General BBQ Info - Backyard BBQ Company

Summer has traditionally been the best time of year for a BBQ, but when it comes to hosting a Baby-Q or baby shower BBQ you can make any season work. Just because the seasons' change doesn't mean we stop loving favorite meats and you definitely can't expect your little one to adjust their due date. So, have fun planning your Baby-Q by leveraging our tips below for any time of year that you are planning a BBQ baby shower! Tip #1 Don't Blow Your Budget on a Location It is so easy to get hung up on how nice your place is to host a baby shower, but please let this go. I promise you that the mom-to-be and most of her friends aren't going to care about how nice your grass is, notice a few of the weeds you missed in the back corner of your yard, or anything else about your place you worry might be judged. It is hard to put your place on display to folks that might have a nicer home than you, but that isn't what this Baby-Q is all about. If you are working with a budget of $500-$2,000 for this baby shower then please don't waste it trying to rent a location. That being said, one thing you might consider is using or renting out the picnic area at a local neighborhood park. A lot of these are free with reservation and others have a minimal fee of $20/hour. This may be a perfect solution for your location if you truly don't want to host at your home and the weather is manageable for the time of year. Outdoor setups are perfect for baby shower games and a picnic location can make it much easier to clean up when people head home. Tip #2 Create Digital Baby Shower Invites Using Canva for Free There is nothing wrong with sending a digital baby shower invite. It is budget conscious and a nod to the environment as well. So why not save some of that hard-earned Baby-Q budget and make the invitations yourself? Canva.com has a free option and is so easy to create just about anything you could want. They have premade templates for baby showers that you can use and then resize them to post to Facebook, Instagram, and email. You really can resize your invites for just about any format you can think of. If you are willing to spend some of your budgets on invites we can support that. Don't think we are traditional invite haters here at Backyard BBQ Company. We just want you to have the best bbq baby shower that you possibly can and for us that focuses the majority of the budget on food. If you have your invitation idea then be sure to run with it, but if not we really would encourage you to give Canva a try. A lot of our customers and our marketing team use it regularly and love the results. And if you want to mail your invitations there is a print option available in Canva or you can take your created file to your local photo shops like Walgreens or Walmart to make prints. Tip #3 Personalized Mason Jar Mugs for Baby Showers One of the most popular baby shower ideas we get asked about by our customers is personalized mason jar mugs. These are so cute but can eat up your budget if you aren't careful. As great as Amazon can be with pricing and free shipping, we have found that even their options blow past what we want to see folks spend on this cute item that is not a forever keepsake for their guests. We love Kathryn at the Do It On A Dime Blog and she has a great way to apply a handwritten message to a mason jar. Take a look at her video on customizing mason jars for storage and you can leverage this for your baby shower mugs. To make this work you will need a printer, a sharpie, and a few other supplies. The mason jars our team has used in the past for our local events were purchased a Dollar Tree. Find the cheapest jars possible so they get the job done by showing your baby shower theme without breaking the bank. Tip #4 There is Nothing Wrong with BYOB Baby Showers As the host, we often feel like we must make every person that arrives completely happy and that just isn't the case. The focus should be on the mom to be ensuring she is having a great time and that the guest feels welcome and comfortable. Nothing ever is perfect so don't be afraid to lower your expectations of the baby shower just a bit and serving alcohol can be one item to cross off your list. Remember that the mom-to-be can't drink so there isn't a reason to party hard without her is there? No. Maybe in the following months after the baby is born, you can plan a girl's night out with some drinks. For the BBQ just plan to have some water, soda, juice, lemonade, coffee, and or anything else you think would be enjoyable for your guests that works with your budget. Surely you will have some people ask what they can bring and just kindly ask them to bring any alcohol they would like to drink or to just spend their budget on any baby shower gifts they would like the new momma to have. Tip #5 The Best BBQ Items to Server at a Baby-Q We finally made it to the most important part of the party in our eyes. The meat! Yes, there are so many options with what you can serve at your BBQ and we could spend hours giving you options, but we are going to keep it short and sweet. If you or possibly your partner are a great cook and have your BBQ recipe then by all means this is your time to shine! For most people, this isn't their specialty and we send them to the best BBQ restaurant in their town. The budget we have been working so hard to help you not spend can be used to make an order of turkey, brisket, ribs, sides, and some sauces for your guests. Remember how we told you not to stress about your location? We promise you that they won't even remember where they are when they are digging into a plate of ribs from your local (must be the best) BBQ restaurant. Jack Stack BBQ in Kansas City comes to mind as we are writing this article. Tip #6 Ideas for Baby Shower Gifts There is no question that baby shower planning can be a bit stressful, but we hope that our tips can help you keep your Baby-Q under budget and without as much stress as possible. Gifts are often tied to the baby shower themes but that is up to you as the planner to decide what you want to do. Some people like to take up a collection among the guests and spring for one large gift for mom and baby like a new crib or stroller and car seat. Amazon also has a ton of cute baby shower gifts with easy two day shipping. Whatever you decide to do we are sure it will be memorable. Every party that is hosted with a lot of love and a dash of fun will be a great one, even a budget-friendly BBQ baby shower!