The written invitation sent through the mail, is considered to be the most gracious and respectful way to invite people to a baby shower. Usually the invitation is an expression of the theme of the party. This type of invitation can include a postage-paid envelope with your address on it as well as RSVP card, or simply your phone number or email address written inside the body of the card. Cards of this type are sold at most stationary stores. Popular stationary colors for invitations include pink (for a girl), blue (for a boy), yellow (for sex unknown) and white.
If you send out invitations by mail it is recommended that you do this at least four weeks before the event to give people a chance to respond.
A more casual, but definitely traditional approach is to simply invite individuals by phone. Hostesses on a budget or busy individuals may prefer this more immediate method.
Some individuals may prefer to send out e-vites. In this case, there are many sites on the internet that provide free pre-designed electronic cards that you can send out en masse to your guest list.
If you have glitter, markers and glue, you can create a homemade card. Homemade cards are considered to be especially heart-felt because of the time and effort put into their creation.
If you decide to make a homemade card, a color Xerox machine is your best friend. This way you can replicate a single card many times over. Cards can also be crafted using drawing programs and PhotoShop on a computer and then printed off as needed.
An easy idea for a homemade card is to acquire a picture of the mom-to-be and hand decorate it with gold and silver marker and glitter. Cards and envelopes can also be hinged and fastened with ribbons, yarn, safety pins and clothespins.
It is also quite easy to make a collage of images that match the theme of your party. For instance, if the theme is ducks, you can easily manufacture a card from images clipped out of a magazine and color Xerox it. The same can be done with stars, storks, teddy bears, angels and other classic images associated with baby’s arrival.
It is the responsibility of the person throwing the party to have a conversation with the mother-to-be and decide who is appropriate to invite. Some expectant mothers are a little shy and prefer to be surrounded by a close circle of girlfriends. Other mothers-to-be like a glossy event that almost has a business-like affair.
If the shower is a surprise party then it is perfectly o.k. to phone up her relatives and other close friends and grill them for information about who is on the mother-to-be’s good side and whose faces she would be most pleased to see at the event.