Planning a baby shower doesn’t have to feel overwhelming.
Planning a baby shower is one of the sweetest parts of preparing to welcome a little one, but with so many ideas online, it’s easy to feel unsure of where to begin.
When I planned our daughter Valerie’s Garden Rose baby shower, I learned that the easiest way to avoid feeling overwhelmed was to make one decision at a time. Instead of buying decorations first, I created a plan. Every detail, from the invitations to the flowers, came together because we started with a clear vision.
If you’re planning a baby shower, these six simple steps will help you create a beautiful celebration without the stress.
Step 1: Start With Your Budget and Guest List
Before looking at decorations or themes, decide on your budget & how many guests you’d like to invite.
Your guest count influences nearly every other decision, including your venue, catering, rentals, and table layout.
For our shower, we finalized the guest list before booking anything else. It made choosing our venue and planning the layout much easier.
Planning Tip: Finalize your guest list before making any major purchases.
Step 2: Build a Mood Board Before You Buy Anything
One of the best decisions I made was creating a mood board before buying a single decoration.
Instead of shopping first, I used our invitation as inspiration. The blush florals, scalloped border, and soft ribbon details became the foundation for the entire shower.
From there, I created a simple Canva board with our color palette:
- Dusty Sage Green
- Sage Green
- Soft Peach
- Blush Pink
- Cream
- Warm White
Every purchase had to match those colors, which helped us avoid buying decorations that didn’t work together.
Sometimes the simplest planning step saves the most time.
Step 3: Visit Your Venue Before Planning the Decorations
We hosted our baby shower at Serena Village in Miami in June, so rain was definitely on my mind.
To avoid last-minute stress, we rented a tent from the beginning. During our venue tour, I took photos of every area and used ChatGPT to help visualize where the dessert table, welcome area, dining tables, and backdrop would go.
Having a visual plan before shopping made setup day feel so much easier.
Planning Tip: Take photos of your venue before buying decorations. Seeing the space ahead of time helps you shop with purpose.
Step 4: Choose Decorations That Reflect Your Style
Instead of following every trend, I focused on creating a timeless atmosphere.
We skipped balloon garlands because they didn’t fit the look we envisioned. Instead, we decorated with faux flowers, handmade cotton napkins, custom bows, white draping, and a floral trunk that became the focal point of the venue.
Using faux flowers also meant we could arrange everything weeks ahead of time and not worry about the Miami heat.
The result felt elegant, personal, and exactly how we imagined it.
Step 5: Keep the Food and Activities Simple
You don’t need dozens of games or an elaborate menu to create a memorable baby shower.
We served traditional Cuban food, mini cakes, cake pops, sliders, and cold drinks to help everyone stay comfortable in the June heat.
For activities, we kept things simple with baby prediction cards, a “How Big Is Mom’s Belly?” game using crochet yarn, and a station where guests decorated baby blocks for Valerie’s nursery.
Sometimes the smallest activities become the most meaningful keepsakes.
Step 6: Don’t Forget the Meaningful Details
Some of my favorite memories weren’t decorations at all.
We chose Instax photo magnets as favors so guests would leave with something personal to remember the day. We also coordinated our outfits with the blush color palette, creating photos we’ll always treasure.
One surprise? Most guests gave us gift cards instead of shopping directly from our registry.
The registry items we’ve used the most are our baby bottles, portable Hatch sound machine, baby bouncer, and bottle washer.
What I’d Do Again
- 1. Start with the invitation.
- 2. Create a mood board before shopping.
- 3. Visit the venue before decorating.
- 4. Use faux flowers.
- 5. Plan each area before buying décor.
If I planned another baby shower tomorrow, I’d only change one thing.
I’d buy food warmers.
Everything else came together just as we hoped, and planning the entire shower with Canva and ChatGPT made the process so much less overwhelming.
My Free Baby Shower Planning Checklist
Want an easy way to stay organized?
Click for a free printable Baby Shower Planning Checklist and keep track of your budget, guest list, venue, decorations, food, timeline, and all the little details in one place.
A Celebration You’ll Always Remember
No baby shower has to look exactly like another.
The most beautiful celebrations begin with a simple plan and thoughtful details that reflect your family. Whether your shower is in a backyard, a restaurant, or a garden venue, focus on creating a welcoming space where loved ones can gather to celebrate this exciting new chapter.
Years from now, you’ll remember the laughter, the conversations, and the people who showed up to celebrate your little one. Those are the details that matter most.
Shop the Details
If you’re planning a similar celebration, here are the pieces I’ll be linking throughout this guide:
Prepping for the Shower
- Photographer
- Invitation
- Pink dress
- My husband’s outfit (shirt & pants)
- Baby registry I used
Shop the Baby Shower Florals
- Faux flowers (blush roses, champagne roses, eucalyptus, delphinium, babys breath, pink hydrangea, white hydrangea)
- Floral supplies (3 pc foam blocks, 6 pc foam blocks, tape for florals)
- Floral vase centerpieces
Shop the Dessert Cart & Table Decor
Shop the Games & Activities
Decorate the Baby Blocks
- Baby blocks
- Acrylic markers for blocks
Predictions & Tips
“How Big Is Mom’s Belly?”
Favors
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