About this site
whatisbabyshower.com is an independent guide with one job: give you a clear, honest answer about baby showers — plus a free planner and a directory of verified planners — without the ad-wall, the hedging, or the sign-up.
Our mission
Most baby-shower pages answer real questions with “it depends.” We don’t. When there’s a current consensus — like “yes, the mom’s family can host” — we say so plainly and show the source. When something is genuinely a personal choice, we say that too. Decisive where we can be, honest about the rest.
Methodology
We build each page on credible references — etiquette authorities (like the Emily Post Institute), major parenting and wedding publications, and cultural sources — and cross-check the numbers. Costs and customs vary and shift, so we publish typical ranges, not promises, and tell you to confirm near your date. Every source is listed on our Sources page.
Editorial policy
No ruling, number, or ranking is influenced by payment. The site is kept free by affiliate product links and a strictly limited Premium banner (open only to planners already rated 4.0+) — and neither ever changes an answer, a score, or a planner’s rank. The full standard — how we decide, fund, and disclose — is on our Editorial Policy page.
Verification
The planner directory is the site’s backbone, so we hold it to a published test: our Two-Source Verification method. Every planner is cross-checked against at least 2 independent sources, with reviews shown per platform and a ranking that’s never for sale. Read exactly how we verify.
Corrections
When we’re wrong, we fix the page, date it, and log the change openly. Found something off? See our Corrections Policy or email [email protected].
Our network
We don’t claim a room full of in-house “experts.” The real practitioner layer behind this site is external and verifiable: a network of 78 independent planners across 14 countries whose work we check, list, and keep current. That directory — first-party data you won’t find pre-assembled elsewhere — is what makes this a reference, not just another blog. Browse the network →
Who runs this
Melih Koray · Founder, designer & editor
Melih Koray is a graphic designer and design educator with 5+ years in advertising agencies. He has trained working professionals — including staff now at event- and party-planning companies — in visual design (Photoshop) and in getting found in search, which is where his interest in this industry began. That mix — design plus search visibility — is exactly why he built whatisbabyshower.com the way he did: rank planners honestly, be genuinely useful, and never sell rank. He runs the site's design, tools and editorial standards; the professional planning depth comes from the verified planner network and cited authorities, not from him personally.
Independent since 2026. Run by Melih Koray. Last reviewed July 2026.