Your baby shower is a special occasion and so it is only right that you should want to formally invite your guests. So, unless a baby shower is going to be a surprise or is being arranged in a hurry, then written invitations are invariably the most appropriate method to use. When this is not possible then personally inviting guests by telephone is an acceptable alternative and e-mailing your invitations should be avoided in spite of the fact that they may appear to be fast and convenient.
As long as your budget allows then your baby shower invitations can be custom printed but this is really not necessary and there are many excellent pre-printed invitations available locally or on the Internet. As an very good alternative you can always create your own invitations if you have enough time and a bit of creative talent.
As is the case with any party invitations your guests will have to have some basic details such as the name of the person for whom the baby shower is being given, the full name of the host, the date and time of the baby shower, the location and instructions on how to RSVP.
Another thing to think about including is details of the theme of the event or the baby shower gift registry and this can be a little bit tricky as many people feel that this is presumptuous and puts unnecessary pressure on the guests. Of course this is a matter of personal preference, but one solution that normally works is to leave this off the invitations, request you guests to reply by telephone and then than slip this artfully into the conversion if guests do confirm that they will be attending. Do not forget though that you must have this information on hand when your guests call and etiquette states that you should only give out any baby shower gift registry information if your guest requests it. If the baby shower is going to be a formal event then you cannot go wrong if you stick to etiquette but, if the shower is less formal and includes just close friends then you can probably relax the rules a bit.
The timeline for a baby shower is important and the more advance notice the guests are given the better. Accordingly, you should aim to mail your invitations out 4 to 6 weeks ahead of the shower date and this is particularly important if out of town guests are being invited. When this is not possible then you should certainly aim to send your invitations out at least 2 to 3 weeks before the event. A good period of notice allows your guests time to organize their personal schedules, RSVP and shop for appropriate gifts.
It is also important that you request your guests to phone you and let you know if they will be attending. With all the tasks involved in planning your baby shower the last thing you need is to have to phone around to find out if some of the guest plan on attending. However, there will usually be some guests who fail to reply and so one week prior to the shower date you will have to make time to contact those people to find out their intentions. Having accurate numbers will help a great deal with making the necessary arrangements for your special event.
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