When we found out we were pregnant, I KNEW I wanted to do a gender reveal party, but had some apprehensions, due to some early pregnancy scares (that blog is for a later date). Ryan and I did the genetic testing, so we could have found out the sex when I was 12 weeks, but waited until I was 20 weeks to do the actual party.
Being a designer, and a "super picky" person (per others)... I didn't really want any help with the planning part. I went to the first place everyone would, Pinterest, in search of ideas of what we would do for the ACTUAL reveal, started following an Instagram account that was specifically for gender reveals, and talked it over with my husband.
He remembered seeing a cool way to do the actual reveal from a friend on Facebook, where the dad-to-be, pitched a softball to the mommy-to-be, and the ball exploded when hit by the bat. My husband was big into baseball all through school, so it seemed appropriate for us.
After deciding HOW we would do the reveal, next came picking the person who would know the sex. We chose my girlfriend Kaeley, and emailed her the card from the doctor and the place to buy the softball from, we picked PoofThereItIsBalls from Etsy.
We decided to go with the "baseball" theme for the party, using blues/pinks of course... check out the photos below... starting with the invitation, designed by yours truly.
My husband and I with the softball BEFORE we found out the sex.
Environment
We invited about 75 people, and had about 50ish show up. Here in Michigan, hosting an event outdoors is always a risk, but out house would not comfortably fit 50 people inside, so we just prayed we would be blessed with a nice day, and we were! It was a little hot, but not awful.
We had two tents (AKA carports), with tables running down the middle of each of them. White tables/chairs, with blue/pink decor items from Party City. We used the "Caribbean Blue" and "Pink" items they offer in their store. If you're opting for an outdoors party, try to get the fitted table covers, they work great in case of wind/people snagging them as they stand up.
This baby is our first kid, so naturally, we don't have ANYTHING fun for kids to do. We were expecting around 15 kids, so I bought a bounce house from Amazon... don't judge, it was on Slickdeals at a great price when I purchased it! We also had chalk, baseball stuff and a water table to entertain them.
Food/Beverages
We continued the baseball theme with including foods you may find at a game, such as:
- Hot Dogs
- Hot Dog Toppings Bar (Relish, Mustard, Ketchup, Onions, Jalapeno, Chili, Pickles, Banana Peppers, and Shredded Cheese)
- Individual Chip Bags (these were hanging from a lattice/clipped to twine)
- Nachos/Taco Dip/Chili
- Pizza
- Veggie Platter
- Non-Alcoholic Punch (seen below)
- Beer (In a blue tub with an "Old Tymers" sign attached)
- Pop (Faygo Flavors)/Water (In a pink tub with a "Rookies" sign attached)
- Big League Chew Gum, Laffy Taffy, Cotton Candy, Cake Pops, and Cupcakes
Table Decorations
Along with a welcome table, I wanted to do something fun with the guests, so we made two posters for people to guess what they think the baby is, and send us the pics. We also had pink or blue clips people put on their shirts for the party. Being a BIG sweets person, it was only fitting that the tables have some desserts people could grab and eat as they were sitting down.
Each table had two jars (one blue, one pink) that included blue or pink cotton candy and cake pops, made by a friend. We also had custom made pink/blue cupcakes from my husband's cousin. The question marks were handmade from silver paper purchased at Michaels, along with the wooden sticks. We stuck a foam piece at the bottom of the jars to hold the items in place in case of wind/the cater to the weight.
The welcome table had some pictures of our parents when they were pregnant with us, along with a couple other funny ones of us as children. The question mark holding the cupcakes came from Michaels, along with the boards holding the photos (which I spray painted to match the theme).
I had so many people trying to guess what the baby was, and it's funny how everyone thinks THEY know best. They are the expert on this stuff... so I made a poster for people to see what was happening with me to help them decide what the baby was, based off the Old Wives Tales.
We had guests wear their guess with these cute little clips from Michaels.
I love these large letters you can get from JoAnn Fabrics, they are $10, but with a coupon, just $4 or $5. Add some spray paint, and you're all good. The pink and blue banners can also be found at Michaels!
These are the fun posters I designed for people to put their heads in and take a photo of their guess. All of my larger signs were printed at Walgreens for a good price (they always have coupons).
The Big Reveal
This was SO nerve-wrecking, but thankfully, they send you a test ball so you can get your throw down correctly.
Check out the video of the reveal below!
Overall, it was a great party, no regrets!
Photo credit: Monroe Fox Photography
Video credit: Bill Noble