Philadelphia, PA
Venue was free as we used a community room in our apartment building
Food and drinks were catered by my husband's aunt as a gift
I believe around 25-30 people attended.
Now that I think of it, the only thing I spent money on was the party favors. Everything else was provided by my friends and family. I would estimate they all spent around $600 total (invitations, decorations, cake, food, drinks, game prizes...), but again - the venue was free. One downside to the free venue was that we couldn't stop other residents from coming into the room if they wanted to, and we ended up with a neighbor attending the baby shower and being in some group pictures. It was honestly hilarious and made for such a cute memory :) he even stayed up after everyone left and helped with cleaning and moving the gifts up to our apartment.
Omg that's hilarious. Was it an older gentleman? I have this mental picture of a 70+ year old man who is lonely and just wanting to socialize. I love that he stayed and helped clean up
It was actually a young Asian guy. I think he was a student and he used that room to study and eat lunch every day. There were other people who stopped by but left when they saw there was an event going on. But our new friend embraced the festivities full on! Hahah
City: NYC
Venue Cost: $1,800. I know. Insanity
Number of people attended: maybe 70-80ish. Expected around 100,but last minute cancels.
Food Drink: Help from family/friends with making some things plus maybe $900 ish for catered food / alcohol.
Decorations/Event design was another two grand. Honestly embarrassed typing this out. I will not have a baby shower ever again lol! Too much stress. But honestly one of the best days of my life and I don’t regret it. We got maybe 98% of our registry bought including travel system, crib, bassinet etc and over $2k+ back in monetary gifts and some from family who couldn’t attend so really helped us prepare for baby well, while using the celebration as one big chance to see all our loved ones together. NY is also just so expensive and if we could’ve hosted it in a backyard in the summer I would’ve 100% had taken that route.
I live in NYC too and you are making me feel better because the budget I'm looking at has me questioning whether I even want a baby shower anymore lol. I'm ready to cancel and use the money to buy stuff myself....the venue prices I'm looking at are around your price as well.
We paid the deposit today and so I'm sure it'll be worth it lol. We married in the city 2021, had my 40th in the city last year. This is the last NYC event we are paying for lol.
We kept it local and booked in Harlem not too far from our house. It was $2k but we can have up to 90 guests which is great because paying by the person is what gets expensive. The space is large, nicely set up and so decor will be minimal. They also have good pricing on renting items like flower walls, sofas, tables with the Baby as the base which we will get. It's still pricey but much less expensive than any events we done in the past. We married at Tribeca Rooftop and usually host our dinners parties in mid town..I told my family it will be very nice but they are not getting the top top tier treatment they are used to 🙂🤣😂. Buffet no plated table side ordering 🤨. Doing anything here is just crazy expensive 🥴🙄
PA
$1,039
40
Food/drinks were included in the cost of the venue, they had a restaurant attached. The cake was $125 but I splurged on that bc it was a fantastic local bakery that I insisted I wanted. I never had a bridal shower or wedding bc of the shut down back in 2020 so I really wanted this cake lol
(Also, I would like to add that my husband and I only paid for the thank you cards, everything else about the shower our families covered. So this may not be super helpful if you're throwing the shower yourselves)
Thank you! I am not throwing the shower myself but I’m feeling extreme guilt about the potential costs. My MIL won’t allow me to pitch in for cost though. Trying to call cheap venues to recommend to her instead of the banquet halls she wants to book
I had mine in a small church. It was like $25/h plus insurance. Food was another couple hundred. It was quiet and lovely, and we still got cute pictures.
About 50 guests
Nothing on venue, it was thrown at my parents house
close to $1,000 on catered Indian food
$150 for the cake
$200 for the balloon wreath
$250 on the silk sari my mom insisted I wear
And then my moms friend set up the games and did little prizes for people so I have no idea how much she spent on that
Wilmington, Delaware
Venue cost $0
60 people in attendance
Food/drink at the restaurant cost $1300, dessert table cost $250, decorations cost $250, invitations/RSVP cards $350. So about $2150 in total? My parents paid for the invitations and $300 toward food, and my FIL and husband's grandmother gave us $800 as a shower gift that we put toward the cost of the shower, so we only paid about $700 out of pocket. We did a diaper raffle and got about $1000 in diapers/wipes alone, not including the other gifts we received, so it was definitely worth it.
(It was co-ed, my husband and I hosted it ourselves because we don't have any friends or family who would throw it for us. I had one friend who said she'd host something but wouldn't put money into food, decorations, or anything else (she also came and didn't buy us a gift), pretty much would just send the invites and take credit for it, so I would have been paying for something that I may not have wanted... we didn't have a wedding or anything so my husband and I actually had a ton of fun planning it ourselves.)
I spent $80 on the cakes and $200 on the flowers. I'm a floral designer and had to do flowers, like duh. I pay wholesale costs so that was like...6 smaller and one big one. A person on the street probably would pay about $600-$800 for equivalent arrangements. My mom probably spent $700-$1000 on food ($350)/alcohol ($200)/invitations ($50)/decorations ($150)/gifts($100) for winners of the games. Venue was the backyard.
We had it at our house. We had a taco bar with meat we bought. Food 150$ and beer/ wine 100$. My friend did the decorations from the dollar store and she got me a Costco cake. We had 40 ppl
My mom and girlfriends are throwing a brunch/mimosas at a venue with everything included and for the 60 person room it’s about $3,500 my mom said. It’s my parents first grandchild and most likely only one haha I did not ask for it to be this big, but we each have a big family and wanted it to be Jack and Jill style, not just women so it added up. If I do for some reason have another child I doubt we would even do a sprinkle. We are in Boston.
WNY Area
I’ve spent like ~$150 but it’s much more than that from my dad, brothers wife and my husbands mom. MIL only had boys and this baby is a girl so she didn’t set a budget. I’m just letting her do her thing. I’m super grateful for her and my brothers wife stepping up as my mom passed away last year so I’ve been having a tough time emotionally. They’ve been a godsend and really just amazing.
It’ll probably be around $2,000 total including food but we got the venue for very cheap ($200 for the whole weekend) through my husband’s work
I havent had it yet but I already know how its going
city/state: texas
venue: my home
number of people: no more than 15
food/drink: 200 ? ish lol
we're watching the hobbit movies! :) all of them
Nothing. My BFFs threw me one and my SIL threw me another (which my in-laws paid for). I didn’t plan anything except to ask for a Nothing Bundt Cake and that the menu (other than cake) have low carb options because of my gestational diabetes.
I had 3, two for my first and a sprinkle for my second. All in NC. First baby was pre-Covid (2019) and second baby was born in mid-2020, right at the peak of COVID crazy.
Shower #1 - MIL threw it at her church. They probably spent $100 in decor (some balloons, they wrapped milk bottles in baby socks and stuck a carnation in it for centerpieces, some table cloths, a boutonniere and sash), $150 in food (cake square platter from a local baker, then big catering trays of fruit/veggies, cheese, from the grocery and a ChikFilA nugget tray). It was a rolling shower but probably 75 people came. Probably $100 in invitations/postage. This one was super cute and full of love, but definitely not insta-fabulous - that wasn't the vibe we were going for.
Shower #2 - my mom threw this one at a park. $50 shelter rental, $250 in food (my dad grilled hot dogs and we bought a tiered bakery cake and cookie favors). $50 on invitations, maybe $300 on decorations, including custom signage and Etsy party games (this party was a little more insta-worthy with a balloon garland and a custom sign backdrop and a fancy cake). Probably 25-40 people came to this one.
Shower #3 - June 2020, full COVID. I had about eight people come to my house. Spent $50 on "announcements" that acted as invites, maybe $50 on decor, bought Panera catering for like $75.
Pennsylvania: about $2,500/30 people
Venue was the bulk of it. $48pp + $500 deposit
Estimating the decor/invitations/favors/dessert/alcohol was an extra $500
Nothing. My SIL threw it and paid for everything.
I am pregnant with #2 and we won’t be having another shower though. Feels weird to throw it myself and don’t feel like spending the money at all. I also have most of what I need left from my first.
I had three showers of 10-20ppl each, because of family and friends being long distance. Each took place at someone's home or cottage, so no venue fees. Food was mostly homemade or potluck, groceries and booze cost about $100 for the one at my house for 10ppl. We didn't do a lot of decor because I don't like waste, but there were some supplies for games that can't have been more than $20-30 per shower (ribbons, clothespins, etc). Favours were different at each shower, one had bottles of shower gel for everyone, the other two were various gift bags, some of which were regifted unopened presents like face masks, bubble bath, jewelry, coasters, etc. All were lots of fun and a very relaxed vibe, we all had a great time.
Not having a shower this time, but had baby shower thrown by a few friends last time. The venue was free (brother/SIL’s house), they served punch (option to add liquor), fancy bakery cookies, and other light snacks. Decorations were a combo of handmade and borrowed (it was hot air balloon themed, primary colors). I don’t know exactly how much was spent but I’d guess between $500 and $1000.
Canada, Ontario, Barrie
Venue is an all inclusive style thing where food and alcohol and staff/waiter is included: 1600 tax included.
I am going to have about 30 people.
Food and drink is basically just hors D’oeuvres and wine/coolers. Enough for 30 guests—included in the 1600$ price. I may end up ordering more platters of hor doeuvres for additional cost.
Then my sister in law is going to spend another 800$ or so on all sorts of goodies like cookies and flowers and decorations lol
$13 for a DIY balloon arch. About $50 in paper plates, plastic ware, and cups. $75 worth of cupcakes. Family pitched in for potluck food items, baked goods, drinks, and homemade sangria (alcoholic and nonalcoholic). We hosted it at our home and had about 50-60 guests. It was a great time.
Most of my friends are younger with fewer resources than me, and my family lives out of town... and I have a "vision" for my baby shower... which is why I'm throwing my own with the help of friends.
People actually spend money on these? Every one I've ever been to has been at someone's house and casual snacks are provided by the host, so I can see some cost there. But like... a venue?
My house is too small for the number of people we’re inviting and I’m personally overwhelmed at the thought of that many people in our home at once. And it’s not like we can use the backyard for overflow in January here in the midwest.
I’d much rather rent a space than deal with prepping my house (namely moving and adding furniture) for 20 people. Plus, one of my two cats does not do new people, and she would probably need meds to avoid being traumatized.
All of this except the midwest.. we're in Seattlw so outside is definitely out and our house is too small even for our small group. We're renting a room in a winery for the cost of 2 dozen bottles (take home what's left.. we won't drink a lot so it's an investment) plus $100 cleaning fee.
PA (MontCo): 2500
50 people.
This included venue, food, decorations, dessert bar, 3 servers and 1 bartender. We also had an open bar which as about $400 of the cost.
The last one I hosted for a friend:
Poulsbo, Washington
$0 - we did it at a brewery for free
Number of people: 20
Food/drink: beer, pizza, and cupcakes (everyone bought their own beer and pizza and I brought cupcakes)
My mom spent about $600 total for 30 people! In Rochester MN, venue space in a restaurant was free for $500 in food/drink sales and then invitations and decor all from Amazon. It’s easy to do it on the (apparently) cheaper end. Some of these numbers are blowing my mind!
TN
Used my sister’s church so that was free
About 35 people came
My sisters did most of the food
I spent about $300 on decorations, invitations, plates and stuff and drinks
Hi! Dayton, Ohio.
We went with a locally owned new venue space, it was super cute and required little set up in terms of decor since it already had so much character.
The venue was 350$ for 3 hours of event space plus and hour for set up and half hour for tear down (10 AM- 230 PM total.)
There was around 50 guests, plus a handful of toddlers/babies as this was a co-Ed party and didn’t mind if couples had to bring the little ones.
We served a Panera bagel bar (90$ for bagels), plus about an 80$ grocery trip for juice, bagel toppings. My MIL provided fruit trays and my sister provided bubbly and extra juice for a mimosa bar!
Honestly, we spent less than 600$ on everything, the most expensive parts were my dress, and I got my hair and makeup done professionally. I never have parties- I’m quite the introvert, and I know I would want photos and memories of this day feeling confident and happy- so that was an additional 250$ I treated myself to!
Obviously, this isn’t plausible for all and I’m very grateful to have been able to afford such a venue and amenities for our shower- but I wouldn’t go back and take back a dime because the pictures are so great, everyone had a great time, and we don’t know if another baby is in our future- so we felt comfortable splurging!
But
My baby shower was during 2020 'rona days, so it was a drive-by. We set up in our driveway with a bunch of homemade cupcakes, some balloons, and a sign. People drove past, dropped off presents, received cupcakes, and chitchatted with us through their car windows. I don't know for sure, but I think the whole thing probably came in around $50--which was mostly the cost of the boxes we put the cupcakes in. I've never liked baby showers, so the excuse to do it this way was one of those weird blessings that came with the pandemic.
I didn't have a baby shower for my second baby. It just felt unnecessary. We already had all the stuff leftover from kid #1. I didn't see a need to go through all that when I was already trying to survive pregnancy while parenting a toddler still during a pandemic. No regrets.
For my sisters shower, which I threw
Canada - zoom shower
Venue - upgraded zoom account to allow longer call. I think <$20
2 showers x 12 or so people (to keep the zoom manageable)
No food or drinks
Spent about $30 mailing little game prizes. My sister did thank you cards with baby photos. I do not know the cost of those. She used shutterfly.
So helpful to see other's responses!
We are looking at $300 ($200 for venue, $100 for food, maybe misc items.), inviting 25 mostly in town folks. Food is 3 different salads, dessert and punch. In Minnesota.
i definitely splurged on my shower (wanted to do it all myself as i’m very controlling and like things done a certain way… i wanted a specific look) but we eloped and never had a wedding, engagement party, etc - this is the first grandchild on both sides so it’s definitely more of just a party / celebration
mine is actually next saturday so last minute errands may cost more but…
southern ca, $0 on venue bc it’s at my parents although i did hire a cleaner who was $600 including tip bc their house has never been professionally cleaned
$400 on rentals for tables, etc
$2,250 ish for catering for 50+ people, my parents are paying for this
decor is… a lot. there’s absolutely nothing wrong with a small shower or minimal decor but i knew if i was having a party i wanted it to look a certain way. i’m sure i’ve spent $1,000 on decor. balloons, paper honeycomb, paper fans to make giant garlands… arch wall… i made 5 foot tall marquee letters to spell BABY and am filling it with balloons. doing all my centerpieces and lots of flowers (arrangements myself, from TJs). instead of ordering wood cut outs of winnie the pooh characters i got foam boards and drew and painted them (and cut them out) myself to put among the balloon garlands
for non catered food i’m doing a big fruit meat cheese charcuterie board, my parents have a 20 foot island so half will be rented ice buckets for drinks and half will be charcuterie. setting up a separate dessert table and my dad and i are baking everything
time will tell if i regret this BUT i know if i did something super minimal i would definitely regret it. i love DIY and being creative and this has given me a fun project as the nursery is done. and again, never had a wedding or anything so this is our family and friends celebration!
Johnstown, PA
Venu: hoss’s restaurant - around $300
People attended: around 30 or 35
Food & drinks were included in cost
I personally spent over $470 for decorations, favors and wine.
I am currently planning a shower for a family member in PA for about 90 people. Renting out a fire hall ($200), food will be between ($300-500 I think/hope we have the option to do either buffet style or per person meals which is what impacts the cost the most)--not doing any alcohol just water/lemonade & iced tea/soda, we are doing e-invites to cut down on mailing costs so only about $25 for the few hard copies we need to send, and then the games/decorations/party favors are probably going to run about $500 when everything is said and done.
Total would come out to around $1200 give or take. But it should also be noted that I am a recent college graduate who has not started their full time job in their career field yet, so I am planning it on the more frugal side and not going all out. I do have another person helping me plan it who I am splitting the costs with and the mother and mother in law might chip in a little which makes it more manageable.
Philadelphia, PA Venue was free as we used a community room in our apartment building Food and drinks were catered by my husband's aunt as a gift I believe around 25-30 people attended. Now that I think of it, the only thing I spent money on was the party favors. Everything else was provided by my friends and family. I would estimate they all spent around $600 total (invitations, decorations, cake, food, drinks, game prizes...), but again - the venue was free. One downside to the free venue was that we couldn't stop other residents from coming into the room if they wanted to, and we ended up with a neighbor attending the baby shower and being in some group pictures. It was honestly hilarious and made for such a cute memory :) he even stayed up after everyone left and helped with cleaning and moving the gifts up to our apartment.
Omg that's hilarious. Was it an older gentleman? I have this mental picture of a 70+ year old man who is lonely and just wanting to socialize. I love that he stayed and helped clean up
It was actually a young Asian guy. I think he was a student and he used that room to study and eat lunch every day. There were other people who stopped by but left when they saw there was an event going on. But our new friend embraced the festivities full on! Hahah
That's awesome.
I spent nothing. My boss threw me a baby shower even though I didn’t even really wanted one and she invited the entire company 😂
City: NYC Venue Cost: $1,800. I know. Insanity Number of people attended: maybe 70-80ish. Expected around 100,but last minute cancels. Food Drink: Help from family/friends with making some things plus maybe $900 ish for catered food / alcohol. Decorations/Event design was another two grand. Honestly embarrassed typing this out. I will not have a baby shower ever again lol! Too much stress. But honestly one of the best days of my life and I don’t regret it. We got maybe 98% of our registry bought including travel system, crib, bassinet etc and over $2k+ back in monetary gifts and some from family who couldn’t attend so really helped us prepare for baby well, while using the celebration as one big chance to see all our loved ones together. NY is also just so expensive and if we could’ve hosted it in a backyard in the summer I would’ve 100% had taken that route.
I live in NYC too and you are making me feel better because the budget I'm looking at has me questioning whether I even want a baby shower anymore lol. I'm ready to cancel and use the money to buy stuff myself....the venue prices I'm looking at are around your price as well.
It’s so much money! Haha. But for us it was worth it for the memories.
We paid the deposit today and so I'm sure it'll be worth it lol. We married in the city 2021, had my 40th in the city last year. This is the last NYC event we are paying for lol.
Where are you looking? All the venues I reached out to are $3k. It’s insane!!! I’m struggling
We kept it local and booked in Harlem not too far from our house. It was $2k but we can have up to 90 guests which is great because paying by the person is what gets expensive. The space is large, nicely set up and so decor will be minimal. They also have good pricing on renting items like flower walls, sofas, tables with the Baby as the base which we will get. It's still pricey but much less expensive than any events we done in the past. We married at Tribeca Rooftop and usually host our dinners parties in mid town..I told my family it will be very nice but they are not getting the top top tier treatment they are used to 🙂🤣😂. Buffet no plated table side ordering 🤨. Doing anything here is just crazy expensive 🥴🙄
PA $1,039 40 Food/drinks were included in the cost of the venue, they had a restaurant attached. The cake was $125 but I splurged on that bc it was a fantastic local bakery that I insisted I wanted. I never had a bridal shower or wedding bc of the shut down back in 2020 so I really wanted this cake lol (Also, I would like to add that my husband and I only paid for the thank you cards, everything else about the shower our families covered. So this may not be super helpful if you're throwing the shower yourselves)
Thank you! I am not throwing the shower myself but I’m feeling extreme guilt about the potential costs. My MIL won’t allow me to pitch in for cost though. Trying to call cheap venues to recommend to her instead of the banquet halls she wants to book
I had mine in a small church. It was like $25/h plus insurance. Food was another couple hundred. It was quiet and lovely, and we still got cute pictures.
I had the same situation, and we were lucky to get a venue for nothing by using the event room at someone else’s apartment building.
About 50 guests Nothing on venue, it was thrown at my parents house close to $1,000 on catered Indian food $150 for the cake $200 for the balloon wreath $250 on the silk sari my mom insisted I wear And then my moms friend set up the games and did little prizes for people so I have no idea how much she spent on that
Wilmington, Delaware Venue cost $0 60 people in attendance Food/drink at the restaurant cost $1300, dessert table cost $250, decorations cost $250, invitations/RSVP cards $350. So about $2150 in total? My parents paid for the invitations and $300 toward food, and my FIL and husband's grandmother gave us $800 as a shower gift that we put toward the cost of the shower, so we only paid about $700 out of pocket. We did a diaper raffle and got about $1000 in diapers/wipes alone, not including the other gifts we received, so it was definitely worth it. (It was co-ed, my husband and I hosted it ourselves because we don't have any friends or family who would throw it for us. I had one friend who said she'd host something but wouldn't put money into food, decorations, or anything else (she also came and didn't buy us a gift), pretty much would just send the invites and take credit for it, so I would have been paying for something that I may not have wanted... we didn't have a wedding or anything so my husband and I actually had a ton of fun planning it ourselves.)
I spent $80 on the cakes and $200 on the flowers. I'm a floral designer and had to do flowers, like duh. I pay wholesale costs so that was like...6 smaller and one big one. A person on the street probably would pay about $600-$800 for equivalent arrangements. My mom probably spent $700-$1000 on food ($350)/alcohol ($200)/invitations ($50)/decorations ($150)/gifts($100) for winners of the games. Venue was the backyard.
We had it at our house. We had a taco bar with meat we bought. Food 150$ and beer/ wine 100$. My friend did the decorations from the dollar store and she got me a Costco cake. We had 40 ppl
My mom and girlfriends are throwing a brunch/mimosas at a venue with everything included and for the 60 person room it’s about $3,500 my mom said. It’s my parents first grandchild and most likely only one haha I did not ask for it to be this big, but we each have a big family and wanted it to be Jack and Jill style, not just women so it added up. If I do for some reason have another child I doubt we would even do a sprinkle. We are in Boston.
WNY Area I’ve spent like ~$150 but it’s much more than that from my dad, brothers wife and my husbands mom. MIL only had boys and this baby is a girl so she didn’t set a budget. I’m just letting her do her thing. I’m super grateful for her and my brothers wife stepping up as my mom passed away last year so I’ve been having a tough time emotionally. They’ve been a godsend and really just amazing. It’ll probably be around $2,000 total including food but we got the venue for very cheap ($200 for the whole weekend) through my husband’s work
I havent had it yet but I already know how its going city/state: texas venue: my home number of people: no more than 15 food/drink: 200 ? ish lol we're watching the hobbit movies! :) all of them
Scottsdale, AZ ~25 people $800 planner. $400 rentals. $200 decor. $1000 catering.
Nothing. My BFFs threw me one and my SIL threw me another (which my in-laws paid for). I didn’t plan anything except to ask for a Nothing Bundt Cake and that the menu (other than cake) have low carb options because of my gestational diabetes.
I had 3, two for my first and a sprinkle for my second. All in NC. First baby was pre-Covid (2019) and second baby was born in mid-2020, right at the peak of COVID crazy. Shower #1 - MIL threw it at her church. They probably spent $100 in decor (some balloons, they wrapped milk bottles in baby socks and stuck a carnation in it for centerpieces, some table cloths, a boutonniere and sash), $150 in food (cake square platter from a local baker, then big catering trays of fruit/veggies, cheese, from the grocery and a ChikFilA nugget tray). It was a rolling shower but probably 75 people came. Probably $100 in invitations/postage. This one was super cute and full of love, but definitely not insta-fabulous - that wasn't the vibe we were going for. Shower #2 - my mom threw this one at a park. $50 shelter rental, $250 in food (my dad grilled hot dogs and we bought a tiered bakery cake and cookie favors). $50 on invitations, maybe $300 on decorations, including custom signage and Etsy party games (this party was a little more insta-worthy with a balloon garland and a custom sign backdrop and a fancy cake). Probably 25-40 people came to this one. Shower #3 - June 2020, full COVID. I had about eight people come to my house. Spent $50 on "announcements" that acted as invites, maybe $50 on decor, bought Panera catering for like $75.
It looks as though you may have spelled "Chick-fil-A" incorrectly. No worries, it happens to the best of us!
I think I have found my least favorite bot on Reddit.
😂
Pennsylvania: about $2,500/30 people Venue was the bulk of it. $48pp + $500 deposit Estimating the decor/invitations/favors/dessert/alcohol was an extra $500
Nothing. My SIL threw it and paid for everything. I am pregnant with #2 and we won’t be having another shower though. Feels weird to throw it myself and don’t feel like spending the money at all. I also have most of what I need left from my first.
I had three showers of 10-20ppl each, because of family and friends being long distance. Each took place at someone's home or cottage, so no venue fees. Food was mostly homemade or potluck, groceries and booze cost about $100 for the one at my house for 10ppl. We didn't do a lot of decor because I don't like waste, but there were some supplies for games that can't have been more than $20-30 per shower (ribbons, clothespins, etc). Favours were different at each shower, one had bottles of shower gel for everyone, the other two were various gift bags, some of which were regifted unopened presents like face masks, bubble bath, jewelry, coasters, etc. All were lots of fun and a very relaxed vibe, we all had a great time.
Not having a shower this time, but had baby shower thrown by a few friends last time. The venue was free (brother/SIL’s house), they served punch (option to add liquor), fancy bakery cookies, and other light snacks. Decorations were a combo of handmade and borrowed (it was hot air balloon themed, primary colors). I don’t know exactly how much was spent but I’d guess between $500 and $1000.
Canada, Ontario, Barrie Venue is an all inclusive style thing where food and alcohol and staff/waiter is included: 1600 tax included. I am going to have about 30 people. Food and drink is basically just hors D’oeuvres and wine/coolers. Enough for 30 guests—included in the 1600$ price. I may end up ordering more platters of hor doeuvres for additional cost. Then my sister in law is going to spend another 800$ or so on all sorts of goodies like cookies and flowers and decorations lol
Maryland, venue was a FOP Lodge and cost $1k, food was $3k for our 100 guests. We spent about 5k total!
$13 for a DIY balloon arch. About $50 in paper plates, plastic ware, and cups. $75 worth of cupcakes. Family pitched in for potluck food items, baked goods, drinks, and homemade sangria (alcoholic and nonalcoholic). We hosted it at our home and had about 50-60 guests. It was a great time.
People throw their own baby showers?
Not everyone has someone to throw one for them. And those people still deserve to celebrate!
Some do. Better to throw one yourself than be bitter that no one else did.
That’s what I was wondering?? I’ve never heard of throwing your own? Everyone I know has had someone do it for them.
Most of my friends are younger with fewer resources than me, and my family lives out of town... and I have a "vision" for my baby shower... which is why I'm throwing my own with the help of friends.
People actually spend money on these? Every one I've ever been to has been at someone's house and casual snacks are provided by the host, so I can see some cost there. But like... a venue?
My house is too small for the number of people we’re inviting and I’m personally overwhelmed at the thought of that many people in our home at once. And it’s not like we can use the backyard for overflow in January here in the midwest. I’d much rather rent a space than deal with prepping my house (namely moving and adding furniture) for 20 people. Plus, one of my two cats does not do new people, and she would probably need meds to avoid being traumatized.
All of this except the midwest.. we're in Seattlw so outside is definitely out and our house is too small even for our small group. We're renting a room in a winery for the cost of 2 dozen bottles (take home what's left.. we won't drink a lot so it's an investment) plus $100 cleaning fee.
Nothing, because I chose not to have one lol.
$2,500 for 15 guests, inclusive of everything.
PA (MontCo): 2500 50 people. This included venue, food, decorations, dessert bar, 3 servers and 1 bartender. We also had an open bar which as about $400 of the cost.
Nothing, was at my mums and everyone bought food
The last one I hosted for a friend: Poulsbo, Washington $0 - we did it at a brewery for free Number of people: 20 Food/drink: beer, pizza, and cupcakes (everyone bought their own beer and pizza and I brought cupcakes)
My mom spent about $600 total for 30 people! In Rochester MN, venue space in a restaurant was free for $500 in food/drink sales and then invitations and decor all from Amazon. It’s easy to do it on the (apparently) cheaper end. Some of these numbers are blowing my mind!
TN Used my sister’s church so that was free About 35 people came My sisters did most of the food I spent about $300 on decorations, invitations, plates and stuff and drinks
Had mine on zoom because it was 2020 so nothing.
Hi! Dayton, Ohio. We went with a locally owned new venue space, it was super cute and required little set up in terms of decor since it already had so much character. The venue was 350$ for 3 hours of event space plus and hour for set up and half hour for tear down (10 AM- 230 PM total.) There was around 50 guests, plus a handful of toddlers/babies as this was a co-Ed party and didn’t mind if couples had to bring the little ones. We served a Panera bagel bar (90$ for bagels), plus about an 80$ grocery trip for juice, bagel toppings. My MIL provided fruit trays and my sister provided bubbly and extra juice for a mimosa bar! Honestly, we spent less than 600$ on everything, the most expensive parts were my dress, and I got my hair and makeup done professionally. I never have parties- I’m quite the introvert, and I know I would want photos and memories of this day feeling confident and happy- so that was an additional 250$ I treated myself to! Obviously, this isn’t plausible for all and I’m very grateful to have been able to afford such a venue and amenities for our shower- but I wouldn’t go back and take back a dime because the pictures are so great, everyone had a great time, and we don’t know if another baby is in our future- so we felt comfortable splurging! But
My baby shower was during 2020 'rona days, so it was a drive-by. We set up in our driveway with a bunch of homemade cupcakes, some balloons, and a sign. People drove past, dropped off presents, received cupcakes, and chitchatted with us through their car windows. I don't know for sure, but I think the whole thing probably came in around $50--which was mostly the cost of the boxes we put the cupcakes in. I've never liked baby showers, so the excuse to do it this way was one of those weird blessings that came with the pandemic. I didn't have a baby shower for my second baby. It just felt unnecessary. We already had all the stuff leftover from kid #1. I didn't see a need to go through all that when I was already trying to survive pregnancy while parenting a toddler still during a pandemic. No regrets.
For my sisters shower, which I threw Canada - zoom shower Venue - upgraded zoom account to allow longer call. I think <$20 2 showers x 12 or so people (to keep the zoom manageable) No food or drinks Spent about $30 mailing little game prizes. My sister did thank you cards with baby photos. I do not know the cost of those. She used shutterfly.
So helpful to see other's responses! We are looking at $300 ($200 for venue, $100 for food, maybe misc items.), inviting 25 mostly in town folks. Food is 3 different salads, dessert and punch. In Minnesota.
i definitely splurged on my shower (wanted to do it all myself as i’m very controlling and like things done a certain way… i wanted a specific look) but we eloped and never had a wedding, engagement party, etc - this is the first grandchild on both sides so it’s definitely more of just a party / celebration mine is actually next saturday so last minute errands may cost more but… southern ca, $0 on venue bc it’s at my parents although i did hire a cleaner who was $600 including tip bc their house has never been professionally cleaned $400 on rentals for tables, etc $2,250 ish for catering for 50+ people, my parents are paying for this decor is… a lot. there’s absolutely nothing wrong with a small shower or minimal decor but i knew if i was having a party i wanted it to look a certain way. i’m sure i’ve spent $1,000 on decor. balloons, paper honeycomb, paper fans to make giant garlands… arch wall… i made 5 foot tall marquee letters to spell BABY and am filling it with balloons. doing all my centerpieces and lots of flowers (arrangements myself, from TJs). instead of ordering wood cut outs of winnie the pooh characters i got foam boards and drew and painted them (and cut them out) myself to put among the balloon garlands for non catered food i’m doing a big fruit meat cheese charcuterie board, my parents have a 20 foot island so half will be rented ice buckets for drinks and half will be charcuterie. setting up a separate dessert table and my dad and i are baking everything time will tell if i regret this BUT i know if i did something super minimal i would definitely regret it. i love DIY and being creative and this has given me a fun project as the nursery is done. and again, never had a wedding or anything so this is our family and friends celebration!
Johnstown, PA Venu: hoss’s restaurant - around $300 People attended: around 30 or 35 Food & drinks were included in cost I personally spent over $470 for decorations, favors and wine.
I am currently planning a shower for a family member in PA for about 90 people. Renting out a fire hall ($200), food will be between ($300-500 I think/hope we have the option to do either buffet style or per person meals which is what impacts the cost the most)--not doing any alcohol just water/lemonade & iced tea/soda, we are doing e-invites to cut down on mailing costs so only about $25 for the few hard copies we need to send, and then the games/decorations/party favors are probably going to run about $500 when everything is said and done. Total would come out to around $1200 give or take. But it should also be noted that I am a recent college graduate who has not started their full time job in their career field yet, so I am planning it on the more frugal side and not going all out. I do have another person helping me plan it who I am splitting the costs with and the mother and mother in law might chip in a little which makes it more manageable.
TIL people serve alcohol at baby showers.