I wish I could re-live this day. My baby shower was such a special day - full of love and laughter. I truly just feel so blessed to have so many beautiful women around me. This little bubba is going to have some amazing, strong, crazy, vibrant, life-loving aunties around him - what a lucky little man!
It was such a chilled day, which is exactly what I wanted! It was a ladies-only brunch with the exception of Brenton who came for a little bit of the Shower. I started the morning with a walk and coffee by myself because I knew I needed a bit of solo time before such a big day of socialising. I then met my mother-in-law around 7am and we started setting everything up. After that, I went and got my hair done (just asked for beachy waves) and picked up the fresh pastries.
The Shower started at 11am because I wanted it to be a brunch vibe more than a lunch (if you know me, you know my fave type of food is breakfast food). The theme was 'A Day on the Amalfi Coast' because originally I was going to have the Shower at my in-laws house, who live on the water. It was forecast to rain that day so we ended up changing venues last minute. It worked out perfectly regardless.
Did we play games?
A common question I have received is whether or not we played games. I knew I didn't want any typical games like who could change a nappy the fastest or guess how big my belly is with a piece of string. I have zero issues with baby shower games, it's just not my vibe. Instead of the traditional games, I had some giant wooden Jenga as well as a charades game set up in the corner but honestly we didn't even end up touching them! The day went so quickly and everyone was just enjoying chatting, eating and some even went for swims in the pool.
Did I plan it myself?
I planned it with my mother-in-law. She was such an amazing help!
Did I open presents at the party?
Yes and no. There wasn't a particular moment where I opened presents while everyone sat in silence and watched me because #nothankyou. Again, nothing against it, I just didn't want people to have to sit through that haha. With that being said, I did say to people if they wanted me to open their presents I would be so happy to sit with them individually and open them. I did this throughout the day for a lot of my friends and family and it was actually really special because it meant I got a lot of one-on-one time with them and was able to personally thank them for their generosity.
The details
The dress: Sabo Skirt (however a fair few alterations were made to the front, side and hem).
Flowers and decor: We picked up greenery and white roses from a local florist and arranged them over the table. We also placed whole lemons and lemons cut in half along the table. Another thing we did was have colourful Amalfi-themed napkins and white pillar candles running down the centre of the table. We also had little signs that said "Welcome", "Drinks" and "Desserts".
Cookies: Everyone got a sugar cookie on their seat. They said 'Baby Parkes' and were pastel yellow and white.
Grazing platter and Lunch: Catered by a local cafe. We did an antipasto platter (cheeses, meats, crackers, dip, olives etc) and also a fruit platter. For lunch we did baguettes, sandwiches and wraps which I loved because everyone could just serve themselves and get as much as they wanted and choose what they wanted.
Wishes for baby box: Linked here. If you are planning your baby shower, I would absolutely recommend getting a box that has some wishes for baby. Everyone wrote him a little message and it was so beautiful seeing just how loved he is already. I can’t wait for him to read them when he is older.
Drinks bar: We did an Aperol spritz station, champagne station, alcohol-free punch, and a bunch of different flavoured San Pellegrino's. It was a serve-yourself type situation which worked out perfectly because again, people could choose what they wanted.
Dessert bar: We had croissants and jam, almond croissants and cronuts from our favourite local bakery Son of a Baker. We also had jars of yellow lemon lollies to tie in with the Amalfi theme.
If you are a mama planning a baby shower, I hope you have the most amazing day! Remember that it is your day, you can have it however you want. Whether thats 100 games or 0 games. Whether it's a breakfast, brunch, lunch, afternoon tea or a dinner soiree. Enjoy your day and don't forget to sit back during the day and take it all in.
B x