The birth of a baby is a thrilling experience for new parents, and a baby shower is a great way to celebrate that happiness. Sending invitations is the first step in organizing a baby shower party. You can easily add some creativity to your baby shower invitations.

Creative baby shower invitations are a great way to reflect the theme and spirit of your baby shower party. It gives a personal touch to the invitation. The wording of the baby shower invitation should include all particulars of the event. The theme of the invitation should highlight the tone of the special event. Essential information to be included on the invitation are the date, time, location of the event, name of guest of honor, phone number, and email address.

People generally use gender neutral baby shower invitation themes because in most cases, the sex of the baby is unknown. Add a few words of your own related to your theme, and the baby shower invitation turns creative. You can also include a gift registry, if the parents are registered for baby shower gifts.

Preparation of creative baby shower invitations is not an easy task. It requires some research to find creative and innovative ideas. Fortunately, there are a good number of ways to make the process simple and smooth. With the advent of digital printing, a world of possibilities is opened before you. Most creative baby shower invitations come with ribbons, bows, ethnic emblems, silver and gold foil embellishments, and photographs of the couple.

Creative baby shower invitations help set a mood of fun and excitement. These invitation cards can have interesting shapes and designs such as diapers, balloons, baby bottles, teddy bears, and pacifiers. The Internet is a good source for developing creative ideas for baby shower invitations.

Throwing a baby shower can be a daunting task. Your initial thinking is how much fun it’s going to be, but when it comes to planning and implementation…the reality hits! With any type of event, PLANNING, PLANNING, PLANNING is key. Along with all your planning, you’ve got to know when to handle things yourself and when to delegate tasks.

Step One: First map out all your general ideas of what the party will entail. These things include compiling a guest list; determining a theme - if any, type of food and drinks; what type of entertainment; location of the shower; what type of decorations; getting invitations; and setting an appropriate date and time.

Step Two: It’s time to unleash your inner Martha Stewart and figure out what tasks you would really enjoy doing; what you can handle; and what you’d like to delegate to someone else. As stated above, the key to success is planning. It’s quite possible to throw something together last minute, but ideally you’d like to give yourself enough time to sift through different options and to place orders for things you may not do yourself.

Step Three: Round up your troops - those who you trust to pull this event off and sit down to compile the guest list. Establishing the size and type of party is key before trotting off to get all necessary supplies. You need a ballpark number to start. This will also help you with budgeting for the party. Do you want formal or casual?

So many decisions!

Step Four: Set a date! If the baby shower is not a surprise, talk to the guest of honor to find out what date works best. If the shower is a surprise, then speak to family & friends to determine what date may work.

Step Five: Secure the location! If the event will be anywhere other than your home, call for reservations as soon as you can to see if they can accommodate your event and the number of invitees. If you’re hosting at your home, you’ll save some money, but you’ll need to make sure you give yourself enough time to clean and decorate before the event. Consider hiring a cleaning service if you’re feeling overwhelmed.

Step Six: Theme? A theme is not necessary for a successful baby shower, but it sure makes for a festive event! Ideas for themes can come from the chosen nursery, parents’ to be interests or hobbies, or whatever great idea you conjure up!

Step Seven: Once a theme or overall feel for the shower has been established, it’s time to get moving. Invitations, party supplies, and decorations need to be purchased. If you find a one stop shop that has it all together - lucky you! There are a wealth of places online or in your city that offer either invitations or the whole package. If you’re really creative and time allows, you can make the invitations yourself. If you cannot find all your supplies at once, at least get the invitations taken care of since they will need to be sent out a few weeks before the shower. Always include the basics of Who, What, When, Where, and the theme of the shower as well as where the parents are registered. Decorations too can be bought, made or both. Depending on your level of craftiness, you can go to craft stores, etc. and buy supplies to decorate for the party. Each week I will be listing various themes for baby showers that will include ideas for decorations and food. This is your chance to either unleash that inner Martha Stewart, find your crafty friends, or buy pre made items to make your life just a wee bit easier. You can also just limit your decorations to place settings at the table. Or you can go all out and have things hanging from the ceilings, mantles, tables, and wrapped around chairs. Diaper cakes make wonderful centerpieces and gifts for baby showers.

Step Eight: Food! You may have the greatest decorations in the world, but a party without good food and drink just isn’t really a party. Decision time again! Will this be a formal sit down dinner event? Informal or backyard event? Potluck? Afternoon tea? Planning a menu can be a serious task too! This is another opportunity for you to decide if you want to take on making the food yourself, having the event catered, or trying a potluck event with each guest bring a dish. Both food and drink can be festive and party specific.

If the event will be catered, start making calls at least a month ahead to find places that are available and have the cuisine you desire. If having a potluck, be sure to divide up which guests will bring what type of dish so you don’t have too much or too little of any course. If you plan to make the food yourself, give yourself a couple of weeks to find recipes and experiment if needed. Otherwise try making dishes and appetizers at least 24-48 hours ahead and store in the refrigerator.

Step Nine: Get some rest! Seriously, get a good night’s sleep so you’re fresh and on your game for the event. You might want to a jot a “to do” list to have handy the next day so you won’t forget last minute preparations. Enjoy the fabulous party you’ve orchestrated and the happiness you’ve bestowed upon the guest of honor!