When family and friends are spread out across the country (or even the world), throwing a gender reveal party can seem like a daunting task. Well it’s time to put all your party planning worries to rest, because it’s actually pretty easy to plan a virtual event! By using the Zoom meeting app, setting up a Facebook event and creating a fun backdrop, I threw a virtual gender reveal party for my sister and was able to invite friends and family to join in the experience! Here are some tips and tricks to making a virtual event come together smoothly.
Facebook events has become my go-to tool when it comes to scheduling events. It’s so easy to announce your event to attendees and share important information. First, create a simple event cover photo from a site like Canva.com to personalize your event. Add fun phrases like “Hop on Zoom + We’ll Find Out Soon” to add to the virtual fun! One thing to remember with Facebook events is that your event only shows up in the time zone where the person creating the event lives. So, if your event crosses time zones, be sure to put details regarding other time zones in your event description.
I also used the Facebook event to include the typical gender reveal games that you would do at an in-person gender reveal party. I used the poll functionality to let everyone pick whether they thought the new baby would be a boy or a girl. This is a super simple way to get people excited about the reveal and feel like they’re involved.
I also created different Zoom backgrounds so each guest could choose their team; boy or girl. Zoom makes it easy for users to swap out backgrounds and it was a fun way for everyone to show off their pick. Get the free download for team boy, team girl or both by clicking on the link below. Post pictures of each background in the Facebook group prior to the event to give people time to download.
GET THE DOWNLOAD
Even though we didn’t have an in-person party, we still wanted to create a fun backdrop for my sister and her family. I picked out the supplies then sent them to her house where the actual reveal took place. To make this backdrop, she hung the Large Silver Metallic Fringe Backdrop then layered the blue and pink baby balloons on top. To finish it off she hung the Gender Reveal Party Piñata in the middle. To ensure everything stays up, I recommend using Mavalus® Multi-Purpose Adhesive Tape, which holds like a charm and won’t damage walls! As you set up your backdrop, make sure to see how the backdrop will frame everything when the reveal is being recorded. We had our silver fringe extend to the left of the baby balloons so Mom and Dad could stand on that side during the reveal.
When it came time for the actual gender reveal, we started the event a little early to make sure there weren’t any technical difficulties. As the Zoom meeting host, I had to help request video to be turned on for several guests. The host can also mute everyone if needed as well.
The most important part of the reveal is HOW to reveal the big news! From balloons out of a box, to confetti cannons, poppers and piñatas, there are a ton of different ways to announce the news! We chose the Oh Baby Confetti Poppers because my sister and her husband were doing their reveal indoors. Confetti cannons are fun but lead to a bigger boom and more confetti. We also liked the rich color of this popper and knew it would show up on video better.
After everyone had made their pick, my sister, brother-in-law and niece stood next to the background and did the big count down! It was so fun to be able to celebrate with them and see everyone’s reaction.
One key tip I realized after the reveal is to tell your guests to change their Zoom view setting to speaker view. Then, they can pin the guests of honor so everyone gets the best view of the reveal!
Be ready to celebrate with fun accessories like these Team Boy & Team Girl Pinhole Glasses, which my niece was so excited to put on!
Another fun part of a virtual gender reveal is being able to record all the reactions of the guests. To get the gallery view recording, the host will need to keep their screen on gallery view the entire time! My sister set up an iPad to record so she could go back later and see guests’ reactions clearly.
