The fact is that for many women, getting married and having a baby happen very close to each other. When the two special events are on top of each other, the woman’s friends may wonder if there is a way to throw a party to celebrate both occasions. This gave rise to the increasingly popular combination bridal and baby shower.

You can certainly combine a bridal shower and a baby shower, although it does take some finesse to get it right. It’s not easy to balance two events in a single match, and one will most likely take center stage. Almost inevitably, it will be the baby shower that gets more attention than the wedding party part.

If you’re hosting a combo shower, make sure the nature of the occasion is clear on the invitations. You could write something like “Please join us at Misty Brown’s party. It’s a bridal shower and baby shower!” etc. I don’t always recommend including registration information in an invitation, but in this situation, it might be a good idea. Even so, you’ll likely have many confused guests wondering what to bring: a baby gift, a wedding gift, or both!

A smart gift idea would be to give a baby and a wedding gift that have some sort of common bond or theme. For example, you could give away a toaster and a bottle warmer. Another idea would be to create a gift basket that includes a series of small things for the home and the baby. You can fill your basket with items like small kitchen utensils (beaters and spatulas), a rattle, diaper cream, etc. This would be a great way to put together a nice gift that honors both occasions, without the expense of buying two complete gifts.

Shopping for baby items is a lot more fun than shopping for the wedding, so the guest of honor will likely end up with a lot of things for the baby, but not much for herself or her house. It would be very considerate if the host, or perhaps the mother of the bride, would make a special effort to get her something beautiful just for her.

With a new baby on the way, the bride may not be treating herself very much, so a gift to make her feel pretty, such as a set of bridal jewelry, would be a wonderful gift from her mother. If the baby is a girl, it would be very sweet to get her a small piece of jewelry that she matches the bridal jewelry, such as a small pearl necklace. Not that I’ll be wearing it anytime soon, but it would make a very sentimental keepsake.

Aside from the gifts, a baby shower and wedding combined won’t be that different from any other baby shower. Instead of a strong decorating theme, decorating with pretty, fresh flowers will work just as well for a baby shower or bridal shower. Some good sandwiches, a white cake and voila.

It’s a bit out of the ordinary, but putting together a bridal shower and baby shower combo can definitely be done with style and grace. A combined shower is a nice alternative to having two separate parties close together. And the bride will be delighted to be able to celebrate two happy occasions at once.