Family photographer, Katie B., didn’t let Coronavirus get in the way of having the baby shower of her dreams! And, no, we don’t mean she didn’t follow CDC guidelines – she did – but she found a creative way to not only have a handful of socially distanced guests but also added in a Zoom element for those who were far away who wouldn’t normally be able to attend an in-person shower!
Here’s how The Planning Society planned her hybrid baby shower…
Keep the in-person guest list small.
You will want to follow your state’s COVID gathering guidelines here (most states have mandated gatherings must be under 10 people at this point), but when it comes to your virtual guests, the sky is the limit!
Have a Zoom moderator.
You can either hire a Zoom moderator to keep the virtual momentum going and spotlight specific guests or you can designate a friend to do this.
Send an on-theme face mask and mask necklace to guests in advance.
We love the idea of really customizing the baby shower by sending each in-person guest an on-theme face mask and mask necklace (also great for group photos!). For example, if you’re doing a jungle theme, a leopard face mask is so fun. Of course, pastels are also always a great option for any baby shower as well (Katie’s color scheme was ombre pink!). Have fun with it!
Add super fun balloon decor.
The Planning Society wanted guests to “feel the ambiance” of the backyard, hybrid baby shower and hired balloon stylist, Michelle Rogers, to create an on-theme balloon installation and placed it right at the entrance so that guests knew it was a party the moment they arrived.
Have several TV screens present to display virtual guests.
If budget allows, we love the idea of renting a few TV screens and placing them all around the party so that the virtual guests can really FEEL like they’re there. Even one TV screen would be great, just something a little bigger than a laptop ☺
Add in a virtual background.
The Planning Society created a virtual background that seamlessly incorporated into the in-person party decor so that all the Zoom guests could also feel they were part of the celebration.
Socially distance tables for food and drinks.
Place small tables at least six feet away from each other so that guests can eat but also stay safe. Individual bottles of drinks are the new trend, so if you aren’t comfortable with pouring wine or champagne from a standard bottle, you can either place individual servings of drinks at each place setting or have a galvanized bucket and ice on hand for the smaller-sized drinks. We also recommend having a custom branded bottle of hand sanitizer at each table!
Make sure to have the guest of honor’s favorite food on hand.
Since many catering companies are offering limited menus during this time, we made sure to pick up this mom-to-be’s favorite sandwich and cake!
Add a personalized element to the table decor.
Being a family photographer herself, Katie brought all of her guests disposable cameras so she could get their perspective of her shower.
Pre-serve food in to-go boxes.
The Planning Society really thought through the typically difficult process of serving food to a group during COVID. TPS asked guests in advance what type of food box they would like – farmer’s market crudité, farmer’s market fruit box and/or a meat and cheese box – and each guest easily picked up their food box and was able to go to a distanced table to eat.
Add a special touch with shower favors.
We all know that any baby shower thrown in 2020/2021 will be different, and we love the idea of acknowledging that (maybe even poking a little fun?!) with your shower favor. The Planning Society recommends giving out personalized hand sanitizers, face masks, mini boxes of French macarons or mini bottles of personalized wine/champagne for your guests to enjoy on their way out.
Happy planning!
Xx, The Planning Society