My Baby Shower

As you already know (because I had been harping on about it for a while) I had my Baby Shower on Saturday afternoon. It was just a chance for me to have a catch up with all my friends and family with some added bonuses like cake, candy and finger food thrown in for good measure. I didn’t want to go for one single colour theme so I just used a variety to add some interest. Having the Baby Shower at my house was the best decision because I felt comfortable, relaxed and I could nip away whenever I needed to if I was feeling tired or achey.

I decorated various areas of the room and the decor I chose remained in keeping with the style of the living room. I went for a rustic country kind of look with burlap, bunting and ditsy floral prints. I figured it would be easier to incorporate the decorations into my room if they reflected what was already there (in other words it saved me money as I could use a lot of bits and pieces I already owned).

I just used a side table to set up a little drink station with some pretty flowers, a drinks dispenser, paper table runner and some nice little paper cups. I figured that since most people would be driving over and the fact that a lot of them had babies, toddler or were pregnant, it would be best to serve up some non-alcoholic punch. I had champers at the ready for the celebration but I thought that it would be nice to offer up a non-alcoholic alternative that was interesting instead of the usual soft drinks. The punch went down a storm – it’s so fruity and refreshing with a slightly tarte edge to it. I could have drunk this stuff all day long! I’ve included the recipe below if you fancy knocking some up for your own baby shower or even just a party or BBQ over summer. I’m looking forward to concocting some summer cocktails in there when I’m able to drink alcohol again!

Drinks dispenser | Turquoise Paper Cups | Stripey Straws | Paper Table Runner

Pink Lemonade Punch Recipe

2L bottle old fashioned Pink Lemonade
500ml Pineapple Juice
500ml Cranberry Juice
500ml Peach Juice (the type with peach pulp)
Ice
2 lemons (sliced)
1 Blood Orange (sliced)

I decided quite early on that I wanted to have a cake especially made for the occasion. I chose a plain vanilla sponge with buttercream and raspberry jam, covered in fondant icing. I figured this would please most people. The talented lady who made this cake (Maggie) was actually someone I met through my wedding planning business and we became good friends. She is a genius when it comes to these things and I couldn’t have been happier with the result! Maggie also made these cookies especially for the occasion and I absolutely adore the colours she used. They’re just beautiful! Maggie can actually design pretty much anything you want and she ships to anywhere in the UK. You can check out her website here. Obviously her cakes can only be provided for people in the area of Aberdeen – if you live in the vicinity, I highly recommend her services. She is so friendly, professional and downright hilarious – it’s always a pleasure to see her.

I spotted these burlap banners on Ebay and thought they were so adorable, I just had to buy one. I figured I could just put it up in baby’s nursery after the shower. I had panicked a bit because I ordered it on the Tuesday and by Saturday morning there was still no sign of it…but luckily the postman was just a little bit late and it arrived just in time before the showers started! Us pregnant ladies can get stressed about the smallest things! ha ha

Burlap Baby Shower Banner

I wanted to keep the shower relatively stress free for myself and luckily I had my mum and my brother’s girlfriend, Vicky on hand to help with everything. They picked up some sweet treats from M&S (mini flapjacks and crispy chocolate treats), I filled little cups and the apocathary jar with pastel coloured candy (bought at places like Lidl). The rest of the finger food which isn’t pictured in this post was also from M&S and it was all delicious. They do a great range of bits and pieces that you can order in advance. They also have a basic range in store that you can just pop in and buy too. Fantastic if you want fuss-free, good food for a get together!

Something I was so impressed with was one of the gifts from my brother’s girlfriend, Vicky. She painstakingly put together this nappy cake with all kinds of surprises inside it. Initially I assumed she had bought it because it looked so professional! But then I realised she had actually made the whole thing and bought all the little gifts herself. I just thought this was an incredibly thoughtful, useful and kind present. All of the contents will come in so handy!

As for my outfit for the baby shower, well…my options are limited now I’m so huge so I just plumped for something real comfortable and flattering (or as flattering as something can be when it looks like you have a football shoved up your dress! ha ha). As I’ve mentioned before, I’ve noticed more swelling in my face, hands and legs in the past week or so. I definitely didn’t want to wear anything restrictive so I ended up padding around with no shoes on for most of the day! This Warehouse dress isn’t maternity but it’s made from really starchy material so it works perfectly! I’m so glad I’ll still be able to wear it after the birth!

Warehouse Dress | Top Right: Fellow bloggers Ashly and Kirsty (who is also currently pregnant!) | Bottom Right: My lovely mum and me!

I will be posting a video of all the gifts I got at my baby shower but it won’t be going live until baby arrives. Some of the gifts would definitely give away the gender of Baby Murphy! I also have a nursery tour video planned as well so you can see what kind of decor I went for. I definitely need to film a baby clothes haul but that will have to wait too as there’s too many spoilers!

Let me know if you want me to do a post or a video on how to throw a baby shower on a budget? I’d love to hear your feedback!