When we hear the words ‘baby shower,’ our mind automatically conjures up images of dozens of women sitting in a circle in a function room, sharing gifts, eating cake, and playing a selection of motherhood-themed party games.
But what about moms-to-be with family or friends living in other states or countries? What if one of the moms-to-be closest relatives or friends can’t attend the baby shower due to illness or other conflicts? Or if the entire event was canceled because the function room has been double-booked?
This is where virtual baby showers come in. Yes, you heard that correctly: virtual. Much like a traditional baby shower, a virtual baby shower involves the moms-to-be friends and relatives getting together to celebrate the expecting mom and their bundle of joy, the key difference being that it is virtual.
Baby showers emerged in the 1930s; since then, hundreds of expecting mothers and those close to them have attended and organized many. However, since they are traditionally face-to-face, the concept of throwing one virtually might be foreign for most. So, if you’ve never heard of it, we’ve put together several steps, from virtual baby shower invitations to choosing a virtual venue to help you throw the ultimate celebration – continue reading to learn more.
Sending Out Virtual Baby Shower Invitations
Despite the event being virtual, the same etiquette for a traditional baby shower still applies, meaning that it is best if you aim to send out virtual baby shower invitations four to six weeks before the event is due to be scheduled. Fortunately, online invitations are quickly increasing in popularity among party planners due to their benefits, with the only complicated part being which design to choose (trust us, there are millions!).
Thankfully, with the help of websites such as Greenvelope, moms-to-be can choose from a range of beautiful virtual baby shower invitations, some of which include extras like gifs, music, links to relevant websites, and much more. Not to mention, virtual baby shower invitations not only save you time and money on traditional invites, but they’re also a much eco-friendlier option which is a bonus if you’re an eco-conscious individual.
Plus, once the celebration is finished, you can take advantage of their paperless thank-you cards! Consider learning more about e-invites or sending your own invitations for a virtual baby shower by visiting their website or contacting them directly for specific inquiries and seeing how their services could make your baby shower one to remember today.
Choose A Video Streaming Platform To Host Your Baby Shower
As the name suggests, a virtual baby shower requires a virtual place for your friends, relatives, and you to meet up. Fortunately, thanks to the digital age we live in, there is a whole host of video streaming websites or applications for you and your baby shower tribe to choose from.
Although it is up to you if you’d like to host your virtual baby shower with or without video, it is generally more popular to live stream the event as it makes it more personal despite not being face-to-face.
There are hundreds of video streaming platforms to choose from nowadays. Still, some top choices include free-to-use websites and applications such as Zoom, Google Hangouts, Skype, etc., which are all accessible if you and your attendees have an internet connection and a device that can connect to it with a webcam.
Some of these free-to-use sites and applications even allow you to connect your live stream to your television screen, which makes it much easier to see everyone in attendance and for them to see you. Although, before you decide which video streaming platform to use, you might want to consider how tech-friendly the site or app is and whether all members of your party will be able to use it without difficulty.
Plan The Gift Reveal
One of the most popular activities at a baby shower is giving and receiving presents for the mom-to-be and her new little girl or boy. However, since this is usually done face-to-face, you may have to get creative and decide how to get around this so you, your relatives, and your friends can share in the gift-giving festivities.
Whether you ask guests to send gifts to your house several weeks in advance or get them to open them on camera on your behalf, then send them to your address after the shower is over. Or you could do a mixture of both, as some guests may not be able to get their gifts to you on time, or shipping costs might be too expensive, especially if it’s a large item and they live overseas.
Once you’ve opened all the gifts on camera, you may want to create a group on social media with photos of everything that you’ve received, that way; guests can browse through the list of gifts in their own time and catch up on any they might have missed during the live broadcast of the shower.