be afraid to think outside the box and develop a unique and creative theme.
You could have a "book-themed" shower where guests bring their favorite childhood books as gifts or a "spa-themed" shower for a mom-to-be who could relax before the baby arrives. If you want to keep things light and easy, choose a color palette rather than a theme. Think beyond pink and blue. Yellow and white evoke sunny, happy days, while green and gold feel more woodsy.
Send out invitations—and don't forget the registry
Send out invitations at least four weeks in advance so guests have enough time to plan. You can choose to send them digitally or physically. What matters is that the guests receive them. Ensure to include important details such as the date, time, venue, and theme.
It's also common for baby showers to include gift registries. If the parents-to-be have registered for gifts, including the information on the invitation. Some families have chosen to forgo registries altogether. If so, leave a note in the invitation to let guests know that the parents-to-be are just as happy to spend time with their loved ones without anything in return. Of course, it never hurts to gift a box of diapers with a gift receipt naturally.
Plan fun games and activities
Fun games help lighten the mood and give guests something to do while mixing and mingling. These can include diaper-changing races, guessing the baby's weight, and decorating onesies. Another fun game is baby photo guessing. Ask guests to bring baby photos of themselves and display them; then, have everyone try to match the baby picture with the guest.
If you'd like your games to be a little more useful down the road for the parents, have guests decorate plain onesies. Break out the fabric markers and fashion a craft corner. By the end of the party, you'll have onesies with special memories attached to them that will last through many days of happy messes for the parents-to-be.
Serve delicious food or try a potluck
Offer various food options that are easy to eat and cater to different dietary needs. Finger foods, desserts, and a variety of drinks are perfect for a baby shower. Small sandwiches with fillings such as cucumber and cream cheese, egg salad, or chicken salad are traditional. Fruit skewers are also great healthy options.
If you want to involve guests while keeping costs down for the parents-to-be, consider turning this celebration into a potluck. This works especially well in tight-knit, intimate baby showers where guests all know each other.
Don't forget dessert! Cupcakes are an easy-to-eat option, and you can decorate them with baby-themed decorations for a special touch.
Assign a gift notetaker
Baby showers usually mean many gifts, and not always through the registry. After the gifts have been opened and a pile of wrapping is on the floor, it can be confusing for parents-to-be to figure out which gift came from whom without a little help. Give these harried folks a leg up by asking someone to take note of which gifts came from which guests. By the time the parents-to-be get around to writing thank-you notes, this list will be a lifesaver.
Include the dad-to-be
Don't forget the dad-to-be in the baby shower festivities. Baby showers are celebrations and a way to ease into a new identity as mother and father. While much of the attention can be on the mothers-to-be, fathers-to-be also need some assurance that they are up for the tough job of parenting.
Make these dads feel included by ensuring his friends are also invited to the shower. What about adding an outdoor sporting element to the party, such as frisbee or soccer? This gives guests of all genders a chance to get active and enjoy the sunshine (especially for spring and summer baby showers). Have guests write down advice for parents-to-be (and subtly encourage the expectant dad's friends to add in their own father-centric advice); this book will become a treasured memento and also a source of inspiration and encouragement for years to come.
Capture memories
Parents-to-be hardly have time to take in everything while at their shower. Take plenty of pictures and videos to capture the special day's memories. Set up a photo booth or hire a professional photographer to take pictures of the guests and parents-to-be. This ensures that you have high-quality photos that capture all the important moments. You can also go grassroots and encourage guests to take photos and have them upload them to an online album for the expectant parents to enjoy years down the line. If you really want to go above and beyond, you can also create a scrapbook with photos, invitations, and other mementos from the baby shower.
