How to Host a Meaningful combined Mother Blessing & Baby Shower

Some people may want something deeper and, more intimate and connecting than a traditional baby shower, but they may also not want guests who are not familiar with a Mother Blessing to feel at ease in celebrating the coming of their new bub - the solution: A Combined Mother Blessing & Baby Shower.

This weekend I hosted a combined Mother Blessing & Baby Shower for a friend, and I would like to share with you what I planned in the hopes that it offers you some inspiration and practical tips.

Setting the Scene

For this event I went for cozy, comfortable & intimate. I set up a low table with a lotus flower candle holder, surrounded by cushions to sit on, on our wool rug. I added benches for anyone who didn't want to sit on the floor, but it seemed everyone was comfortable on the rug.

This photo was taken before the sun set

Decor was candles, dried flowers and all my birth and postpartum books.

Birth & Postpartum books with some nursery rhyme blocks

Zoomed out

Gentle yellow lighting was used

Welcoming of guests & introductions

To bring to mind women, pregnancy, birth and where we came from to be here, and as a way of setting the scene and having everyone be introduced - I asked the guests to introduce themselves in the following way: I am (your name), granddaughter of (your grandmother/s name) and daughter of (your mother's name). I bring more meaning to this I did explain the purpose of it - to bring to mind the women who brought us here and who did pregnancy and birth for us to be here.

Main Activity - Candle Decorating

A beautiful connecting thing to do during birth (I did this for my labor and birth) is to ask the women close to you to light a candle or turn on a light when labor starts as a way of connecting to you. I remember receiving the photos of all the candles and lights and feeling so supported by the women in my life, especially because I moved to Canada 21 weeks pregnant and didn't have any of my women close to me.

For this Mother Blessing, the mamma did have her women close to her. She had also attended an event recently where the activity was candle decorating. In planning she suggested candle decorating as the activity and that is what we did.

I had never done candle decorating before, but thanks to Pinterest I could mostly figure out what we needed to be able to do it.

Supplies:

1. White candles from IKEA (this was the place where I could get the nicest plain white candles at an affordable price).

2. Dried flowers - I have linked the ones I bought

   1. I got a variety of ones that have been pressed flat

   2. And others that were dried but not flat

   3. And a friend gave me left of dried lavender & hibiscus to use

3. Thin paint brushes - I thrifted some and I am glad I did because they did not survive being dipped in wax.

4. Tea light candles

5. Compostable plates or something to hold the candle on in case wax drips

6. Toothpicks if anyone wants to carve something into the candle

Decorating the candles

Everyone decorated their candles by painting the dried flowers on using melted wax from the tea light candle.

Sharing while decorating the candles

It happened organically, but I did add in some prompt during candle decorating - everyone was sharing their experiences of birth, their thoughts about birth and postpartum, some tips and wisdom.

Here are some questions I prompted discussion with:

1. To the Mamma I asked if she'd be willing to share what she is most excited for

2. To everyone what they found best - to have their mother there immediately postpartum for support or not, and what felt supportive for them

3. To the Mamma - what she was most nervous for

4. Birth stories

5. To the women who had not given birth what their thoughts were around birth

Making cards for the mother

After candle decorating, I handed out 3 pieces of cut paper and pens. I asked everyone to do the following:

On the first paper - Draw something for the mother to look at during birth

On the second paper - Write a mantra or affirmation for the mother to have in her birth space to help her.

On the third paper - Write a wish or prayer for mother and baby

Creating a playlist for the mother

While everyone was drawing, I asked everyone to share one song for the mother to have a playlist to play during labor. I searched for the songs on Spotify and created a playlist that I shared with the mother.

A traditional baby shower activity

The final activity I planned was a more traditional one - baby predictions and advise. I planned to print out papers for everyone to complete, but then I found something better.

I think this can easily be made at home as well. It is baby prediction and advise cards that turn into a booklet.

Hosting a combined Mother Blessing and Baby Shower is a beautiful way to honor both the sacred transition into motherhood and the joy of welcoming a new baby. By blending meaningful rituals with lighthearted celebrations, you create an experience that nurtures the mother-to-be while bringing loved ones together in a truly memorable way. Remember, it’s not about perfection—it’s about creating a space filled with love, support, and connection. Whether you keep it simple or go all out, the most important thing is that the mother feels celebrated and cherished. Happy planning!

Carmen

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