Will you be playing fairies and dress-up? Or will you be building with Legos and fighting ninjas? Before you have babies, that kind of gender stereotype sounds antiquated and impossible. But…guess what!? You’re about to have your mind blown! And in case you’re worried that finding out the gender of your baby prior to birth – and in public – will take something away from the magic of the moment in the delivery room, I’m here to tell you from experience (I waited to find out with my first child, and found out in advance for my second) that what you will experience upon childbirth is nothing short of a miracle whether or not you know your baby’s sex in advance.

So I say, if you and your spouse are both up for throwing a gender reveal party, go for it! And revel in the pure magic of sharing that incredible moment with the people in your life who will be there to support whether it’s a boy or a girl.

Send a Fitting Invitation Start by creating an invitation that lets guests know about the theme of the celebration. Mixbook’s new Onesie vs Dress gender-reveal shower invitation pits pink against blue in a classic match-up, making it clear to guests that this party will be a game worth watching! If you choose this invitation, have paper cut into the shape of the onesie or dress silhouette depicted. Guests can pick one to use as a nametag depending on their gender guess.

And Mixbook’s new Boy or Girl gender-reveal shower invitation makes it mustaches against bows. If you go with this invitation, have stick-on mustaches or bows at the entrance so guests can choose sides.

Invite Guests to Dress the Part Let guests know in advance that they should dress for the party in colors to match their guess. Add the following text to your invite: Wear blue if you think it’s a boy – pink if you think it’s a girl! To help people with their guess, you can consider adding some pertinent facts to the inside of the card. For example, “Alexis is craving pineapple, carrying low, obsessed with nesting, and crying at commercials! What’s your guess?”

Advise On Gifting & Gambling Consider adding the following text to the back of your invitation: "Gifts are completely optional, but if you do plan to wrap up a little something for our guy/gal, please include a receipt if it’s gender-specific – unless, of course, you’ve been tipped off by an insider down at our OB’s office."

Stage the Big Reveal! Read about how to invite guests to pick sides, make a game of it, orchestrate the gender-revealing gag – and say a proper thank-you in my post 4 Simple Steps to Throwing an Unforgettable Gender Reveal Party.