Baby Shower in 8 Steps 8 Steps To a Successful Party 1. Who, What, Where 2. All the Little Things 3. Planning the Theme 4. The Guest List 5. Let's Make It a Party 6. Creating the Menu 7. It's about the Bling 8. The Wrap Up Tips for the hostess The Good Hostess Guide to Surviving a Baby Shower TIMELINE Planning Timeline INVITATIONS Baby Shower Invitations DECORATIONS Baby Shower Decorations GAMES Find Games THEMES Search our Themes Etiquette questions and more Ask our Q&A
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Guest List for a Baby Shower

Step #4 of the 8-Step Planning Guide
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By Sirena Van Schaik

The guest list is the one detail that can really make or break the baby shower.  Forget about the decorations being in the wrong shade or the theme being next to impossible to create, even the food burning is not as catastrophic as not having a proper guest list.  Okay, maybe I am exaggerating a bit but have you ever tried to bring together a group of people that may be holding 20 year old grudges? Trust me, it’s not pretty.

But let’s say that you have the ideal guests, everyone gets along famously and those that don’t can behave in an adult manner without throwing any snide remarks at anyone else.  Even without the usual familial relationship issues, a guest list needs to be well thought out in order to achieve the best possible result for the party.

To start, you will need to get that guest list and there are a number of ways to go about it obtaining it and a few courtesies that you should extend.  At this point, you should know whether or not your baby shower is a couple’s party or if it is for women only.  This is important, especially on how you address and word you invitations.

Once you have determined the type of shower that you are having, it is time to round up the guest lists.  I like to put out my requests for them about 9 weeks before the date of the shower.  This gives people plenty of time to get their list together and it also gives you the time to chase them down.  When you ask for your list, ask that they contain the first and last names of the guests as well as their phone numbers, complete addresses including zip or postal codes, and their email addresses if available.  This will make your life a lot easier when it comes time to track down the RSVP’s that haven’t been returned. Print out our free guest list worksheet and hand it out to those who will be helping you put together the list! This will help make your job a little bit easier.

A baby shower where the expectant mom is aware of what is happening is the easier baby shower to plan when it comes to the guest list.  You can get the list of who she wants to invite straight from her, and you don’t have to sneak around and ask the expectant father to get the names for you.  If she is knowledgeable about the event, don’t forget to ask the grandmothers-to-be to include their own lists containing special people they want to invite.  This is a two-pronged courtesy: not only does it make the grandmothers feel like they are involved, but it also keeps the guest of honor from having to ask.

When you are asking about guest lists, confirm if anyone else is having a baby shower for the expectant mom.  Many places of work will have baby showers for their workers or co-workers who are leaving for maternity, so you may not have to invite coworkers to the shower.  Also, other family members and or friends may host a shower as well so you might be able to cut the size of the guest list since most people will only attend one or perhaps two of the showers.

Now that you have the guest lists firmly in hand, it is time to start sorting through them to find any that are missing contact information.  Chase down that missing information and transfer them onto our handy guest list roster; set them aside until you are ready to send out the invitations.

After the invitations are sent out, use the guests list to mark out which guests have sent back an RSVP and to also call any of the missing guests.  Lastly, the guest list can be given to the expectant mom so she has everything at her fingertips when she needs to send out the thank you cards.

So the guest list can be fairly simple as long as you communicate with everyone involved in the shower including expectant mom, dad, the expectant mom’s mother and mother-in-law, sisters and sisters-in-law, and her close friends.  Be aware of any feuds and take that into consideration if you use your guest list for a seating plan.  Think of it like a wedding, and you will be well on your way to creating baby shower harmony.

Go to Step #5 of the 8-Step Planning Guide >>