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Baby Showers
xstaticnyclove
member
Who provides food at baby shower?
xstaticnyclove
member
in Baby Showers
I'm being thrown a baby shower and wanted to know what the tradition is for providing food at baby shower. The hostess wants to do a potluck and ask people to also bring a gift on top of that. Is it wrong that I had to voice my opinion about this and say it is tacky? I feel like guests are guests and shouldn't have to bring extra stuff on top of a gift. I told the hostess that I would pay for the food in the end. Does the mother to be usually take this on? I don't mind to but just want to make sure it doesn't look weird. What do you think?
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Re: Who provides food at baby shower?
The host/hostess should provide the food. That is part of the 'gift' of throwing a baby shower: providing food, entertainment, venue and decorations.
I think a potluck shower sounds pretty tacky, I probably would not go to one...If you feel strongly, and are close to the hostess, I personally would say something about not being comfortable with a potluck. You, as the MTB, should not provide the food or have to pay for the food, either.
The host provides the food. It can be anything from a few munchies at a non-meal time to a full catered meal and everything in between based on the host's budget.
A pot luck shower sounds incredibly tacky and I can not imagine being invited to one.
1/12/13 DD was born
4/9/16 DS was born
9/17 CP
6/23/18 BFP EDD 3/4/19
Not the best idea. I'd probably go to a shower like this if it were a family member or extremely close friend, otherwise I would pass. I would just send the mother a gift.
I agree with these...although I have gone to a couple of church showers where the members of the Sunday School class the MTB was in provided the potluck. I was in one of the groups and it was an "organized" potluck.
Sorry you have to pay for the food for your shower. Hopefully she is supplying the paper/plastic wear, decorations, and game prizes. Shame on her for not knowing she was responsible for providing the food before she offered to gift you a shower. BTW...she doesn't live "down South" does she? My friend, who happens to live near Nashville, has told me she goes to these kinds of showers frequently. Just wondered if it was a Southern "thing".
I live in Knoxville, and I have NEVER heard of or been invited to a pot luck shower. We love some pot luck down here, for football games or just random Saturday night get togethers, but for a shower? No way. I've lived here my whole life, so it's certainly not a southern thing.
It's a tacky thing!
The only scenario I can think of a pot-luck being acceptable is if a group of friends decided together that they wanted to throw something, and they were each going to contribute (as in multiple hosts)- I don't think asking an invited guest to bring food is ok.
If invites haven't already gone out, I'd schedule for a time between meals (i.e. 2-4) and have some light beverages and refreshments available (i.e. coffee, tea, fruit salad, scones, and cake). Could you order it from somewhere and have it delivered or coordinate with a close family member (mom or sister) to bring so it doesn't lok like you're throwing your own shower?
This. And if she can't afford/doesn't want to do a meal then Appetizers are always an option, considering she lets people know this on the invite.
I would tell her no and pay yourself. My shower is being thrown by two very good friends from my nursing program and I'm fully aware of the fact that they're both broke because they're in nursing school. We're doing a BBQ in the park to save on catering costs, they're splitting the food bill, planning and setting up and I'm paying for decorations and prizes. For me, the shower isn't so much about getting gifts as it as about celebrating our first child. I don't think I put anything on my registry over $20, except for the crib and that was only because my in-laws requested we put it on there so they knew what model to get us. Sometimes people can't afford to throw you a shower by themselves and honestly it's the thought and effort that counts and if you have to throw in a few bucks to make it happen, I don't see what's wrong with that.