Article posted Thursday, August 13, 2015 9:49am

Dear Mary Pat,

I was invited to a baby shower on a Saturday that lasted for five hours. I’m just as excited as the next girl that my friend is having a baby, but five hours? The worst part was there really wasn’t a meal. The co-hostesses invited us to arrive at 11:30 am, kept us for five hours and didn’t serve a full lunch. There were some little snacks and cupcakes, but come on! I nearly started eating the baby food that was part of a shower game.

Signed,

Tardy Party

Sturgeon Bay, Wis.

Dear Tardy Party,

That is a long time, even by shower standards. Here are a few tips for anyone planning on throwing a shower, or any kind of party really:

1. Take note of the start time. If you invite someone to a shindig at noon or dinnertime (5 – 7ish), it is presumed that a meal will be served. If you have a party that goes from 3 to 5 in the afternoon, guests will presume snacks and beverages will be served. Also, if you invite guests around 9 to 11 in the morning, guests will expect breakfast or brunch.

2) When throwing a shower, it is easy to let time slip by. As the hostess, you are responsible to make sure things stay on schedule to a certain degree. It’s best to start with the meal. Serve that sooner than later so there’s enough time for games (if you must have them) and opening the gifts.

3) When you open the gifts, keep things moving. Have someone take notes of what is being given and show things to the other guests. You don’t want to rush through the gifts since your guests have so generously brought them, however, not everyone needs to see a white onesie in person.

4) Stay on track with the “scheduled” aspects of the party (again, the meal, games, and gifts) so that people can leave after a reasonable amount of time. The sign of a good party is when people don’t want to leave, but don’t hold those captive who need to go. Once the gifts are opened, some of your guests will depart and others not in a hurry can linger.

Good luck,

Mary Pat