How to plan a baby shower

A letter to you from Emma Beckford, hostess of Host.

Dear Mum-to-be,

You’re living such a precious time of your life, growing a life within you and waiting to meet your beautiful child. I’ve been there and I know that it’s a mixed bag – the excitement, the nerves, the ups and downs of pregnancy – you’re not alone, we all feel it. If there’s one thing that I can tell you, however, it’s that women are a powerful force. The women before us brought us up, and the women around us will cheer us on and walk beside us on the path of motherhood. The ritual of a baby shower is a special gathering, a rite of passage, where the women around you come together to celebrate, show their support and shower you and your baby with love. Every mother-to-be deserves it. You deserve it.

How to do a baby shower that feels right for you and becomes a memory that you’ll treasure, involves a little coordination and a little bit of inspiration. This is where we can help. We are often creating tailor-made baby showers and providing a beautiful space for them. Here are some of my insider tips to guide you on your way.

Be open: Tradition has it that a close friend organises this lovely ritual for you. It can be hard to say what we really want when someone is generously doing this event for us, but remember that they want you to have a positive experience and it always turns out best if there is open communication at the start. Share what you hope for and personalise it to your taste.

Plan early: Babies don’t always arrive on their due dates! It’s best to plan for a baby shower 6-8 weeks before your due date.

Gift registry: Even if you don’t want your guests to give you gifts, you can be sure that most of them will want to, and they will ask you what you need because they genuinely want to give you useful items. This is also a great way to help family and friends (who might not live in Singapore) feel more involved and useful during these precious months. A gift registry saves everyone time and ensures that there is less double-up of gifts.

Focus on essentials: It’s easy to go all out and buy lots of things when you find out that you’re pregnant but ask any experienced mother and they’ll tell you that it quickly becomes cluttered and wasteful. Remember that friends and family will also give you more items once your baby is born, either as gifts or hand-me-downs. Google ‘newborn baby essentials’ and start with those items for your gift registry.

Consult an event planner: They do this for a living and once you share a little about the type of experience for which you are hoping, they can guide you to the right venue, experiences, activities and caterers. This reduces planning time dramatically. If you wish, they can also take over the running of the event on the day so that everyone can relax, and you’d be surprised at how affordable they can be.

Get creative: Baby showers don’t only have to be all about cake and gifts. If the mum-to-be has any hobbies or interests, you can tie them in. We have a range of creative courses, like floristry, candle making and making natural skincare products, that can be woven into a baby shower.

Venue: Try to find a venue that can take care of the logistics and event coordination for you. The less you have to think about the details on the day, the more that you and your guests will enjoy it.

Accommodating different groups of friends: Baby showers often bring together people who don’t know each other. Having a centralised event planner or key point of contact really helps with the natural questions that different people will have about the event, gifts and more.

xx Em

Emma Beckford | Host

Host is a beautiful, contemporary venue that is available for events, private parties, and creative or corporate workshops. Founded by Emma, a lover of all things creative, it also provides a range of curated and innovative workshops. They are masters at personalising events, such as baby showers, to the taste and interests of each mum. They do this through stunning catering, and providing creative experiences such as learning candle making, block printing, making natural beauty products or floristry. They can take care of parts of the baby shower, or the event as a whole, right down to the games!

Host thrive on creating beautiful memories for their clients and making their lives easier, so that they can enjoy their special day without a worry. Even the online ticketing system is a breeze and takes the hassle out of coordinating costs for the organiser. Browse through their website to have a look at their gorgeous space in the heart of River Valley.

Contact Emma via www.hostsingapore.com, 9 Mohamed Sultan Road, #02-01, Singapore 238959.

Tim Meijers | Tim’s Fine Catering Services

Hailing from the Netherlands, Chef Tim Meijers began his culinary profession as a young apprentice at Muller, a one Michelin-starred restaurant located in Groningen, owned by Chef Jean-Michel Hengge. Pursuing his culinary passion deeper, Chef Tim Meijers worked in many fine Michelin-starred restaurants in the Netherlands, Britain and France. He was also the Head of Catering at Saint Pierre, a fine dining Relais and Châteaux establishment. Now wealthy in experience and owner of Tim’s Fine Dining Catering Services, Tim specialises in bespoke Modern French cuisine with a hint of Japanese influence.

Contact Corrine on 9272 7354, corinne@timsfinecatering.com, www.timsfinecatering.com.

Fika Events

Fika Events aims to create event decorations and setups that look unique, creative and personal. ‘Fika’ is a social institution in Sweden; it means having a coffee with one’s colleagues, friends, date, or family. Run by the team behind Fika Swedish Cafe and Bistro.

Contact the team on 6396 9096, info@fikacafe.com, www.fikacafe.com, 257 Beach Road, Singapore 199539.

My Registry

My Registry is a universal baby registry: a gift list where you can add items from any store in the world—online or brick-and-mortar (really!). Gifts can be products, experiences, even a Cash Gift Fund for big-ticket items. Gifts can be added from any favourite store, and even added on the go by smartphone, through scanning barcodes or snapping and uploading photos using the app. Babies need a lot of stuff! The ultimate baby registry checklist, available on My Registry, will assist with organisation, and make it easier for family and friends, who may not be based in Singapore, to choose gifts that you’ll love.