Who pays for a restaurant baby shower?
My best friend is pregnant and I’m in charge of her baby shower. About half of the guests (including mommy to be and myself) will be coming from out of town. None of the locals are willing/able to have the shower at their houses so my friend really wants to have the shower at a specific restaurant. At a restaurant wedding shower roughly the same group attended a few years ago everyone paid their own way. This would help me greatly as I’m already paying for a flight, hotel, car, gift, cake, goody bags, prizes etc, but it feels tacky to have people bring a gift and pay for lunch (and in some cases travel).
Who is responsible for the tab?
My friend sees no problem with people paying their own way and thinks that the restaurant is a great idea to keep the costs "low".
I always was told that the host is responsible for everything.
I have only briefly met (at the last shower) about half of the invited women.
Although I would love to do so, I can’t have it at my house. I live several states away from everyone else. The party is in her home town and includes her old coworkers, a few of her friends and her mother and mother-in-law.
I’m not paying for anyone’s flight or travel arrangements but my own. Unfortunately, that still doesn’t leave me with "plenty of money" to pay for the restaurant. It is a situation where I was told I’m hosting and told where, when, how, who etc. Yes I know that’s rude. She’s a great person in many other ways, but can be pushy and inappropriate at times.
Guests are flying in because after graduation the younger folks moved around the country (you have to go where the jobs are).
