Table of Contents
Zoom: Now Featuring Virtual Baby Showers!
So you have a little one on the way. Were you planning on all the craziness brought on by a pandemic? Of course not. That caught us all by surprise.
Regardless of the big changes in how the world does things now, the fact remains that getting ready for the arrival of a baby is at least mildly expensive, and baby showers are still an essential part of getting parents ready.
Many people are opting to have a virtual baby shower instead of meeting up in person. But what do you say to invite people to a virtual baby shower?
If you’re having a virtual baby shower, you’re off to a good start. Some of your guests will interpret the virtual nature of the event as consideration for their well-being, and grateful guests won’t skimp on helping you prepare for your wee one.
But there’s no substitute for a well-worded invitation that adds to the magic of the occasion and also makes guests feel welcome and wanted.
Print or Digital?
Just because the event is electronic doesn’t mean that the invitations have to be. You can still leverage the charm of a physical invitation. A plus to this is the expectation that anything electronic has been lifted from a template.
If you text or send an email, you’ll notice how suggestions for responses can be entire sentences. Our technology is doing our thinking and talking for us, and people that use gadgets often will develop an eye for communication that sounds prefabricated or automated.
Nothing prevents us from using a template for a printed invitation, but it’s harder to pick up on.
Physical invitations, though, have a steeper price tag and a longer waiting time for delivery.
Electronic invitations are instantaneous and affordable. Some moms-to-be can’t get around the idea that electronic invitations are too cheap for something as weighty as the arrival of a new life. So, “print or digital” is strictly a matter of preference and budget.
Data & Details to Include in a Virtual Baby Shower Invite
Now for the nuts and bolts of what to include in the writing of an invitation to a virtual baby shower.
Your invitations will often be the first word that people get of your shower and its details. Flowery language and sincerity aside, vital details will have to be included.
If you’re having, say, a zoo-themed baby shower and you’re calling upon guests to have animal or zoo-oriented backgrounds during your virtual shower, you’ll have to let them know in advance
The options for writing in character are endless. An invitation from an elephant or monkey would brighten anyone’s day.
There’s no end to the clever turns of phrases and the colorful verse that can populate the invitation. But you’ll inevitably have to get down to business at some point, and business is as follows.
1. Highlight Mom’s Name (and Possibly Baby’s)
Some invitations don’t have nor need the mother-to-be’s name on the invitation because guests are usually intimate friends. When it’s that level of friendship, it’s easy to just guess that everyone knows who the up-and-coming mother is.
Well, life happens at the speed of light, so it’s still a good idea to identify the woman of the hour on the invitation, front and center. Using her full name is best. If she has a nickname that’s not a clandestine secret, that works just as well.
Here’s where you also decide if it’s time to let everyone know what the baby’s name is going to be. It’s a nice surprise for the people that haven’t gotten word about it just yet. But if you haven’t yet decided on a name (or think you might change your mind), not including it isn’t a problem.
Though mom has the spotlight, your own information as host will be important to include as well. Make it as easy as possible for people to know who to contact and how. This calls for names, phone numbers, email addresses, and so forth.
If you’re putting together a free or paid virtual baby shower website, great… you can include contact info there, too. And, possibly, answers to any questions you think most guests might have (FAQs).
2. Important Dates
There may be more than one date that needs to go on the invitation. Obviously, the date and time of the event itself are important—mandatory, really.
Baby showers are usually held one to two months before the mother’s due date, so the invitations need to go out a month or a month and a half before the shower’s date.
Yeah, that does sound like a lot of advance notice, but when it comes to planning not just for the party, but for the baby, it’s actually a fairly short amount of time.
3. Location or Platform
Since we’re discussing virtual baby showers, don’t forget the vital directions on how to access the platform that the shower will be held on.
Zoom has become second nature to most of us. A concise guide to downloading the free Zoom software or accessing the website, along with links to how to use it would be most helpful but are usually unnecessary. Perhaps include an invitation to have you help anyone set up the software for them in the case of people that have no idea what they’re doing.
4. How to RSVP
This is the place for your contact info if you’re the one planning the party. If there’s a preferred method of contact, like texting or email, this is the place to mention it.
There’s usually a time frame for when RSVPs can start being accepted and a cutoff date when they can no longer be taken. There can be four to six weeks between the sending of invitations and the actual party, so guests should RSVP two to three weeks before the event.
5. Your Registry
Yes, you should include your registry on your baby shower invitations. There’s no shame in mentioning where mom is registered. Caring for a baby is the sum of many parts, and those many parts are expensive. This is especially true if it’s the couple’s first baby.
6. Final Details
Special themes and important notes that didn’t belong anywhere else all go here.
A well-written and thoroughly thought-out invitation can go a long way towards making sure that things go smoothly.
