7 tips for Planning a Gender Reveal Party (without breaking the bank)

When I was pregnant with Aiden we had a big Gender Reveal party where I may have gotten a little carried away. I had invitations, dinner, smores, yard games, etc. And don't get me wrong, I loved every second of it, but with Baby #2, I wanted something simpler and let's be honest, cheaper. (That will probably remain my motto with everything involving our second child, Haha. Sorry kiddo.)

So this time around I came up with 7 tips to help you plan a Gender Reveal party without breaking the bank...

1. Use your ultrasound pictures for an inexpensive decoration
You can make a banner with your pictures or just use decorative tape to hang them up like I did. I just asked the ultrasound tech if I could have extra pictures and she was happy to  oblige. Plus then you get more pictures of your baby! Win, win!

2. The Target and Michael's dollar bins are your friend
I didn't want to spend a lot of money, but I didn't have anything fun to put the ice cream toppings in. Enter the Michael's dollar bin. I bought cute little jars with chalkboard labels on them and they added a fun touch.

3. Don't spend money on the cutesy stuff like silverware 
Instead, buy the plain, boring silverware and jazz it up yourself. I used blue and pink washi tape to add some pops of color and it was extremely easy.

4. Serve dessert instead of a meal
We chose to do a Sundae party instead of plan out an entire meal. It saved me time, energy and money and it was just as fun. Who doesn't love to be fed dessert?

5. Keep the guest list small 
The first time around we invited our families plus our entire small group, friends, etc. We loved having everyone there, but this time we only invited our immediate family members. This meant we could have the party at our house and not spend a ton of money.

6. Focus on one area to decorate and keep it simple 
You could go crazy decorating with all the pink and blue items that are available, but my advice is to pick one area to focus on. Our focus was our dining room so I bought a cute tablecloth and focused on the table area where the ice cream and toppings were. I also made sure to have an area for people to take pictures as well. (Streamers are the best and cheapest way to do this, in my opinion)

7.  Be resourceful and ask to Borrow things! 
I could have gone out and bought extra Sundae dishes or ice cream scoops, but instead, I borrowed them. Think about what you have, what you can borrow and what you absolutely must buy. What can you re-use at a future party and what will you never use again that will simply take up storage space?

Happy party planning!

See more details from our Gender Reveal Party here.

Ice Cream Sundae Gender Reveal Party

To reveal Baby #2's gender we had our families over for an Ice Cream Sundae party.
Here's a look at a few party details...

I used a piece of black butcher paper as a table runner and wrote on it using chalkboard markers and then had all the ice cream toppings out on the table. For the hot toppings, I used this Pinterest trick to melt the chocolate and caramel and keep them warm in my crock pot. It worked wonderfully!

We had all our family members make their Sundaes and top them with the color sprinkles that matched the gender they thought Baby #2 was going to be. Let's just say everyone at the party (minus my brother) topped their Sundaes with PINK sprinkles!

After everyone had gotten their ice cream, Drew, Aiden and I got ours and then it was time for the reveal. We got out a sprinkle container that I had already put the correct color of sprinkles in. Everyone watched as we dumped out BLUE sprinkles on top of our Sundaes. Surprise! Aiden is getting a BROTHER in January.

It was such a sweet day (in every sense of the word) and we can't wait for Aiden to be a brother!

Party Supply details:
Big Brother Shirt: The Blue Envelope
Rockin' the Bump Shirt: Declan + Crew
Pom Pom Banner: Tutorial found here
Polka dot Hanging Pom Poms: Hobby Lobby
Polka dot Table Cloth: Target
Napkins: Target
Scotch Glitter tape: Target
Chalkboard (Courtesy of my talented Sister in law)
Topping containers with chalkboard labels: Michael's dollar bin, Similar item found here
Galvanized bucket: gifted, Similar item found here)
Galvanized utensil holder: gifted, Similar item found here

How to make a festive paper lantern {Tutorial}

When I decided we were going to have a Gender Reveal party I immediately scoured Pinterest for a fun way to reveal the gender. Since we were planning a backyard "BaBy Q"and the setting would be outdoors I thought a pinata type reveal would be perfect! Enter the festive surprise lantern!

Materials:
-Large white paper lantern (I got mine from IKEA, but I know party stores and places like World Market have them as well)
-Various colors of tissue paper
-Scissors
-Double sided tape
-yarn for hanging
-small piece of cardboard or heavy duty paper

Steps:
1. Start by cutting your tissue paper in approximately 3 inch strips (thickness is really up to you)
2. Once you have a nice pile of strips cut, use your scissors to cut the fringe. Do not cut all the way through your tissue paper. I would leave about an inch at the top to place tape later and I would leave about a quarter of an inch between each fringe.

3. Put 4-5 pieces of double sided tape down on your first piece of tissue paper. Put the sticky side down and leave the backing on until you have all the pieces of tape laid out. This just makes it easier.
4.  Insert the wire piece that came with your lantern to give your lantern shape then place a piece of tissue paper down starting at the very bottom and working your way up. Take the tape backing off one by one as you adhere it to the lantern.
5. Continue layering until your lantern is covered

6. Take a piece of cardboard and measure it in a circle to fit the bottom opening of your lantern.
7.  Use packaging tape to adhere yarn or string to the side of your circle that will be inside the lantern so it will not show

8. Cut a slit in one side of the cardboard circle and fit it securely inside the opening. You will probably have to push down on it from the top part of the lantern to secure it.
9. Fill your lantern with small pieces of tissue paper
10. Test out your lantern by pulling gently on the yarn. The cardboard circle should pop out with ease releasing your tissue paper confetti! Surprise!

I got the idea for this tutorial from here.

Our Gender Reveal Party! {Old Time Western BabyQ}

When planning our Gender Reveal party I knew I wanted for it to be three things: 1.) Adorable,  2.) Laid back and 3.) Outside. My Aunt just so happens to have a farm and a few years ago she built a Western Town on her property. Yes, you read that right and yes it's amazing. I knew it would be the perfect place to have a party so I ran with the old time western theme and loved it.

The oh so talented Erin designed our invitations and they definitely set the tone for our party.

 We had our guests pick a pink or blue bandana to show what they thought Baby Renner would be and I came up with a little rhyme that my sister in law added to an oversized chalkboard.

Then we got pictures with those who voted Baby Renner was a girl...

and those who voted Baby Renner was a boy...

Then it was time for the big reveal. I used a round paper lantern and turned it into what you see below using tissue paper, some double sided tape and my crafty sister in law. Don't even ask me how long it took to make, although it was totally worth every second.

 It's a...BOY!

Now my favorite part, the reactions from our friends and family.

Then out came the ultrasound pictures.

The rest of the night we ate delicious food (burgers, hot dogs, fruit and pasta salad were all on the menu) played games and then had smores over the bonfire. 

It truly was the best day and it was so fun to celebrate our little one.

Pictures by Kim from Bettina Photography

It's a...

BOY! 

Drew and I could not be more excited. 

Here are a few iPhone pictures from our reveal. More pictures and details from our party to come...