You (and your cohosts) have chosen a theme, venue, and basic guest count for your party. Now it’s time finalize the guest list and gather the most current names and addresses. Communication is very important at this stage in the planning. A call to the mommy-to-be is the first order of business.

Be very specific about the parameters of the party you are proposing. Tell her where the shower will be held and what the space or monetary restrictions may be. Let her know how many people you can accommodate and ask her to give you a list of names with that number plus a few extras.

If it is a surprise shower, a call to the husband, best friend, or mother may be in order, to gather the particulars of the guest list. Remember that it’s better to invite too many people and risk being crowded than to overlook some people and hurt their feelings.

Some showers have ready-made guest lists; for example, if the book club is throwing a shower, the guest list will be limited to club members. There’s nothing wrong with that. Babies (and mommies) can’t be showered with too much love. It’s always a nice touch to invite the girl’s mother, mother-in-law, or husband, but again, it is not mandatory or necessary to include them if the group throwing the shower is not a part of their social circle.