Couples Shower Ideas: Showering the Mom and Dad-to-be

Many awesome dads are involved in every aspect of their partner's pregnancy: going to every appointment, talking to the tummy, painting the nursery, gaining those sympathy pounds...Why not involve them in the social celebration of welcoming their new little one? Although the thought of attending a baby shower appeals to very few men, Paperlicious can help you plan a couples baby shower to honor both mom and dad without scaring anyone away!

To make the men feel welcome and comfortable in this traditionally "girly" territory, you're going to have to convince them with your invitation that this isn't your typical "cute" get-together. Paperlicious offers everything from animals to airplanes and guitars to grills; so no matter the theme (or lack thereof), your hip invitation is 100% appealing to the men (and the environement). For a simple gathering of well-wishing friends, we love the red plaid and diaper pin from the punk rock invitation series.

Forget cute games like "identify this secret baby food" or "guess how big mom's belly really is" (does any pregnant mother enjoy that?). If games suit your group, here are a couple that go great with a co-ed crowd. How about a race? Get a couple of inexpensive umbrella strollers used at a thrift store or borrow a few from your other parent-friends. Divide into two teams (can be guys against girls or coed teams) and set up a short course to run with the stroller. Put a doll in the seat that must stay safely inside the stroller at all times. Be sure to use a stop watch and let the pregnant couple keep the time and decide the winners.

Play "some assembly required" and have couples work together to assemble common baby equipment. Make it fun with no directions or inadequate tools for more laughs and creativity.

Food brings people together. Your shower menu will set the tone for the event and provide an avenue through which your guests and friends can enjoy one another's company. A meal is probably the best option. You could have a casserole style buffet of feel-good foods or try a man-friendly back-yard barbeque.

Don't fuss too much about the decor as half of your guests will not notice it! Cover the main table and use a vintage baby toy for your centerpiece. We like the new and like-old toys on warmbiscuit.com. Your table will be simple and your centerpiece(s) will have guests reminiscing about their favorite old toys. If your purchase a new version of an old toy, you can then give it to the parents of honor.

Gifts are the same at a coed shower as at a girls only shower. The difference is that dad shares the fun of opening gifts. In fact, let him open them all if he likes. Mom will most likely have other showers for baby where she is the sole gift-opener. Here's a fabulous non-traditional idea. Give a group gift. Talk to your guests ahead of time and arrange to pay for the family's birth announcements once baby is born. Paperlicious offers so many choices, your friends will find just what they are looking for in an announcement as personal and special as their little one. Your thoughtfulness will touch their hearts and save them money at a very expensive time.

Green Is The New White- Green Bridal Shower Ideas for the Modern Bride

Lots of smart brides today want their big day to be remembered less for the white and more for the green choices they made. Green has never been so glam! Why not honor your friend’s decision and make her shower equally as respectful to the planet? Here are just a few simple ideas for an unforgettable green bridal shower.

Invitations: There is something classy and timeless about designing and sending a thoughtful invitation to the guests of a wedding shower in honor of the bride-to-be. Why rob your friend of this pleasure when you can do it without any guilt? With Paperlicious.com, you can satisfy the etiquette-conscious and the earth-conscious with one site. Everything at paperlicious is printed on 100% recycled fiber paper and made to order to fit any wedding shower theme or budget. Some of our favorites - the calla lilly bold invites and green vine invites - both are natural with a simple elegance.

To begin a green theme shower, you will need to kindly let your guests in on some of your ideas as to how they can take part. Being green is a personal choice. Use the wording of your invites to convey the importance of eco-friendliness to your guests without sounding bossy:

It’s time to shower Annie and Ben
With everything they need.
So as they walk through life together,
Their footprints will be green.

Let’s help Eve and Rob feather their nest
With gifts that give our world a rest

Food: Have a garden brunch or afternoon tea and ask each guest to bring her own place setting from her china or dining set. Each guest can share the story of her dishes and there will be no paper plates to toss in the trash.

Serve an iced green or white tea with blueberries and mint in a glass pitcher. Make cucumber tea sandwiches on a whole wheat bread. You can find both locally in almost any town. Green salad with local produce and herbs is another fresh menu option.

Decorate your table with small potted herbs that guests can take home for a favor.

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle: Encourage guests to use their creativity to wrap or display their gift for the bride. If they need some ideas: fill a picnic basket with some of the couples’ dishes or a bottle of local/organic wine and some stemware of the registry. Buy sheets and open them to have the pillowcases monogrammed then wrap the sheet set inside the cases. You could ask guests to wrap with tea towels to stock up the bride and groom’s kitchen linens. Fill a basket with green household cleaning items. You get the idea- the point here is to nix the wrapping paper but still hide the surprise of the gift.

Have Fun: For an activity, why not decorate some kitchen towels for the bride so that when she uses them, she will think of all of her friends. Purchase some organic cotton towels. Ecokitchen.com offers organic white tea towels that would make the perfect blank canvas to personalize. Use non-toxic paints and leftover fabric and trim scraps from friends who craft. If you want to try just one craft for everyone to work on together, look at the organic cotton aprons on kushtush.com.

Remember to order your friend some 100% recycled fiber thank you notes from Paperlicious.com that coordinate with your shower theme. She’ll thank you for saving her the trouble and for saving our world!