Ask A South Florida Expert: Tips For Hosting A Baby Shower
Baby showers are a joyous time for all parents whether they're first timers or old pros, but it can be a nightmare for the person planning it. There are so many ideas out there that many people are fearful that the tone of the event won't strike the right chord with the parents-to-be. Fosie Norton is the owner of Fosie J. Events, an event planning business in Miami that specializes in green event planning. She has some do and don't tips that are sure to help even the most clueless baby shower host or hostess.
Fosie Norton
Fosie J. Events
Miami, FL 33247
(305) 244-3901
www.fosiejevents.com
Fosie Norton's love of baby showers began in 1999 when she was just a teenager. A family friend was having a baby shower and asked Norton to host it. The event featured a lot of blue, since the baby was a boy, but it was enough to get Norton hooked. She attended the University of Florida and graduated with bachelor's degree in her other passion Family, Youth and Community Sciences, and then moved to Miami. Since then, she has spent the past seven years event planning baby showers, weddings and more, all with a keen awareness of how if affects the environment.
Have the Event at Home or at a Restaurant
In this day and age of bigger is better, money being no object and guest lists for baby showers topping the hundreds comes an ideal that perhaps simplicity is best. "I think baby showers are so intimate," says Norton. "I like the idea of having it at home and it also helps to save a significant portion of your budget." If you need more space to accommodate your guests, then Norton recommends having the event at a restaurant to save money on the catering bill.
Make Your Own Invitations
It can be tempting to run to your local Hallmark store and pick up a well-written card, but baby showers are an intimate affair and words from your heart are always more appreciated than a generic invitation. "I don't think it's a smart choice spending so much money by hiring someone to do it or going to a stationary store. It's so easy, you could do it yourself," says Norton. You can start by printing out the invitation yourself using recycled paper and adding personal touches like pictures of the mother and father and baby decorations. It's one favor that the mom-to-be will want to keep forever.
(Credit: Thinkstock)
Invite Children
Baby showers are meant to be about babies, but more often than not it turns into an event for the moms to celebrate someone else's child while escaping their own. Norton doesn't agree with this trend. "Given it's about welcoming a child, I like to have that feeling of a kid there just to bring in that real life next to the new parent, especially if they've never had any kids," says Norton. It's a way to make an intimate occasion more meaningful and save your guests money on babysitter expenses as well.
It's Okay to Decorate Outside the Box
Baby shower trends change yearly but Norton has a few timeless tips of her own. The first trend is color. Since Norton has held events in both Northern Florida and Southern Florida, she's found that South Floridians like lots of color as opposed to the standard blue for a boy and pink for a girl. She also recommends using environmentally friendly, green decorations like nixing the paper plates and plastic utensils to reduce your carbon footprint. The final decoration tip and must-have for any baby shower is a picture of the parents-to-be together and a separate picture of the baby's ultrasound to personalize the event. "I think it's very emotional for people to see where they came from and then now they too are giving birth to a child and extending the family," says Norton.
Finger Foods Only
Baby showers are a smaller affair and don't require the massive spread that weddings do. Heavy foods at a baby shower are Norton's absolute no-no of planning a baby shower. "I would stay away from anything that's super dirty and would require a ton of napkins to wipe your hands and your mouth," says Norton. It takes the class of the affair down a notch and can increase your carbon footprint. Opt for culturally specific finger foods instead.
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Niema Hulin was born in Newark, NJ but raised in Lexington, South Carolina for the bulk of her formative years. In 2002, she moved to Miami after graduating from the University of Florida. Since then, Niema has worked in film, television and commercials as a Production Assistant and Production Coordinator. Some of her films have included Bad Boys II and I Am Number IV. Her work can be found at Examiner.com.
