Gender-reveal parties a quirkier alternative to baby showers

Gender-reveal parties are replacing baby showers, where expectant couples cut into a cake to share the sex of their child with friends, suggesting there could be a market for such parties.

In many cases, even the parents don’t know if it will be a pink sponge for a girl or blue for a boy, with the news handed from sonographer to cake-maker via a sealed envelope.

British mum-to-be Michelle Whitney says she decided to host a gender-reveal party after seeing them on YouTube.

“My cousin, who has been my bridesmaid, was leaving for New Zealand and I really wanted her to know what I was having before she went,” Whitney says.

“I hate baby showers because I didn’t want people giving presents to a baby before it’s born – it’s unlucky.”

“Then I saw all these videos on YouTube of women cutting open gender-revealing cakes in America and I thought it was a great idea.”

Whitney called on Lisa Finnigan, who runs Pretty Princess Cakes and Cupcakes, to make her cake. Finnigan’s is now one of a growing number of UK cake shops catering for the trend.

Why not introduce the concept here in Australia? You could bake gender-revealing cakes or incorporate them into a broader offering as a party planner.