Moms and Dads
Baby Showers in the New Normal: How to Have One On a Budget
We love baby showers but we also love sticking to our budget and not overspending.
Sometimes, we’re so in awe of baby showers like Anna Vicente‘s and Dimples Romana‘s that we want one of our own. With all the pretty pastel colors, balloons, flowers, and lights — some of us low-key want a grand celebration that’s similar. But of course, there’s the finance part to think about. Here are some ways we can hold a baby shower on a budget.
Choosing a restaurant with your preferred theme.
Every restaurant has a cuisine and theme which makes it less painful on the wallet if they’re somewhat in theme. For a tropical theme, there are usually restaurants that serve Filipino or grilled food. If working with red and gold for colors, there are Chinese restaurants. But there are also restaurants with minimalist backdrops that make it more flexible to change the design.
Private Rooms vs. Event Spaces: Which one’s more bang for buck?
If you want to hold a baby shower on a budget, some choose to hold it in restaurants. Restaurants will always have private rooms with a consumable of around PHP 5,000 ~ PHP 10,000. Events spaces, on the other hand, usually have accredited caterers. So, there’s some weighing to be done. Some of us might prefer a restaurant’s private room because at least we’re sure of how the food tastes.
Know your flowers.
We moms love our flowers. While some of us want to flood the room with Ecuadorian roses, those are expensive. The Baby’s Breath we once thought were just bouquet fillers also recently skyrocketed in price since it became a theme for weddings. Some florists and events planners are up-to-date with the prices so they’d most likely tell you which one is a better option. This is because there are some pretty flowers that don’t last long during events. If you want affordable and long-lasting flowers, you can check out carnations, sunflowers, and calla lilies.
Renting an Airbnb: A lot cheaper but with a lot of DIY
If it’s just for one night and if the guest list is small, it’s a lot cheaper than an events space. A lot of these AirBnbs come equipped with leisure activities like dartboards, jacuzzis, billiard tables, and more. While designing it may take a bit of DIY, it’ll at least help limit the guests. Especially if there are some people we’re not comfortable inviting.
Baby Shower Giveaways: DIY vs. Pre-Made
If the whole barangay is attending the baby shower, it’ll be insane to do DIY giveaways. But for small groups of people like 20 to 30, DIY isn’t too bad especially since some of us want to flex our creativity muscles. Besides, if we do DIY, we can sometimes find cheaper but better-looking material if we canvas thoroughly.
COVID-19 Testing: Sorry, it’s a must.
Since COVID-19’s still on the rise, it’s a must to have guests tested. Nobody wants to be the source of spreading the virus. But not to worry, most COVID-19 tests are sold in boxes rather than in pieces. And some brands have already established themselves here in the Philippines. Most parties use a rapid antigen test though. Usually, a box can swing between PHP 7,000 ~ PHP 10,000. However, this is only if you are exceeding 20 guests.
Gorgeous baby showers can be done on a budget!
It’s not really how much one spends on the baby shower that makes it pretty. It’s about having that “eye for beauty” which is what most stylists have. But moms, that’s what Pinterest and Instagram are for. There are a lot of baby shower pegs for us to grab from, which we’ll eventually realize we can do on a budget. Granted, it’ll require us to be more hands-on.
Here are some inspiration for baby showers:
LOOK: Angel Locsin-Arce and Bea Alonzo Throw Dimples Romana A Surprise Baby Shower
GMA 7 Actress Anna Vicente’s Friends Throw Her a Baby Shower
Joyce Pring’s Pandemic Friendly Drive-By Baby Shower Is The Cutest Thing Ever
