Baby-Name Reveal Party

At gender reveal parties, parents-to-be have become creative in finding ways to disclose the sex, and often learn the news right alongside their guests through practices like cutting a cake or releasing of the balloons. However, more and more, moms and dads reasonably want to know whether the child is a boy or girl right off the bat. Instead of offering your friends and family a celebration that divulges the gender of the baby, why not throw a party that reveals the chosen name? This is a fun spin on an otherwise traditional idea that will celebrate your little person as the unique individual he or she is.

Though parents find inspiration for baby names in everything from religion to celebrities, most traditional names and their spinoffs carry meaning. Why not use this significance as a motif throughout the celebration? For instance the name Ava means “like a bird”, so parents could have the invitations and napkins imprinted with this design, as well as themed mobiles hanging from the ceiling; Caleb means “whole hearted”, so heart shaped centerpieces could be situated on the surfaces along with heart-shaped cookies. An alternative to this is to create a theme around a famous individual or character who bares the same surname? Let’s say you are naming your unborn son Luke; parents who are Star Wars fans can feature R2D2 cupcakes, give out light saber lollipops and entertain guests with Star Wars trivia games; parents who are giving their children the name Robert might want to have a party inspired by the music of Bob Marley, complete with his soundtracks, Rastafarian foods and a beanie as a party favor.

Many names are passed down through generations and hold cultural origins, so perhaps honor these nations by serving the music associated with the particular country. Let the food reflect the nation as well and, depending on the particular legacy, a fun dress code could liven the atmosphere as well. For an extra touch, use flags to cover the walls and use the flag’s colors as your decorating palette.

Of course, you will want to build suspense for the actual name reveal. You can create a guessing game centered on the name. You can always go with your own version of Wheel of Fortune, have the guests break up into teams to play a round of “20 questions” with you, or hide the various letters that spell out the name in different places throughout the night so guests can find and piece them together as a group. If you would rather forego the games, perhaps design a snazzy banner, spell it out on top of pizzas using pepperoni or use Christmas lights to reveal the name on the side of your house.

Tell me parents, what are some fun ideas to reveal the name of your baby to friends and family?