I have a confession to make: I really don’t love baby showers.

Every time I get invited to one, my anxiety levels start to rise and nerves begin to boil as I picture sitting in an estrogen filled room with lots of “oohs” and “aahs” over the Mom to be. If I’m being honest, I think it’s because I do not have children of my own and attending baby showers always brings the question to the tip of everyone’s lips, “When are you having a baby?” which only highlights my own insecurities surrounding the subject. And while that is another topic for another blog post, today I’m sharing photos from the first baby shower I’ve ever co-planned and it was for my brother and his husband Josh.

I honestly didn’t even know where to begin with the planning process, so I immediately e-mailed my friends at onefinestay who hooked us up with an incredible house to use for the weekend. A lot of you ask about the apartments I have stayed at in New York and Paris and the answer is always “onefinestay.” I love their houses because the quality is next level and service is phenomenal. Whether you want a filled fridge or guidance on the best restaurants in town, onefinestay offers a luxurious, custom tailored experience that is unlike any other.

Next one my list? I googled “How to throw a baby shower,” and then “How to throw a gay baby shower,” when a tinge of guilt swept over me. Well, is there really a difference? The answer is YES! Not only was this baby shower the most fun I’ve ever attended {okay, maybe I’m a bit biased} but it was cool to have everyone involved in celebrating. My husband came, my Mom attended and all of their friends {both male, female, straight, gay, you name it} were in attendance. The following week we received an invitation to a co-ed baby shower {they seem to be on the rise} which inspired this post about how I learned about the do’s and don’ts of planning a same-sex and/or co-ed baby shower.

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Don’t Play By The Rules

What I loved most about planning this shower was there really no rules in what we could do. The fathers-to-be were super laid back and just wanted it to be a fun party. I did make sure to stock up on alcohol and food {men tend to drink and eat more than women}, so I enlisted in my favorite catering company, Hungry Bear.

Do Think Outside Of The Box

The biggest difference from other baby showers were the games we played. Most baby shower games center around things like measuring the Mom’s baby bump. We played a fun guessing game that involved songs with the word “baby” in them and did a “Who said it” quiz between the two Dads. We also had a race between Justin & Josh to see who could change a diaper the fastest. I thought it would funny to get a strap on baby bump, but I was nervous about taking it too far. Justin later told me he wished I had done that.

Don’t Be Rude

A same-sex couple having a baby is just like a typical heterosexual couple having a baby. If you want to ask questions, be polite and thoughtful in your approach. The baby shower is about celebrating the love and happiness of the couple that is expecting, not a time to quiz them about their surrogate, donor or other questions.

Do Ask The Couple

We were very specific in asking Justin and Josh about what they wanted, who they wanted and how they wanted their baby shower to look and feel. This goes for anything you are planning for friends and family – when in doubt, just ask!

Don’t Show Up Empty Handed

As a co-host, I was worried that everyone was going to ship their gifts and there wouldn’t be anything to “shower” the couple with. Have your guests bring their favorite baby book in lieu of a card to make sure that everyone shows up with something sweet.

Do Buy Diapers & Onesies

In a last minute panic over decorations, I went to Target and purchased a ton of affordable {and cute} onesies and diapers which we ended up using everywhere. Josh’s sister had everyone write something funny on the diapers, almost like a guest book – it was adorable! They are also now going to come in handy for the new Dad’s.

Have you ever planned a baby shower? Do you have any fun games, tips or advice on party throwing? Leave a comment below!