My Sister's Baby Shower

My sister is having a baby(!!!), so we all came together this past weekend to celebrate with a Baby Shower in Bonita Springs, Florida.  My mom and I co-hosted the big event and flew into town late last week to start the party preparations.  We had been planning the big day for months, so we arrived in Florida with checklists in hand and boxes full of party supplies. :)

My younger sister Alyssa is very cool and unfussy, so we wanted the party to feel the same way.  Taking a cue from Lilly Pulitzer and "1960s Florida" we kept the palette fresh with lots of citrus hues and classic gingham prints.  Even though she's having a baby boy, we wanted the party to feel grown-up and gender neutral-- because after all, it's also a celebration of new motherhood!  So, we were allowing ourselves to feel a little girly too.  :)  We reserved the stunning screened-in pavilion at Estero Bay Park (a hidden gem in the beautiful community of Bonita Bay) and it was the perfect party venue.  I snapped a few pictures before the guests arrived and thought I would share them here...  Enjoy!

We used vintage Ball Jars to hold fresh hydrangeas on all the tables (the blue glass sparkled in the sunlight!).  We served refreshing peach sangria, fresh lemonade, tiny bottles of San Pellegrino and Diet Coke.  Guests helped themselves to appetizers that included baby vegetables, tiny watermelon slices, and bite-sized tea sandwiches.  We made all of the food from scratch, and for lunch we served strawberry salad, chicken salad (my sister's favorite recipe) and homemade quiche.  The quiche recipe ROCKED and many people asked for the recipe.  It's from Paula Deen and you can find it HERE.   For dessert, we made homemade red velvet cupcakes with cream cheese frosting and shaved coconut (again, Alyssa's favorite).  And, we served raspberry shortbread cookies alongside carrot cake!

I custom designed all of the menus, invitations, and labels (I love doing that kind of stuff).  To decorate, we used baby blue gingham fabric for table runners, silver plated serving accessories (to dress it up a bit) and vintage milk glass.  The modern white frames are from Ikea, and they held all the table menus (only 99 cents each!).  The brown gift bags and baby blue swirly straws are from Hey Yo Yo.  And, the "Baby Michael" cocktail napkins were custom designed by us at ForYourParty.com.   All of the rentals were from Taylor Party Rentals.  All photographs were taken by me, which explains for the grainy quality of some.  Sorry about that.  :)

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I hope you enjoyed seeing some of the pictures from my sister's baby shower!  It was a very special day for my family, and one that we will never forget.   We are so blessed to welcome this precious gift into our family (baby Michael, named after my dad!).  My sister Alyssa and her husband Chris are going to be phenomenal parents.  :)

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