Southern Baby Shower: The Decorations!

As I begin to write this post, there are really not enough words for me to express the amount of gratitude and love I feel. This baby shower was so special and touching that I cannot say 'thank you' enough. It was the most beautiful party that I have ever been to, and the love that we felt from all of our family and friends was overwhelming. We are truly blessed.

My sister, Jen, and Justin's two sisters, Debbie and Emmy, threw us a baby shower last weekend. Now these three ladies are truly amazing. When you get the three of them together, they are the ultimate party planners. They have impeccable taste and their ideas are so creative. They really think through all the details and make everything so special. We have always said that the three of them should open an event planning business or publish a book because their work is truly that magnificent. As my younger sister put it perfectly, "This baby shower was David Tutera goes  baby showers."

Their theme for the shower was based off of Father of the Bride Part II. When they asked me what I wanted, I told them that I liked the idea of a children's book baby shower. They merged the two together so perfectly and beautifully. They had been planning the shower for some time and had kept everything hush- hush (which is not super easy for these three!) Going into the shower, I really did not know what to expect. I had tried to image what they would do, but I never could really get an idea. The night before the shower, I was so excited that I could barely sleep. I even woke up at 7:00 in the morning and decided to just wake up and get ready because I was so excited.

As Justin and I walked into the building, we were met with eagerly awaiting guests. I wanted to take it all in, so after I said hello to a bunch of people, I was escorted around to see each table and soak in all the details. There were six tables, each with every unique centerpieces that were inspired by a certain children's book or character.

Table 1: Peter Rabbit
At the center of the table was a diaper cake, topped with a stuffed animal Peter Rabbit. On the cake, were rolled up little onesies and outfits.

Table 2: Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs
"Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs" is Justin's favorite children's book, so I was excited to see this incorporated into the decorations. At the center of the table were beautifully wrapped presents, surrounded by flower arrangements of white roses and blue hydrangeas. Inside the flower arrangements were the cover of the book. I LOVED the flowers. Blue hydrangeas are my favorite flower. They were also our wedding flower, so looking at them also brought back memories of our wedding day. The napkins at the table were tied with raffia (like spaghetti noodles) and had a little note with a picture of a meatball that said, "On top of spaghetti..." Adorable!

Table 3: Dr. Seuss
No children's book collection would be complete without Dr. Seuss. At the center of this table was another diaper cake that had Dr. Seuss ribbon tied around it and little signs that said, "One Fish" and "Two Fish." The cake was topped with the bottle washing basket that can go in the dishwasher and inside was baby shampoo and body wash and rubber duckies. Rolled up bibs were also placed on top of the cake. I loved these diaper cakes. They were like special presents in of themselves.

 

Table 4: Curious George
Everyone's favorite curious monkey was the theme for the next table. There was another diaper cake! This one was decorated with pictures of Curious George, and baby hygiene necessities like baby powder, ointment, and shampoo. The cake was topped with bottles and pacifiers.

Table 5: The Very Hungry Caterpillar
This table was decorated with the beautifully wrapped boxes and floral arrangements as well. Inside the arrangements were pictures of the hungry caterpillar and then him changing into the butterfly. My favorite part of this table were the napkins. Each napkin was tied with a food that the caterpillar had eaten through (watermelon, lollipop, pie, etc). So creative. As Emmy always says, "Love is in the details!"

Table 6: Winnie the Pooh
The last table was another diaper cake. Yes- that is 4 in all! This cake was topped with a stuffed animal Pooh Bear and was also decorated with rolled up wash clothes, and bath time necessities. Each table was set with beautiful white plates, dessert plates and either tea cups or goblets.

The Food Table
Since the shower was in the late morning/early afternoon the menu consisted for of a salad bar. There was fruit salad, pasta salad and a variety of green salads with toppings. It was delicious and beautifully displayed.

The Dessert Table
In Father of the Bride Part II, Fronk comes out during the baby shower with the most amazing cake. The cake is presents staked on top of each other with flowers and blocks. My mom made the entire cake, by herself! Since I have had my share of making tiered cakes for parties before and know the amount of time and energy that goes into making them, it was so special to have her make it. The cake was incredible. It looked exactly like the cake off of the movie!

Last but not least- The MAIN FOCAL POINT of the room.....

Our CRIB and BEDDING!!

While walking around the tables, I was suddenly stopped and saw what was displayed in the front of the room- our CRIB! I did not see it when we first walked in because there were people in the way. When I saw it, I started tearing up. I was so touched. My sister Jen, Justin's sister, Debbie and his other sister, Emmy's family all contributed and bought us our beautiful crib and bedding. And I must say, I. LOVE IT! L.O.V.E love it! I love looking and it and just picturing out little boy sleeping in it :) I had told Justin a couple days before the shower that my ultimate dream for our baby shower was to walk in and see our crib, or glider, or dresser set up as the focal point of the room, with presents all around it. Since the furniture and bedding are so expensive, I never ever thought that it would happen, and what do you know- it came true!

Stayed tuned for Part II!!