Baby showers usually blow. Don’t get it twisted; we love our friends and want their kids to have nice things. But sitting around watching someone open presents and playing lame games just isn’t awesome. Here are some tips on how to throw a shindig that both guests and the mom-to-be will love.
Here’s what not to do:
Don’t have a big gift-opening ceremony. Without it, people can come and go as they please without feeling like jerks, and the mom won’t miss out on valuable hang time with her homies.
Don’t ban the guys. Invite ?everyone the mom loves, and if there’s a second pre-parent involved, invite everyone that person loves too.
Don’t decorate the space like a damn nursery. This isn’t a surprise party for the baby—it’s a celebration for a grown-ass lady.
Now make the ?party bangin’: ?(After all, bangin’ is why this get-together is happening in the first place.)
Pick a theme the mom will adore. It can be a color scheme, the place where the baby was conceived (if it was somewhere rad, like a Hawaiian vacation), or just something your friend is into. I once threw a “Stacks of Cash and Bling”-themed shower because that’s what my pal liked. We chose the John Waters movie Cry-Baby for our theme here because it’s super cool, Ricki Lake’s character was preggers in it, and the word “baby” is in the title.
Instead of traditional (boring) shower games, try karaoke with music that goes along with your theme. At our Cry-Baby shower, we’d also have cool activities like a tear-drop station where people can use glitter or black eyeliner to draw little tears under their eyes; a temporary-tattoo station; a flash-art board that guests can use as inspiration for decorating blank onesies with flames or switchblades; and a mug-shot photo booth where guests can hold up a license plate that ?says “Congrats!”
Don’t skimp on the food—bae is eating for two! Ricki Lake’s character in Cry-Baby was named Pepper, so we’d serve stuffed peppers along with “Jail Bird” chicken salad, “Turkey Point” sandwiches, “Salty Tears” Martinis, amazing non-alcoholic cocktails for mama, and a hotrod-shaped cake for dessert.
For our Cry-Baby décor, we recreated the bone bassinet that Iggy Pop made in the movie with a clear storage container, plastic bones, and a hot glue gun. Then we filled it with gifts. Paper triangle banners are also easy to make, super cheap, and can say anything—we used a quote from the movie. Serving beer, soda, and juice in a giant metal tub like the one Iggy took a bath in is another great Cry-Baby touch.
There you go! Next time you find out a loved one is about to make a person, you can throw a shower that’s just as unique as they are.
Written by Callie Watts
Model: Issa Dixon; Makeup and Hair: Alayna Rakes for CameraReadyCosmetics.com; Stylist: Bessie Wink; Prop Stylist: Lauren Clemente; Props: Callie Watts and Mary Rockcastle; Cake Design: Melissa Bradley; Flowers: Courtesy of Teleflorasee
This story was published in the April/May 2015 printed edition of BUST Magazine.
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