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How to Host a Sip and See Baby Shower

 It is my understanding that ladies these days don't often open their homes for wedding showers, baby showers, or luncheons anymore.  What do you think is the cause of this?

Is it just too stressful to clean our homes or is it the paralyzing thought of organizing such an event?

I am here to tell you that you CAN do this!

My friends, hospitality is not a lost art! It's a LEARNED art!  Let's learn together then teach the younger generation how to host again! 

"Hospitality isn't about your house it's about your heart."

Entry Covered Porch

Opening your home does not have to lead to a grand tour of your home.  When asked for a tour, I often just reply with, "Oh I'm so sorry, I'm raising four boys here and my house is in rather messy shape beyond what you see here." Even if you aren't raising four boys, just take the pressure off yourself to tidy up your entire house if you are hesitant about that aspect of hosting.

Let's start with the entry.  
Take a few moments to wash your front door and any windows around the door.  Sweep or blow away any debris from around the door, patio, and walkway. (I have this blower and use it on a daily basis!)
I keep two concrete pots by the door and fill them seasonally with prefashioned hanging baskets from the local garden center. I just snip off the hanging part and plop the entire plastic basket down in my concrete pot. Easy!  My faux topiaries in the black planters are a staple around here because I can never seem to keep real topiaries alive on my porch.

Entryway table

Moving inside, I like to place a simple bouquet of flowers on a table near the door where the baby book can be signed.  Here I simply placed pink roses and baby's breath together.  I order bulk flowers from HERE and have had beautiful results every time!

baby shower ideas

The second aspect of hosting is selecting hostesses for the shower.  Ideally, the gal being honored will have close friends who offer to help host.  If no one has offered, reach out to the honored mother or a family member and ask for help in selecting friends or family who would be honored to hostess with you.  A cherished friend, cousin, or aunt are all appropriate hostesses.  If you take the guesswork out of the day, you will have a multitude of helpers.

baby shower etiquette


baby shower table

What's on the menu and how to divide up responsibilities between hostesses:

I like to keep the menu very simple.  I always have the same selection at basically every shower I host. This helps cut down on frustration between hostesses and helps keep everything simple and organized. Everything will be plated at my home on my collection of thrifted (or estate sale finds) silverplated trays.

Menu Options:
Cucumber Sandwiches
Chicken Salad in phyllo dough cups
Charcuterie 
Fruit Tray
Lemon Squares
Petit Fours
Punch
Bubbly

I send out a group message to all of the hostesses with the menu options and invitation task.

Since I am hosting, I like to provide all dishes, utensils, and serving pieces so that everything coordinates.  Nowadays, texting the invitation is preferred among this generation so I take care of that too. I use a party invitation app that will send out reminders and keep track of everyone's rsvp. 
I let the remaining hostesses divide up the menu among themselves.  They are welcome to order the food or make it themselves.  I also ask that they plan on taking turns serving the guests by picking up their empty plates, replenishing food on the table, offering drinks, and light cleaning up in the kitchen.  I try not to make this sweet party a financial burden on anyone involved so no extravagant flower arrangements or balloon arches. 

cucumber sandwiches recipe

Cucumber Sandwiches
  • 8 ounces cream cheese softened
  • 3 tablespoons mayonnaise
  • 2 teaspoons fresh dill chopped
  • 1 teaspoon fresh chives chopped
  • ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
  • salt & pepper to taste
  • 1 long English cucumber thinly sliced
  • 1 loaf sliced white bread crusts removed

With a hand mixer mix cream cheese and mayonnaise in a small bowl until smooth. Stir in herbs, garlic powder and salt and pepper to taste.
Spread bread slices with cream cheese mixture.
Thinly slice cucumbers. Layer over half of the bread slices. Top with additional herbs if desired.
Top with remaining bread slice, remove crusts if desired and cut each sandwich into 3 pieces or use a cookie cutter to cut into shape. 
Serve immediately or cover and store up to 24 hours.

Chicken Salad in Phyllo Dough cup
THIS recipe is my go-to. 
 I often just use a rotisserie chicken and don't add additional salt.  EASY! 
Use THIS for the edible cup 

silver tray charcuterie

A very small charcuterie tray is all that is needed with just a few selections of cheese, meats, nuts, and fruits.  

petit four on silver tray

A delicious petit four or macarons can be ordered from your local bakery or you can make small vanilla cupcakes with white icing.

home wedding shower menu

Lemon bars and fruit tarts are also from a local bakery, but you can easily make your own!

baby shower decor

baby shower decor menu

Vintage baby planters are sweet to hold napkins, forks, or simple flower arrangements

vintage baby shower decor

I have been collecting vintage snack sets for as long as I can remember.  I think using a lovely dish instead of paper plates really makes the sip-n-see special.  You can use ANY kind of plate.  Garage sales, estate sales, and antique stores are my favorite spots for picking up snack sets or mix-and-match plates.  No complaints here on washing dishes... enlist the help of the hostesses or save them and pray over each dish as you wash them... thanking God for the gift of that person's friendship to the honored guest.


pink punch recipe

You simply cannot have a shower without PUNCH!
 This pink punch is DELICIOUS!
I use Braum's (our local dairy) 
Cherry Limeade Sherbet and Sprite.
That's it!  
You can easily substitute any sherbet flavor.


baby shower drinks


beverage cooler

We also had a fun selection of bubbles in the kitchen!


My precious niece and great-niece



My sister aka "Honey" to sweet baby girl


Piles of pretty pink packages!

how to set up a baby shower

Gather all the chairs from around the various tables in your home in to the room you where will be opening gifts.  I absolutely do not like the new way of presenting gifts... unopened and for display. 
I believe the art of giving and receiving is lost when you don't sit down and open your gifts in front of your friends.  Opening gifts allows the recipient to thank the giver personally.  The giver likes to see that their gift is well received.  

A personal word to the recipient:
Fake it till you make it.  
If you don't care for the gift, it is NEVER appropriate to state your negative opinion or return a gift to the giver. 
N E V E R
Simply receive the gift, thank the giver for their thoughtfulness, and place the gift in a closet.
It is not worth hurting the feelings of another or damaging a relationship because of an unwanted or unliked gift. 

"People will forget what you said, forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel."

Moving on.... :)


Host a shower.  You can do it.

baby shower etiquette

...and in doing so, you will bless every single person that crosses your threshold.  I promise.

Hospitality is simply an opportunity to show love and care.

"When God's people are in need, be ready to help them. Always be eager to practice hospitality." Romans 12:13

"And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased."  Hebrews 13:16

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this post is dedicated to my ever-present sidekick, Ruby, who unexpectedly passed away this week.  We love you and miss you terribly.
rat terrier

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11 comments:

  1. Thank you for this blog post. This has been something on my heart recently and having this post will help to make hosting that much easier! Praying for your sweet family on your loss of Ruby.

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  2. This is hard for me because I love to open my home to future mothers and brides to be. It’s so much more intimate. But it seems hosting a shower or tea has gone the way of family dinners around the table because they say they are too busy with activities with their children and empty nesters seem to be too busy traveling. So sad. Our daughter grew up watching me and my friends hosting things from Bible studies to all types of showers, staying at someone’s home while they were at their loved ones funeral, setting up et and she sees the same problem as we do.

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    1. Thank you for your detailed how-to for hosting! It is a lost art and I think the younger generation could use some encouragement in continuing this sweet show of hospitality. I love how you taught them by hosting with them. And everything was beautifully done! 💕 So sorry about the loss of your sweet dog. 😢

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  3. Through the years of hosting bridal and baby showers / brunches, my circle of friends decided to omit games and the gift opening. We discovered we all felt the same about playing games, and the uncomfortable, awkward, self-conscious feelings experienced by some opening gifts in front of a group… as well as being time consuming for everyone. In our busy world, time has become a precious commodity, and one reason for the disappearance of social gatherings.
    We had gifts brought to the shower unwrapped with just a simple bow or minimal decoration. The shower hosts create a special display table where gifts could be seen and ladies to ooh and aah over as they mingled throughout the party. Doing this allowed for more time to brunch and visit. Additionally, guests who were on a time crunch didn’t feel obligated to stay.

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  4. Loved this! Beautiful set up 💜 Thank you for sharing this and showing us it doesn’t have to be so complicated.

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  5. Thank you this detailed blog post! Your punch recipe is similar to my family's recipe except we use lime or orange sherbert. My daughter and nieces call it Mam Maw's punch! Sometimes one of the hostesses will order a sandwich tray from a local deli, or make pimento cheese or chicken salad sandwiches using the local deli for the contents. And using your serving trays is such a good idea! Showers, teas, and sip and sees are such enjoyable events and I agree we need to continue hosting these sweet gatherings.

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  6. Up until a couple of months ago, I had never heard of a sip-n-see, or a 'baby sprinkle'. But when my niece, pregnant with her 2nd child, and I discussed a celebration of some kind, I chose the baby sprinkle. The sip-n-see didn't make sense to me, but now I realize it's just the same as the baby sprinkle, except that the baby is a guest! Your post is informative, beautiful, and so inspirational. We invited around 22 of her friends; by the day before the sprinkle I had 6 RSVPs. Sure enough, they all showed up and we had a houseful. We set it up as an open house from 2-4 on a Sunday. At 4:30, there were still groups chatting away; I felt gratified that they felt comfortable in our home to stay and catch up with each other. The two grandmothers (her mother and MIL) hosted her baby shower and it was a total blow-out in a restaurant with buffets of food and over the top decorations. Happily, my niece did not require all of this for the sprinkle; I riffed off of her nursery theme of Peter Pan, and included pots of flowers and balloons. Her mom who lives down the road a bit helped out, as did her MIL who lives out of state but was fortunately in town. I loved the synchrony of it all. Like you, we had a vegetable plate, a bread dip, and I made tea sandwiches. Her best friend sweetly offered to brought desserts. But...and I am TOTALLY with you on this, the presents went home, unopened. I even approached her mid-party and asked her about opening presents. She airily waved me off, saying she would open them at home. Your description of how truly important it is to open gifts at a celebration of any kind is spot on. We all want to know if the gift we are offering is happily received by the recipient. I quite strongly disagree with an earlier comment explaining that everyone is too busy to be bothered opening gifts, and that is creates awkward, self-conscious feelings. Are we too busy for, and have awkward feelings about Christmas gifts? I have distinct memories of watching friends and family open shower gifts that delight them. It's a precious feeling. Plenty of time in this life for those. Thank you for this post, and sharing with us the beauty of your home, your amazing collection of platters and plates, and the joyful pictures of your family. It was a wonderful treat. Enjoy your great-niece! I just got one myself!

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  7. Lovely post. And I’m very sorry about little Ruby. It’s heartbreaking to lose our pets unexpectedly.

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  8. So many wonderful ideas. I mostly love the touches of vintage pieces. Now I’m on the hunt for some vintage snack trays.

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  9. Sorry about Ruby, I know that you miss her terribly. Great ideas for a lovely party

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  10. Love that you are addressing hospitality and gift receiving! Keeping the same menu for every shower is genius! I’m still stuck on paper invites. I can’t help but cringe at sending an email or text invites even though I’ve done it. Way of the times I guess! So sorry again about sweet Ruby. Continuing to pray for you and your boys.

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