How Many People Should You Invite To A Baby Shower? (2024)

• You’re going to need an exceptional baby shower venue: try Peerspace
• Decide who should be at the baby shower
• Do some math by factoring in budgetary needs and party must-haves
• Baby shower planning 101: expect the unexpected

An age-old question emerges at around the fifth or sixth month of a woman’s pregnancy – how many people should you invite to a baby shower? It can be a tricky puzzle, but we at Peerspace are here to help. With baby showers, the budget isn’t as much of a concern as it can be for other events. While finances are a factor, the baby shower guest list has more to do with the manageability of the event itself. Don’t forget that dudes, dads, and bros also attend contemporary baby showers – they’re not just for ladies anymore.

But to be frank, everyone in attendance will bring some sentimental or potentially practical gift for the mother-to-be, and there’s a chance these gifts are much needed and appreciated. So, without further ado, let’s begin exploring how to figure out how many people you should invite to the baby shower.

You’re going to need an exceptional baby shower venue: try Peerspace

Although virtual parties, including baby showers, are here to stay, in-person events are back as well. House-based showers are somewhat predictable, so why not excite the mother-to-be by hosting in an extra special Peerspace venue? The options are almost unlimited on Peerspace, the world’s largest online marketplace for hourly event space rentals, with thousands of sites in hundreds of cities.

Here are some of our favorite baby shower-worthy venues out there:

• This Victorian bed and breakfast in San Francisco, CA (pictured above) with space for 6 guests, dining space, a garden, and a backyard temple.
• This stunning Santa Barbara home (pictured below) overlooking the Pacific Ocean, Channel Islands, and Los Padres National Forest Mountains, with room for 60 and a pool and hot tub.
• This hidden gem event space in Chicago’s Pilsen district with rustic chic decor, plenty of open space, seating, speakers, and room for 50 guests.
• This upscale event venue in Houston with space for 55, a Bluetooth speaker system, lots of tables and chairs, and a blank-slate aesthetic for personalized decor.
• This furnished boho event space in Toronto, Canada with vintage-chic decor, room for 40 guests, on-site catering options, and fun party add-ons to enliven the space.
• This West Midtown brunch cafe and tea parlor in Atlanta, GA with space for 20 guests, in-house food and drink options, an outdoor area, and decorations available on-site.

As you can see, there are incredible venues available to you anywhere, each with its own guest capacity, ambiance, and services.

There are even more amazing baby shower venues across the globe available to you through Peerspace. Check out these beautiful spaces above or start your own search to find a venue near you. We’ll also include photos of and links to real Peerspace venues that we think make darling baby shower venues throughout this article.

No matter your venue, our baby shower decoration ideas will delight the mama to be and all your guests!

Decide who should be at the baby shower

Generally, a pregnant person does not host her baby shower. And yet, it’s essential to unravel who the mother-to-be does – and does not – want in attendance. This might require some detective work, or it could be a super simple exercise assuming the shower isn’t a surprise.

Traditionally, baby showers are intimate events, with the average number of attendees being about 20 and definitely fewer than 50. After you figure out who you want to invite, you’ll have a baseline guest list.

But wait – there’s more, and this can be the awkward part – someone has to set the rules regarding whether to invite men and kids, too. This could be the mother-to-be, unless she doesn’t want to be involved in the planning or if the shower is a surprise.

The size of the venue where you host the event can determine how many people you should invite to the baby shower if you secure the venue before constructing the guest list. The opposite is also true: if you create the guest list before booking a venue, the number of attendees will dictate where to hold the event.

All in all, if you’re not the mother-to-be yourself, ensure that she can provide you with a guest list. You may not know how she feels about inviting specific individuals and who she may prefer keeping off the guest list. Better to be in the know than to court a potentially awkward situation!

Do some math by factoring in budgetary needs and party must-haves

Now that you have a solid idea about how many people you should invite to the baby shower, you’ll have to determine how many people will actually come. But don’t send the invites or save the date cards just yet. This is where the budget comes in. Assuming you have secured a venue, there will be additional costs that the guest list will ultimately determine.

It’s a good idea to account for a 10-15 percent overage regarding how much food to order, how many chairs, tables, and linens to source, and how many people might be playing the requisite baby shower games.

Do the math using that overage and adjust the guest list accordingly. Are too many potential guests invited? Or are you in the clear? Once you refine the list, you can send out the invites or the save-the-date announcements. Do so either electronically or via snail mail – again, depending on the event’s formality and your budget.

Be sure to read your Peerspace venue’s listing well before booking. Many of our helpful hosts offer event services, like catering or entertainment. They may even connect you with audio-video gear if you want to play fun slideshows of the mom-to-be as a child or explain the rules to the toilet paper game without yelling over giggling guests.

As one example of an inclusive venue option you can book for the baby shower, check out this prim and posh indoor picnic venue in Jackson, TN. It is an adorable setting that includes dinnerware, speakers, the chic tablescape, and a smart TV for screening your slideshow. Plus, the host offers tempting charcuterie boards prepared on-site for an additional fee!

Our festive winter baby shower ideas will warm up your guests, even in the coldest months!

Baby shower planning 101: expect the unexpected

Etiquette prescribes that folks will RSVP ASAP to a personal event that relies on a headcount. But that is not always the case – even if you’ve sent a save the date, an email reminder, a group text reminder, a social media reminder, and physically shown up at Aunt Matilda’s house to find out face-to-face whether she’ll be in attendance.

Though we don’t have ready access to the statistics to back this claim up, with an event like a baby shower, you’re probably less likely to have more attendees than expected, especially compared to, say, a wedding. Instead, cancellations are more common, where the regretful guest who had “something come up” will send the mother-to-be a gift or a card instead.

That said, food and drink go fast at parties of all sorts, and it’s always better to have more than enough than not enough.

How many people should you invite to a baby shower: conclusion

It’s nearly impossible to tell a host how many people they should invite to a baby shower. Just ensure that the guest list matches what the mother-to-be would want and that there’s enough food and bubbly to go around.

Also, ensure that the venue is fresh and can comfortably accommodate all the happy guests and their gifts. This is why we cannot recommend booking a clean, private, and elegant party venue through Peerspace enough! You can browse photos of your venue, read reviews from past renters, and even reach out to the host through the listing page before booking. That way, no matter how many people you invite to the baby shower, you’ll always know what to expect from the venue!

Find unique baby shower venues on Peerspace