Traditional Baby Shower or Baby Shower Tea?
by Donna Gorenflo

Baby showers are an important event in an expectant mom's life. Baby showers are always a wonderful opportunity to allow your close friends and families of the mom-to-be to show her that they are excited about the new arrival. A new and fun option to a classic shower is a baby shower tea. A baby shower tea is usually a more formal event that gives the new mom and attendees a unique form of celebration.

When holding standard showers, announcements are often fairly informal. Occasionally they're communicated via direct word of mouth. Showers tend to involve close family and friends, and they can simply tell one another the appropriate arrival time. With a baby shower tea, on the other hand, is better served through using proper announcements that display more formality. This is not to make the baby shower tea feel pretentious, rather helping to create a more formal feeling to the overall affair. Likewise, the group of people invited should be less. When holding a more classic baby shower the host can ask a large number of guests since larger groups tend to work wonderfully with classic baby shower games and activities. On the other hand, a baby shower tea is better served with a small group of guests. Normally, you do not want any more guests at a baby shower tea than can sit at one small table. Typically, games aren't played, and intimacy is the key.

A traditional shower can be hosted almost anywhere. Most often the baby shower will be in your home of the hostess, but they can take place in a restaurant, hall, or a hang out spot. The place needs to be based on what the mother to be would like, so if she has a favorite restaurant or hang out it could be a perfect location. A baby shower tea, on the other hand, should be held in a quiet place. Usually this will mean in a private home, however the celebration can also be held in a tea room. The decor for the event location must be formal and charming, however that doesn't necessarily mean it needs to be pretentious or that the house needs a maid service in order to be appropriate.

Showers can be held at nearly any time of day but are typically on weekends or in the evening since many people have to work in the daytime. If no one on your guest list works in the day, baby showers could be held while kids are at school. A baby shower tea is most appropriately held during the afternoon, because the afternoon is the most fitting time for a tea party. However, some may choose to hold a shower late in the morning. For a traditional shower, just about any refreshments may be served, but at a baby shower tea, the proper choice is tea sandwiches and scones. Gifts and baby shower favors are a major part of a more classic shower, but at a baby shower tea, presents don't need to be given and party favors should either be relevant to the tea party or cut out. It's becoming more common nowdays for baby showers to include the the expectant father and often times guests give gifts for the dad to be, but at a baby shower tea the guest list should only be women.

Each celebration has disadvantages and advantages, but a new mommy can have both kinds if she chooses to. Celebrating the birth of a new baby should be a delightful affair.  Whether you bring together friends and family for a baby shower or a formal baby shower tea, you can't go wrong when you just make it intimate, memorable and unique!

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Looking for assistance in planning a baby shower party?  Bama Babies and Birthdays offers party hosts unique favors, decorations and gift ideas and many other resources to help you create a fun or formal occasion.