Gender reveal parties are a new and trendy way to celebrate with the mommy- and daddy-to-be, and throwing one is a fun and easy process. With just a few simple steps, you can host a fabulous get-together with friends and family while discovering whether your baby will be a boy or a girl right along with the most important people in your life!

Using their brand-new Gender Reveal party theme, the party-planning experts at BigDotofHappiness.com have put together a collection of easy-to-follow gender reveal party ideas to help you coordinate and host a fantastic pink and blue celebration!

Let’s get started …

Have your ultrasound. The first step in planning your gender reveal party is determining the sex of your baby! Instead of having your doctor announce the baby’s gender right away, ask him or her to write it down on a piece of paper and seal it in an envelope. This will be the hardest part … no peaking!! You’ll want to be surprised along with your guests.

Determine how you’ll do the reveal. There are a lot of fun and creative ways to reveal your baby’s gender, and the method you’ll use to make the big announcement will determine just who that secret envelope goes to. Some of our favorite reveal ideas include:

• Revealing the baby’s gender with baked treats filled with pink or blue frosting. If this is the method you choose to use, then the envelope will go to your baker so he or she can create a cake, cupcakes or cake pops that are filled with pink or blue frosting. Whether the parents-to-be take the first bite or everyone digs in together, your baby’s gender will be revealed in a deliciously exciting moment.
• Revealing the baby’s gender by releasing pink or blue balloons. If this is the method you choose to use, then the envelope will go to the special person you’ve elected to purchase the reveal balloons. Have fun helping them decorate the box from which they’ll be released, but allow them to secretly fill the box with helium-filled balloons of the appropriate color. When you’re ready to learn your baby’s gender, simply open the box and watch the pink or blue balloons to float skyward. (Tip: Make sure you have a camera ready the moment the box is opened – this is one photo opportunity you won’t want to miss!)
• Revealing the baby’s gender with a confetti lantern. If this is the method you choose to use, then the envelope will go to the special person you’ve elected to create your confetti lantern. Whether you make your own confetti lantern or purchase one, make sure this person is the only one to fill it. This festive method may require an extra minute or two of vacuuming afterwards, but it makes for a wonderful photo opportunity (and it’s calorie-free)!

Set a date! Most gender-revealing ultrasounds occur around 18-20 weeks, so your gender reveal party could happen any time after the Mommy-To-Be’s fifth month of pregnancy. And since most gender reveal parties are held in addition to baby showers, your gender reveal party could happen one month and then four to six weeks later, you could celebrate with a baby shower!

Select your gender reveal party theme!  Have fun with this step, since it’s where your creativity can really be let loose. Choose gender-specific colors to set the scene, and let Big Dot of Happiness’ new Gender Reveal Party theme help determine your overall party décor. This collection of pink and blue party supplies is designed to help you set “Team Pink” and “Team Blue” tables while creating coordinating centerpieces and other decorations that feature a combination of colors. From invitations and return address labels to wall decorations, centerpiece ideas, favors and more, this theme will make the early stages of your party planning a snap!

Send your invitations! Depending on how much notice you’d like from your guests, we recommend mailing your Gender Reveal Party invitations about one month before the celebration. Be sure to include specifics like the date, time, location and RSVP information, but have fun, too! This is a wonderful opportunity to prepare your guests for participating in a gender reveal guessing game. For instance, the party-planning experts at Big Dot of Happiness love the idea of asking guests to come dressed in pink or blue right on the invitations, and have included their favorite gender reveal invitation wording as a sample below:

A gift of love, a bundle of joy,
Be the first to know if it’s a girl or a boy!
A Gender Reveal Party in Honor of…
Ashley & David Smith
September 27^th
2:00 p.m.
The Smith Home
1300 Broadway Heights
San Jose, CA
Hosted by:
Beth, Donna, & Kerry
Please RSVP by March 8^th
555-555-5555
Show us what you think!
Come dressed in either blue or pink!

Etiquette Tip: Should you bring gifts to a gender reveal party? Gender reveal parties can be held in addition to or in lieu of a baby shower – it’s totally up to the parents-to-be and their personal wishes. The party-planning experts at Big Dot of Happiness see most gender reveal parties being held before the actual baby shower, and in those instances, gifts are not necessary. If you’re wondering how to express that sentiment to your guests, try including this adorable phrase at the end of your gender reveal party invitations:

Join us to find out if it’ll be a he or a she!
Just bring yourself; no gifts are necessary.

Plan your menu. This is your opportunity to have fun with pink and blue food! One of our favorite gender reveal food ideas is a pink and blue candy buffet, which will not only create an eye-catching display for your party space but provide your guests with some tasty treats to enjoy as they socialize! BigDotofHappiness.com has pink and blue candy bouquets, cupcake decorations and even personalized cookies and brownies, all of which coordinates with their Gender Reveal Party theme. Display your treats on stands and tiers of various heights, and don’t forget about using stickers and tags in coordinating colors to label your food options and add even more color to the table. What a fun way to indulge your guests without giving anything away!

Plan your décor. Go crazy with pink and blue! Using solid-colored decorations like table covers, balloons, honeycomb balls and streamers, you can segment the party space into “Team Pink” and “Team Blue” sections or combine both colors throughout. Once those basic decorations are determined, you can decide where to hang your banner, where to set up your candy buffet, where to conduct the big reveal, etc. The more decorations and colors, the better!

In place of a traditional guest book…  Display two chalk boards or white boards on a table, one for boys and one for girls, and encourage guests to sign their names to the gender they’re “rooting” for. You could also use personalized gender reveal party name tag stickers or make your own gender reveal pins using this easy DIY tutorial. Once the baby’s gender is revealed, a photo of the winning “team” can even be taken for your baby book!

Whether you plan a lavish celebration for everyone you know or a more simple, intimate gathering of immediate family and a few friends, everyone who’s involved in this special moment will always remember it fondly – and so will you!

We absolutely love to be inspired by our customers! Share photos and videos from your own gender reveal parties on BigDotofHappiness.com’s Facebook page and inspire others with your ideas!