William Lipovsky
Most baby shower venues charge rental fees, but it’s possible to host your shower for free in public spaces like a park, your own home, or (if you can find one) a local restaurant that will let you use a room for free.
Throwing a baby shower can get expensive, despite the gifts of advice, diapers, and other supplies that most guests will give. Cutting out the cost of renting a space can be a huge help (though you’ll still have to provide lunch or hors d’oeuvres and decorate the space).
Below, we’ll give you the rundown of the typical cost to throw a baby shower, the list of free or affordable places to host your event, and ways to minimize other costs.
What a Baby Shower Costs
There’s no set amount for how much a baby shower will cost, but it can easily range from $100 to $1,000 or more.
There are a lot of factors that determine how much a shower will cost, including venue, food, and decorations. And, of course, the number of guests you invite will also affect how much money you’ll spend.
Aside from these factors, the cost will also depend on how much work you’re willing to put into the event yourself.
For instance, you might decide to pay for a venue but make your own decorations. Or, you might decide to host the shower at home and prepare everything yourself.
There are definitely ways to save money on a baby shower, so the cost of it is ultimately up to you.
Free (or Cheap) Places to Have a Baby Shower
When hosting a baby shower, the venue is important. You want to make sure you have a place with enough space for all of your guests.
Below, we’ve put together a list of affordable places to host your baby shower.
Church
Churches and religious halls are usually inexpensive options for hosting an event like a baby shower.
There will likely be a rental fee and you’ll have to schedule your party with the church ahead of time, but this tends to be a more affordable option than other event venues.
Plus, if you attend the church, you’ll know the rental fee you pay is going to support your own congregation — a worthwhile cause.
Home
If you live in an apartment or your house just isn’t big enough to accommodate your guests, ask a friend or family member if the party could be hosted at their house. If the weather is nice, you could even have the event in someone’s backyard.
This option is the most likely to be free — at least in terms of rental costs. You won’t need to pay a fee for the venue, but you’ll still pay for the food and decorations.
Parks
A local park can potentially be a free place to host a baby shower. This will mostly depend on the size of your guest list, what areas of the park you want to use, and how long you plan to stay.
If you want to use specific areas of the park, such as pavilions, then you may need to pay a fee. Your best bet is to call the responsible authorities, like your city or town’s park district, to find out what the park counts as a special event and how much it would cost to host your baby shower there.
Restaurants
Many restaurants have rooms you can rent for events, and a lot of them will give you deals on food if you rent their space.
Some restaurants will also charge less if you host your shower on a weekday. Some might even let you use the space for free if you opt for a time and day of the week when their business is usually slow.
The food and drink sales your shower will bring in can help you negotiate a good price. However, prices for this type of rental vary greatly, so you’ll have to do some research and contact several local restaurants to find the ones with the best deals.
Other Ways to Save
It can be difficult to find affordable venues, but we’ve brainstormed some other ways you can save money on your baby shower.
Decorations
To save money on decorations, you can shop at a discount store like Dollar Tree. Get whatever you can there and before moving on to craft stores like Michaels.
If you do need to buy anything from a more expensive craft store, be mindful that they almost always have coupons or promotions going on. Check the store’s website or ask a sales associate for current deals.
You can either buy pre-made decorations or choose supplies like ribbons, fake flowers, and string lights to make them yourself. You can also ask your friends and family if they have any extra decorations you can borrow.
If you prefer to shop online, you can find decoration kits with more than 40 pieces for as little as $15 to $20 on Amazon.
Food
Potlucks can be an ingenious way to reduce your personal food or catering costs if you’ve got friends and family who like to cook. Coordinate with your guests on who will bring what, and you’ll save a lot of money on food.
You can also save by scheduling your party between meal times rather than during meal time. By doing this, you can get away with serving snack foods, appetizers, and things like cookies or cupcakes, which can all easily be homemade.
Invites
Sending invites in the mail is cute, but you’ll save a lot more money doing it digitally.
You can create a Facebook event or send emails. There are also lots of e-vite services available, such as evite.com, many of which are free.
Timing
If you live in a small house or apartment and just can’t afford the costs of renting a venue, you can have your baby shower at home, but in a less traditional way.
Set up your baby shower to be a “come and go” type of event and have people stop by throughout the day to visit. You can either try to plan out when each group of guests should come or just tell them to come whenever they want.
You’ll also save on food this way because you’ll only have to provide light snacks.
