Today I hosted a Boy Blue Baby Shower for a young, unwed, first time mom. It was my joy to plan and prepare and not only did the party go off without a hitch, but all 13 attendees had a wonderful time. We held our brunch shower on a Saturday from 10 – 12, partly because the Florida sun in unbearable in the afternoon and all my guests had to climb a steep set of stairs to get to our main floor.
My menu was Italian with a few meat and cheese plates; artichoke bruschetta; spinach/bacon salad; pear gorgonzola salad; roasted red potatoes; skewered roasted Italian veggies; a red/blue berry cup; a peach/cherry fruit cup; choice of iced tea with lemon & mint sprigs or orange juice with orange slices; and of course we had a lovely, warm apple pie and a beautiful Italian wedding cake.
Here’s a few tips and tricks to hosting a slightly upscale, elegant event. I was reluctant to use traditional baby shower decorations, but in the interest of tradition, I sprung for this rocking horse banner from the dollar store. That’s right – $1. I strung it from lampshade to lampshade and it sat over the gift table.
Here’s a trick I picked up over the Internet, I strung fabric trim in light blue from our ceiling fan blades (not the blades themselves, but the housing) along with a few very shiny and reflective Christmas ornaments. This let me run the fan and create a centerpiece that did not have to sit on the table itself, since I was trying to squeeze in several people in a smallish space.
If you have a Pier One near you, you can get the entire floral assortment below there. These beaded leaves are just GORGEOUS and my photo doesn’t do them justice. One fake flower in light blue was just enough to place at a side table where the guest of honor and her mother sat.
I wanted to create little islands of visual interest. This window is located just over a table (side bar) I used for a drink station. You’ll notice in my menu above that I declined the traditional punch. With 13 guests, I was able to pre-pour ice tea and orange juice in cups and then add garnish. So the decorations at the drink station had to be clear and simple. I went with lavender silk ribbon and some old tin hanging decorations that had an interesting shape to them.
Here’s another shower tidbit I stole from another Internet site, the idea of a candy station using glass covered jars. Remember I told you about the Florida heat? Well, forget chocolate even with the AC blasting. So instead, I went with little candies. If you’re having a girl shower, pink candies are easy to find. Same is true of yellow candies. Green and blue – not so much so think twice if you’re going to try this for a boy. I ended up NOT using my candy station because I felt it detracted from my gorgeous cake.
A simple way to add some elegance to your boy blue baby shower is with some new blue candles and silk ribbon tied around. I put them in a striking black candle holder set for added impact.
It’s important that your guest of honor be treated like a queen for the day, especially if she’s only two weeks away from delivery in the late July season. Our guest didn’t have to move a muscle other than to open her gifts, and I have to say she looked so cute today and seemed very happy about the adorable things she received.
Remember that cake? Well mine was an Italian wedding cake with coconut which I confess was store bought. But I did add the fresh raspberries, coated the top with extra coconut, garnished the plate with greens, and stuck a boy blue baby candle on there for our guest to make her last wish as a “free” woman. :)
Man oh man, I nearly killed myself with the shower thank you gifts, but finally settled on some Italian bath/shower washes in very pretty bottles tied with white silk ribbon and then added some of the do-it-yourself wall appliques with sayings like “There’s No Place Like Home” or “Home is Where The Heart Is” or “Love Grows Here”. You get the idea. I had originally wanted to fill the baby blue cups with candies or some other small item, maybe personalized M&M’s or something, but my husband said, “Don’t you think you’re fat enough” and that killed that idea. :) Men!
I also wanted to send a personal message to each woman who attended, so I grabbed some paper doilies and hand wrote little sayings like “You Are A Gift To Me” in baby blue marker. The final effect was more vibrant than shown here, but if I were to do it again, I’d add some ribbon or more color somehow.
We had one teen attend and I told her I was going to “get her” photo if it was the last thing I do. So, here’s a certain someone playing coy but cool in her practical shorts! Our Boy Blue Baby Shower lasted two hours and we played three baby shower games. I also had background music on (James Taylor) which helped to fill some of the quiet spaces. Well, there you have it, that’s the art of the Boy Blue Baby Shower, the first one I have ever thrown. If I can do it, you can, too!
