Congratulations! You’ve had your 12-week scan and successfully completed the first trimester of pregnancy. Now is the perfect time to start informing your nearest and dearest of the fantastic news.
While many parents enjoy leaving the gender of their child a surprise until birth, most enjoy finding out as soon as possible via an ultrasound scan at around 18 to 21 weeks. Upon receiving this exciting information, it’s not uncommon for an expectant couple to organise a gender reveal party for close friends and relatives. If you want to arrange such an event, here are some top tips to make your party memorable.
Set A Budget
Your gender reveal party can be as simple or extravagant as you wish. For instance, perhaps you’d enjoy a simple evening with a few close friends at home. Alternatively, you may want a memorable extravaganza where all of your loved ones can come together and celebrate the anticipated arrival. Either way, consider your finances and determine how much you can afford to spend on your event, including venue hire, decorations, catering and more.
Set The Date And Choose A Location
Before sending out your invitations, choose the perfect date and location for your party. This will largely depend on your budget and preferences. For instance, if you’re happy to host your gathering at home, your options for dates will be considerably more flexible. To ensure you secure the desired venue, be it a local restaurant, community space, or party venue; it’s advisable to make your booking as early as possible.
Send Out Invitations
Once you’ve chosen your date and location, you can start sending out invitations for your gender reveal party. Online printing platforms like Zazzle and VistaPrint feature thousands of affordable yet beautifully-designed invitation templates you can customise for any event. If you’re a skilled artist or graphic designer, you could even design your own invitations, which you can keep and display as a meaningful memento. Alternatively, you could send out email invitations or create an event page on social media as a paperless, eco-friendly option.
Plan Some Activities
What’s a party without a few party games? A gender reveal party is an excuse for you to organise a range of fun-filled activities for your guests to partake in, such as interactive games like ‘guess the name’ or ‘who knows mommy best?’. You can find print-offs and inspiration online or design your own games from scratch. Alternatively, you could organise entertainment, such as live music or a mocktail-mixing masterclass.
Make A Wish List
While many parents prefer to wait until after they’ve revealed the gender of their baby to start accepting gifts and donations, organising a combination baby shower and gender reveal party can be an excellent way to avoid any rigorously gendered products. As such, you can provide your guests with a list of items you need, including newborn clothes, nursery furniture, toiletries and diapers. Alternatively, you could request monetary donations or vouchers that can go towards decorating your baby’s nursery.
Plan The Big Reveal
The big reveal – the moment your guests have all been waiting for! There are numerous fun and creative ways you can break the news. For example, you could hide either blue or pink sprinkles inside a cake, cutting it to reveal the big surprise. Alternatively, you could pop balloons with pink or blue confetti inside. You can even purchase coloured smoke cannons that make for excellent photographs. This is your chance to be creative, so have fun with it!
Alternatives To Gender Reveal Parties
There is much discussion surrounding the ethics of gender reveal parties. Many believe that by putting so much importance on the gender of a baby, we are subconsciously upholding them to strict, outdated gender roles that may impact their well-being and childhood development. Regardless of where you stand on this argument, it may be worth exploring alternative, neutral approaches to gender reveal parties. For instance, you could organise a name reveal party or a simple gathering to break the happy news of your pregnancy.
Whatever you decide to do, remember to relax and have fun. A gender reveal party is the perfect excuse to celebrate in the company of those closest to you, so let your hair down and make the most of it.
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