If you are a women between ages 25 and 40 you have most likely been to a baby shower or two and you can attest to the fact that there are a variety of ways to fete a mom-to-be.  My personal experience has ranged from the traditional (all-female showers with games that involve trying to remember the words to nursery rhymes and guessing the flavor of baby food based on appearance and smell), to contemporary (co-ed “cocktail” baby showers where you might not know that the event was related to a baby) and everything in between.

A good friend is having her first baby in July and a group of us had the pleasure of hosting a shower in her honor over the weekend.  Dad surfs and Mom loves the ocean, so we took our cues from them and had a “surf themed” baby shower.

Over the years, I’ve determined that two things make working with a group infinitely easier.  Those things are (a) having a specific plan and (b) letting people gravitate towards tasks they enjoy.   We did those things here and the party went off without a hitch.

With respect to a plan, Identifying a theme, food, drinks and favors early on made life much easier though the process.  Continuing with our beach theme, we arranged for a taco bar, margaritas, cupcakes, and decided on flip-flops for the favor.

Once we had our plan, people naturally gravitated to the tasks they liked.  One person was in charge of putting the flower arrangements together, another handled the catering, another handled non-floral decor . . . you get the idea.  And, no job was too small.  One person was in charge of making sure that we had the odds and ends we needed from the grocery store.  Everyone worked together and nobody was overwhelmed.

Ultimately, I think the party had the perfect mix of traditional and contemporary.  It was an all-female event in the early afternoon, but the taco bar and margaritas made it feel a little more festive than your typical brunch fare.  The decor was subtle but got the point across and, best of all, most items would be useable for the little guy when he arrives.  If I had to do it again, I wouldn’t change a thing.

All images original to RevolvingDecor.com.