Having a baby is one of the most exciting times of your life, and what better way to amplify that excitement than throwing a gender reveal party?
Gender reveal parties have become a popular celebration for expecting parents, and if you’re wondering how to plan your own gender reveal party, you’ve come to the right place.
I absolutely love the idea of sharing this exhilarating moment with your closest family and friends, so I’ve put together the ultimate guide on how to plan a gender reveal party to help alleviate your stress and prepare you for the big day.
Find Out The Baby’s Gender And Enlist A Friend Or Family Member
First things first, you need to find out the baby’s gender. The ultrasound, where you find out the baby’s gender, usually takes place in your second trimester, around 18 to 22 weeks.
Make sure you let your sonographer know that you’re having a gender reveal party, and they need to keep the gender a secret. They will usually write the gender down on a piece of paper which you can then give to your chosen friend or family member, who will help reveal the gender on the day.
Decide On A Theme
Deciding on a gender reveal theme is probably one of the most exciting parts of the gender reveal party planning process. Many couples opt for a simple blue and pink theme with blue and pink napkins, decor, and games. But if you want to go all out, there are many other different gender reveal themes you can opt for.
When thinking of a theme, it is best to consider the things that interest you, as it will make the party even more personal. For example, if you love Harry Potter, go for a witch or wizard theme, or if your family is big on sports, you could choose a “Touchdown or Tutu” theme.
Some of my favorite gender reveal party themes include:
- We Donut Know
- About to “Pop”
- What Will It Bee?
- Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star
- Waddle It Be?
If you’re still unsure about themes, I’ve put together an entire list of 15 Unique Gender Reveal Party Theme Ideas to give you a little more inspiration for gender reveal themes, ideas, and decorations.
Set A Date
Once you’ve sorted out your theme, it’s time to set a date. You can have your gender reveal party at any point in your pregnancy (once you’ve found out the gender, of course,) so the date is completely up to you.
If you’re impatient and itching to know whether you’re having a boy or a girl, plan the party for the weekend following your gender scan. But with that in mind, it is important to note that your sonographer may not be able to pick up the gender depending on how the baby is lying, meaning you’ll have to book in again for another scan at a later date.
Invitations
Once you have your date, theme, and the place where you’ll be having the party (it could be in your backyard, at your local park, or even in a cafe), it is time to send out invitations.
You can go down the old-fashioned pen, paper, and post office route or send out electronic invitations to your chosen guests. I love real paper invitations. However, electronic invites are better for the environment, cheaper, and are delivered to your guests almost instantly.
Ways To Reveal The Gender
The big moment comes down to how you reveal the gender, and similar to themes, there are a huge selection of ways you can do it.
Gender Reveal Cake
A gender reveal cake is a fun and yummy way to reveal the gender of your baby. Have a baker or the person you trusted with the gender secret bake a cake in the color of the baby’s gender and finish it off with white icing and a cake topper.
If you want everyone at your party to be surprised about the gender, you can give the envelope from your sonographer directly to the bakery so everyone can find out together.
And alternatively, another fun way to reveal the gender with cake while getting involved in the process is to have a cupcake for every person attending the party. All of the cupcakes will be plain vanilla, except for one, which will have the gender color inside. Then when everyone has a cupcake in their hand, take turns biting into them until someone bites the one cupcake containing the gender color.
Gender Reveal Balloon
Gender reveal balloons are a popular way to reveal a baby’s gender, and with kits, you can do it at home or at local balloon shops that will create the balloon for you. They’re a quick, easy, and relatively cheap way to reveal whether you’re having a boy or a girl.
Many gender reveal balloons are filled with confetti, but if you don’t want to hassle of cleaning those teeny confetti pieces up, then you could also opt for powder filling, which is non-toxic and biodegradable.
Gender Reveal Balloon Box
If you are scared of popping balloons, then why not reveal the gender with a balloon box instead? Have the person keeping the secret fill a box with helium-filled balloons in the color of the gender. Then when you’re ready to announce, all you need to do is open up the box and let the balloons float out. No popping required!
Gender Reveal Pinata
Create your own DIY pinata by filling a box with balloons or confetti, or purchase a premade pinata to reveal the gender of your baby. I love the idea of making your own pinata, as you can do it on a supersized scale, but if you don’t have the time or aren’t crafty, a premade pinata will work just as well.
Gender Reveal Confetti Cannon
Confetti cannons have shot their way up the popularity list for gender reveals (excuse the pun), and in my opinion, they make for some excellent photos. Similar to the contents of gender reveal balloons, you can purchase cannons that shoot confetti or powder, both of which are biodegradable and non-harmful to expectant mothers.
Gender Reveal Silly String
You can execute the silly string reveal in one of two ways. The first would be for both the expectant mother and father to have a can of silly string in the color of the baby’s gender. At reveal time, they can shoot the silly string over each other or the guests in front of them.
Alternatively, to get everyone involved, go all out and purchase a can of silly string for every guest at the party. When it’s time to reveal the gender then, the guests will shoot the silly string all over the parents-to-be.
The person you trusted with your gender secret will need to cover the cans over to prevent the surprise from being ruined, but that is easily done with some paper and sellotape.
Gender Reveal Burnout
This idea is very niche, but if you or your partner are into cars or motorbikes, then a gender reveal burnout could fit your theme perfectly. You can purchase packets of colored powder, which your gender trustee will place slightly under the tire of the car or motorbike. Once the driver begins the burnout, the packet will pop and reveal the gender of the baby.
Gender Reveal Baseball
A great gender reveal idea for sports fans is to hit a baseball, golf ball, or even a football filled with colored powder. The person hitting the ball better have good aim, as missing in front of your entire family and friends could be quite embarrassing!
Food Ideas
Gender reveals aren’t the longest parties meaning you don’t necessarily need to provide food to your attending guests. If you do want some food for guests to nibble on, then opt for snack foods like chips, cupcakes, or finger sandwiches.
Game & Activity Ideas
It’s always fun to play games at parties, and there are a few fun gender reveal games that will get all your guests involved in the excitement. One of the most common games to play is guess the gender of the baby, where each guest will predict whether the baby will be a boy or a girl. You can have your guests wear a team boy or team girl badge, cast their vote on a voting board, or even wear the color they think the baby will be.
For even more entertainment, then some other great gender reveal games and activities include:
Decorations
The decorations you have at your party will ultimately come down to the theme you choose. For the standard blue and pink gender reveal party, for example, you could decorate with a balloon arch, table cloth, and banners, and finish touches of paper cups, napkins, and table toppers.
Any Other General Tips & Tricks
Now that you’ve got the majority of the planning out of the way, there are a few extra things you may want to consider.
Combine Your Gender Reveal With Your Baby Shower
If you want to have both a baby shower and a gender reveal but don’t want the hassle of two separate parties, then you could combine the two together and create the ultimate gender reveal/baby shower.
For those who are unsure what a baby shower is, it is essentially a gift-giving ceremony where friends and family of the expecting mother bring gifts for her future baby. Baby showers are a fantastic help for new moms as some of the weight of buying necessary baby items is lifted from her shoulders, all while celebrating her little love with those she holds dearest.
Outfits
You may not have thought too closely about what you’ll be wearing the day of your gender reveal party, and again it may all come down to the theme you choose.
If you want people to wear the color of the gender they think the baby will be, then you, too, should wear the color you think. However, if you aren’t too bothered about clothing, then I personally think white is always a winner, especially if you’re shooting confetti or powder cannons.
Photographer
I highly recommend hiring a photographer or even just a friend who is handy with a camera. The memories you’ll be making at your gender reveal party are ones that you’ll want to last a lifetime, so having actual pictures or videos you can save and look back on for years to come should definitely be on your priorities list.
Conclusion: How to Plan a Gender Reveal
So, there you have it! The ultimate guide on how to plan a gender reveal party. If you’re anything like me, then you love watching gender reveal parties online. Most of the time, the videos are of people I don’t even know, and I still get excited to see the pink or blue confetti, along with the expectant parent’s reactions.
Your gender reveal party will no doubt be an exciting one, and I hope this guide has helped you along the way.