Description
Vincent was born 16 weeks premature, so we had a formal shower after he was born. The shower was at a banquet hall, on a Sunday afternoon. There were approx 75 guests in attendance. Appetizers were served during the cocktail hour, which included punch, soda, and mimosas. A sit down luncheon was served afterwards, followed by cake and pastries.
Design Inspiration
Vincent's safari themed nursery gave us the inspiration for this "monkey" themed baby shower.
Decorating Style
It all about the details! All the handcrafted special touches make it unique.
Project Details
The invitations were handmade, stating: "A new little monkey has made his way, help us celebrate this very special day! Join us in honoring Ashley & Joe as they welcome their new addition, Vincent James". For favors we gave everyone a handmade box to fill with candy from the large candy bar. Each box had a cute saying about the candy bar, and a monkey decal on the top. At the candy bar we had different sized vases and jars to add height and depth to the table. There was brown and yellow treats, including cake pops, hand dipped chocolate covered oreos, and handmade monkey lollipops. The candy jars were complimented by monkey decals, tooling, and faux diamonds. We labeled the candy jars, and added yellow & brown ribbons for an extra touch. In lieu of corsages, we made pins for mommy, daddy, grandma, grandpa, and Vincent's Godparents. Each pin had a hand written "letter from Vinny" on the back for a special keepsake. For his younger aunts (my little 6 year old sisters), we made t-shirts with glittery iron on decals that said "Team Vinny" on the front, and "Auntie Kylee/Katrina" on the backs. For the center pieces we wanted to stick to the monkey/jungle feel, so we purchased greenery in ceramic planters and added to them, with a framed picture of Vinny in front of each one. The linen napkins were chocolate brown set on an ivory table cloth.
Favorite Items
As soon as we started planning the shower, we knew that the candy bar would be our favorite part! We had so much fun planning, shopping, and working on all of the handmade details. It was a lot of hard work that paid off in the end...it was a huge hit with all of the guests! Another cute touch was adding a note in the invitation that requested our guests bring their favorite childhood book instead of a card with their gift. Everyone wrote a message to Vinny inside the books, and now we have a good start to his library!
Advice
Don't be afraid to spend a little extra time on the details...people notice! It doesn't have to be expensive, if you are willing to make the effort to do it yourself.
ashley
Thursday 27th of October 2011
avalon,
Thanks, we had a lot of fun making them!
avalon
Wednesday 26th of October 2011
Those goodies make my mouth water. Definitely not good for people with high blood sugar. Love the "Team Vinny" shirts, too.
12andcounting
Saturday 15th of October 2011
Congrats on your new little monkey! I agree with Kimmyod, your candy bar looks beautiful and positively tempting!
Kimmyod
Thursday 13th of October 2011
LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the candy bar! Everything looks so elegant. You did a wonderful job and the monkey theme is adorable!