ENTERTAINING : BACKYARD BABY SHOWER

It feels as if in the past four years we’ve been swept up into a whirlwind of weddings, only to find that upon landing, everyone was getting pregnant. I’m all for new additions, but considering my mind set still sings to the tune of happy hours and the occasional late-night outings that subsequently end in Taco Bell crunch wrap supremes, it’s safe to say- I’m not quite there yet.

When me and my then boyfriend now husband first moved to Michigan our only friends happened to be a colleague of my husband’s, Ubaldo, his girlfriend Dinuh, and their five-year-old son, Mikey. We were five native Angelinos trying to navigate a new city, attempting to adapt to the concept of winter, and constantly trying to find a taco that was reminiscent of home. Since then we all moved on from our small rented bungalows to owning homes in the suburbs only two miles away from one another. In the interim we also discovered a few good taco places to help fill that Mr. Taco/Tito’s Tacos/El Burrito Jr. (EL BJ) void (That plug was my attempt at a Restaurant Sponsorship)

Three drinks deep and at a bar in downtown Detroit for my birthday, Dinuh reveals to me, literally, bump out and all, that she’s expecting in July. Her news was met with tears, light hugs (because do we ever really know the correct amount of pressure to exert when hugging a pregnant woman?), and lots of jumping around. Being one of her closest friends in Michigan, and her family like mine, back in Los Angeles, it only made sense to take on throwing her baby shower.

THEME

I think if you meet any creative, we all have our own process. And for me, I like mood boards. It’s the most tactile thing you can create to help convey a look and feel but most importantly, speak volumes to a variety of people whether they’re visual or not.

Like any good planner or designer I turned to trusty pinterest to help get the creative juices flowing. Considering we would be having this shower in the summer I wanted a theme that was bright and playful but also one that didn’t feel overdone.

We landed on the theme ‘Lil’ Dumpling’. It had a lot of legs to it and didn’t seem to be a ‘been there done that’ look and feel. Also, it didn’t hurt that the mom to be was in fact Asian.

While mood boards aren’t meant to be taken literally, it’s more about drawing inspiration in regards to materiality, color scheme, and over all feel.

Straight away I worked along side a good friend and graphic designer to conjure up custom invites that would then translate into larger graphic applications used throughout the shower for an added layer of customization and décor without breaking the bank!

Custom invite + graphics done by Ryan Nosis

VENUE

In finding the right space to throw this baby shower I factored in both cost and most importantly what the mom-to-be would be most comfortable with. So we landed on having it in their backyard.

What’s great about this was that we had the freedom to dress it up as we saw fit, we didn’t have to pay to rent a space, and we could leisurely go about the day knowing we didn’t have a hard end time.

The downside to this was having to almost set the scene. We needed to create a few impactful moments throughout the backyard, dress it up a bit, and make it feel like a departure from your usual summer backyard BBQ.

DECOR

After surveying their backyard and getting an inventory on how many tables they owned and how many we’d have to beg borrow and steal from friends, I was able to designate our ‘hero’ spaces. Hero spaces being focal areas that draw interest whether it’s through décor, activity, or those ‘instagrammable’ moments. Considering the paved square footage wasn’t extensive, it was easy to pinpoint which walls would be décor heavy.

Welcome Table

I designed this area to be a home base upon arriving.

We requested on the invite that guest bring their favorite children’s book with a handwritten note inside in lieu of a card. This not only helps the mom to be build up her library, but it’s a personal, nostalgic touch that our guests loved doing.

Next to the book bin I set up a Polaroid guest book area where guests could hold up a pre-made frame that matched the invites, have their photo taken, write a note to the parents to be, and attach it to a shadow box frame. I picked up this shadow box frame in the clearance aisle of Home Goods and had my handy husband retrofit it according to how I imagined it in my head. A few drilled holes, twine, and some craft clothespins later, we had a completely custom shadowbox for no more than $16.

To top off our entry, we had a beverage tub filled with various Asian fruit drinks, and of course, Asian beers. Just because the mom to be can’t drink, doesn’t mean the rest of the guests can’t! It was a fun and festive welcome that helped reinforce the overall theme.

DESSERT TABLE

The main anchor to the overall space was the dessert table. I wanted to break out of the usual glass hurricane candy dessert table look and opted for Asian desserts and snacks that the mom to be favorited. The bright colored packaging of these snacks added a fun pop of color while the baked goods and egg tarts were more satisfying and delicious than any store-bought cookie or cupcake!

For that added layer of greenery, I turned to Costco! They have some of the best flowers if you want something quick and don’t want to break the bank buying floral centerpieces. For our flower arrangement vessels, I decided to use these gorgeous Japanese floral motif bowls I stumbled upon at Home Goods. I took a block of floral foam, cut it down to size, and trimmed the flowers accordingly. It’s an easy, and for me, very zen process which can also be done the night before you event, just make sure you store your custom arrangements in a cool space. The beauty of utilizing non traditional vessels is that they can easily be reused and they create more interest than your run of the mill glass vase.

Everything on this table sat proud of a large printed graphic that once again paid homage to the original invite, and acted as a good neutral backdrop for everything to sit proud of.

THE CAKE

This cake warrants it’s own sub title because it was definitely the crowning jewel of the dessert table. I worked along side my friend, and local talented pastry chef Christopher Dacpano to conjure up this beautiful and might I add delicious cake. My request was simply a drip cake, and in the process the final product ended up becoming a matcha vanilla swirl cake with matcha mousse. Still very much a naked drip cake, just better, elevated and ridiculously delicious. Chris even went as far as sourcing a few peonies for me to top the cake with and gave me a cake topper that matched the color scheme perfectly. I purchased this cake stand once again, at Home Goods, and after giving him the head count and cake stand dimensions, was able to get a finished product that sat beautifully in my existing stand. This was the highlight of the dessert table aesthetically, and guests appreciated trying something that was a departure for your usual chocolate or vanilla.

GAMES + GIVEAWAYS

Baby Shower games are hit or miss with a crowd, but considering this was a co-ed shower, it only made sense to do a few well-known ones in hopes to appeal to the variety of people in attendance.

We started with the infamous baby food game and handed out blank pieces of paper, pens, and testing cups and spoons. After lots of speculation, guessing, and faces filled with disgust, we used the elementary school proofreading method of switching papers with your neighbor to determine a winner. Ultimately, the game was fun, but correcting each other’s ‘work’ proved to be the funniest part.

Then to wash the pear, peas, and yam down, we did the baby bottle game. A classic concoction of vodka and orange juice, we lined everyone up, and watched them suck the life out of these bottles.

Lastly to round out the games, we did the string around the belly guessing game. Guests take a piece of string and guess the exact (if not close) circumference of the mom to be’s belly. It’s comical watching people’s methods of measurement before finding out they’re completely off.

I tasked the mom-to-be with purchasing a few small prizes for the games, and she took this task to heart and went all out. Mugs stuffed with goodies with various themes; a spa themed mug stuffed with bath bombs and nail polish, to coffee themed mugs stuffed with Starbucks gift cards and instant coffee sticks. Her excitement around the one task I gave her was reminiscent of the TV show friends where Monica gave Phoebe the one task of buying cups and ice. She was all in and went above and beyond!

Before our guests left for the afternoon, we handed out these simple little treat bags. Fortune cookies in a cellophane bag, with a fun little pun for the road!

Whether your baby shower budget allows for a large event or something small and intimate, it really comes down to the special details that celebrate the parents to be. Being crafty about how you can make your dollar stretch as well as putting time into researching the best avenues for purchasing certain items will be worth your while when totaling your final cost. When all was said and done, the mom and dad to be not only enjoyed themselves, but it was a good send off into being hermits for the next few months..err..year(s)!

I’m happy to report that baby Gabriel made an early appearance on July 16, 2019 weighing in at a 8lbs 11.5oz and 21.5”! He’s happy, extremely healthy, and really the only reason I hang out with our friends anymore.