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Whether you’re with bump or sorting out a little celebration for somebody who is, once the time and place are set, the date locked down and the who-to-ask list is drawn up, you’re going to need to turn your attention to invites. You’d think deciding the guest list was the hardest part, but actually, it’s the baby shower invitation wording that gets people seriously head-scratching.
Choosing your words for any sort of greeting card isn’t necessarily a case of free-flowing thoughts. In fact, it can leave plenty of people stumped and speechless. But an event like a baby shower’s not exactly the sort of invite you come across regularly, unlike a birthday or wedding invitation, making you even more likely to pause for thought. Fret not – the Papier team’s full of baby shower invitation ideas and inspiration for what to jot down in them...
Words can wait a moment. Before you even think about dipping your quill in ink, take some time to think through the structure. We’re not talking about a rigid plan to follow – more of a baby shower invitation template if you will. And it goes a little something like this:
Who: open with the name of the tiny tot’s parents rather than the invitee. Generally speaking, a baby shower’s hosted before the baby arrives, so you’ll want the name of the expectant parents as headliners. Have that displayed loud and clear at the top of your invitation.
What: just as with any other event, next up is the part where you tell people what they’re being invited to. You've got it – a baby shower! If the party’s got a theme or if it’s a surprise, this is the best place to mention that too.
When: Okay, so who the event is for – check; what the event actually is – check. When people are expected to attend – you’re next. Give them the date and the time to get the party started. If you want things wrapped up by a certain o’clock, note down a time span so everybody knows when they’ll need to sling their respective hooks by. Or if you want to keep it open, you might want to say something like, from 2pm onwards or from 2pm-dusk.
Where: they’re going to need to know where to head to. So after the time and date are scribed, don’t forget to add the address, whether it’s somebody’s home or a hired room in a special venue.
Extras: the catch-all pot where you can include any additional bits and bobs that haven’t fallen into place yet. For example, is there a gift registry that guests need to know about? If so, this is where to put it as well as how people can make a contribution. Or, if suggesting gifts feels too vulgar for your vibe, use this section to suggest what they can bring along.
RSVP: round off your baby shower invitation with how and when people need to RSVP by. If you’re hosting a shower on behalf of the mother or father-to-be, include your contact details here so guests are troubling the right person. And make sure you give people enough time to respond, but not so long that it’s more likely it’ll slip out of mind. About two weeks is reasonable.
Now that you’ve set out your stall, the moment has come to get down and wordy. To put all of the above into practice, here’s one that the Papier team made earlier:
In case you hadn’t noticed, two are about to become three. So we thought we’d throw ourselves a tropical-themed baby shower to celebrate with our nearest and dearest!
Join us on: 31st July, from 2pm
Join us in: Our back garden – 42 Wisteria Lane, Frome, BA22 1PW
Bring along: yourselves, your wee ones and furry ones (yes, dogs are welcome too), sunglasses and a brolly (so you’re covered for sun and showers), and a bottle of something. There’ll be plenty of nibbles and sweet treats for sustenance!
To help us get planning, RSVP by 10th July with how many of your tribe will be coming along. Just text either of us or email nicolaandstuartfromfrome@gmail.com.
The three of us hope you can make it!
If our baby shower invitation template and working example still leave you umming and ahing, there’s plenty more wordsmith advice where they came from. This next section’s your baby shower invitation phrasebook to help you navigate questions like whether you want to bring the baby’s gender into the equation, and to get around how you communicate that this is very much a low-key affair.
Those three words are a classic starting point, but from there, you could add one or two girly doses by saying things like:
The same goes for the baby fellas out there. You can use this standard phrase somewhere on the invitation and you can adapt any of the above three phrases to suit a little boy – baby boy, little prince and so on. Or, try these phrases on for size:
Not everybody wants to reference gender on the baby shower invite. Some people want to keep the sex a secret and others simply don’t see the relevance of whether their baby’s a boy or a girl, prince or princess, little chap or little lady. So give the earlier phrases a swerve and think more along the lines of:
While some like to keep the guys and the gals separate at a baby shower, plenty of people see it as a celebration for one and all, and the perfect excuse to bring together all of your loved ones in the same space for the same reason. So to keep things crystal clear that this is going to be a co-ed affair, try saying:
If a full-blown baby shower isn’t your style, but neither are you one to never say no to a party, then perhaps a baby sprinkle will be more to your liking. It’s exactly what it says on the tin – a light dusting of love and affection rather than a downpour, a drenching or a dousing. So be sure to make that known on your invitations so that nobody turns up with a pin-the-dummy on the baby game. These phrases can help with that:
