Baby Shower: Sage and Brown

I wrote about this baby shower originally when while I was in the middle of planning my own wedding on this blog. It got a little buried since then, so I thought I would update it a bit and repost it.

With the shower falling right after my own engagement I was already in party planning mode, so it was easy to look for some fun new ideas while I was looking for wedding inspiration as well. The Mother To Be didn't plan on using a specific theme in the nursery, so we decided to just use the color scheme she had picked out for the nursery and make a sophisticated party to celebrate her 1st child.

An invitation really sets the mood for the whole event. I designed a custom invite using digital scrapbook supplies and then printed and assembled them myself. The invite portion was a pull out card with all the info with a hand-tied bow attached to the top. Each pocket envelope had to each be cut, scored, and assembled by hand. The invitation was mailed out in a cream envelope to all the guests.



The day of the shower was a beautiful day so everything looked great set up outside.


The guest tables were the majority of the decorations since we were outside. In keeping with the color scheme we used ivory table clothes with a sage accent.  For the centerpieces we used wooden alphabet boxes from Michael's that we painted brown and sage.  We purchased some potted planted that fit inside the blocks and used some moss to camouflage the dirt and pots. Two of the four tables had a single block.


The other two tables had a stack of three blocks with the top one having the flowers. Each table also had 2 photos, one of Mother To Be and one of Daddy To Be as babies. Each table had different baby photos.


The frames were another DIY project. We had plain 5x7 photos mats already. The front of the mats were painted brown. Then after gluing the photo in place the back was covered with a piece of printed out patterned paper . Two small alphabet blocks were glued to the front so that the photo would stand up. It was a great touch!

At each place setting I put a "program" The cover had all the info of what the guests needed to do as they arrived and waited to each:

We are so pleased that you have taken the time to come

and celebrate the coming arrival of Baby M.

If you haven’t done so already,

please find your name tag on the board

and make sure to give Ms. A or Mrs. E your baby photo

to be used in a game a little later.

Please take a moment and use the card provided to write

Daddy and Mommy a special note, prayer or Bible Verse

to help support them as they begin a new chapter

in their lives as parents.

To help Mommy with her Thank You notes

we have also provided a blank envelope.

Please self address the envelope and we will collect them.

Inside the cover was a blank envelope, a cream note card and then all the games printed out that we would be playing after we ate. Placed on top of each program was a custom RSVP pen that I had added a piece of patterned paper inside of so that it matched everything and the clothes pin for the "don't say baby" game. Each place setting also the silverware wrapped in a napkin and tied with a sage bow and a water bottle with a customized label.


A few of the details to highlight:
The Diaper Cake


A Baby Sock Bouquet


The clothes line along the porch


The "Welcome Table" with printed out name tags, the guest book, and the babies name.


We served a simple lunch buffet of croissant sandwiches, fruit, chips and beverages (Lemonade and Mint Iced Tea).

We then played some games, a few traditional and a few new ones that I found as well. We all laughed while we cut the pieces of yarn.


The games in the packet included matching the word "Baby" in different languages, fill in the blank nursery rhymes, and a blank Bingo card to be used while we opened gifts. We had also asked guests to bring a baby picture of themselves for one of the games. I thought it would be easy to figure out who was who, but nobody got them all right.


We then we played Baby Bingo while we showered the Mother To Be with presents.




After presents we had a Dessert Buffet that featured a Dark Forest cake, an Italian Cream cake and assorted cheesecakes.


Before guests started to leave I made sure to take a picture of each guest with the Mother To Be to put in the Guest Book with their index card of advice.