The fact is, for many women, getting married and having a baby happen very closely together. When the two special events are on top of each other, the woman’s friends may wonder if there is any way to throw a party to celebrate both occasions. This resulted in the increasingly popular bridal and baby shower combination.
You can certainly combine a bridal shower and baby shower, although it takes some finesse to pull it off right. It’s not easy to balance two events at a party, and one is likely to take center stage. Almost inevitably, it will be the baby shower that gets more attention than the wedding part of the shower.
If you are hosting a combination shower, make sure the nature of the occasion is clear on the invitations. You could write something like, “Please join us at the party honoring Misty Brown. It’s a bachelorette party and a baby shower!” Etc. I don’t always recommend including registration information on an invitation, but in this situation , it could be a good idea. Even so, you are sure to have many confused guests wondering what to bring: a baby gift, a wedding gift, or both.
A smart gift idea would be to give a baby and a wedding gift that have some kind of common bond or theme. For example, you could give away a toaster and a bottle warmer. Another idea would be to create a gift basket that includes a number of little things for home and baby. You can fill your basket with items like small kitchen utensils (whisks and spatulas), a baby rattle, diaper cream, etc. This would be a great way to put together a nice gift that pays tribute to both occasions, without the expense of buying two complete gifts.
Baby things are so much more fun to buy than wedding ones, so the guest of honor will probably end up with a lot for the baby, but not a lot for her or her house. It would be very considerate if the host, or perhaps the mother of the bride, made a special effort to get something beautiful just for her.
With a new baby on the way, the bride is probably not giving herself many indulgences, so a gift to make her feel pretty, such as a bridal jewelry set, would make a wonderful gift from her mother. If the baby is a girl, it would be very nice to get her a small jewel to match the bridal jewel, such as a tiny pearl necklace. Not that I will wear it anytime soon, but it would make a very sentimental keepsake.
Aside from the gifts, a combined baby and bride party won’t really be that different from any other party. Instead of strong themed decor, decorating with fairly fresh flowers will work equally well for a baby or bridal shower. Some good sandwiches, a white cake and voila.
It’s a bit out of the ordinary, but putting together a bridal and baby shower combination can definitely be done with style and grace. A combo shower is a good alternative to having two separate parties close together. And the bride will be delighted to be able to celebrate two happy occasions at the same time.