A Swans & Palms-Themed Baby Shower

MY SISTER’S SURPRISE BABY SHOWER

We had the best time celebrating my sister and niece-to-be at her baby shower this weekend!

THE THEME & HOW + WHY TO PICK A THEME

We based the theme partly on the swan invitations (which were generously gifted to us by Minted), as well as the décor of the nursery: Swans & Palms.

When you’re hosting a party, it’s so important to pick a theme – whatever it may be— otherwise you’ll just be floating in lala land buying things that don’t go together and confusing yourself.

HOSTING A BABY SHOWER

My mom, my niece Kaylee and I, along with one of my sister’s good friend’s, Margaret, hosted the shower at Margaret’s house in San Antonio. Margaret and my sister are both Girl Scout moms and many of the other attendees were too, so it was a Moms & Daughters Baby Shower too.

Though TBH, most of the girls are Kaylee’s age (13), so they lost interest fairly early on. Teens! That said, they were SO great about helping plan the baby shower and helping to blow up the balloons and make decorations, etc. It was very sweet.

Since it was a Girl Scout Troop and their moms, at first I thought maybe we should do a Troop Beverly Hills-themed baby shower, but Kaylee wasn’t into it. She’s never seen the movie – I know, I know, I’ve failed her as her aunt. BUT, I think that would be a very cute idea if you’re looking for a theme.

A SWANS & PALMS-THEMED BABY SHOWER

We still brought in Beverly Hills Hotel vibes, of course, with all the palm leaf and banana leaf prints. They just happen to go so well with swans, don’t you think? Kind of like the Bel Air Hotel meets the Beverly Hills Hotel.

Swan Invitations:

Minted swan invitations, favor tags, thank you cards, stamps

Tip: In lieu of cards, ask guests to bring a book instead with a personalized note written in the book, for the baby’s budding library.

Tip: Bring thank you cards and envelopes to the shower for the mom-to-be. As guests arrive, ask them to write their address on an envelope, that way it’s one less thing mom has to worry about.

Colors:

Pink, white, green & gold

Décor:

As for décor, it was palm leaf and tropical leaf vibes mixed with swan-themed décor.

Tip: Use any gifts that are purchased as nursery décor that go with the theme as baby shower décor, like we did with this swan rocker and pineapple basket hamper. Win-win.

Food:

The baby shower was at 2pm, so post-lunch and pre-dinner, so we kept things fairly simple and light. Also, almost everything was gluten-free because we have a lot of Celiac and gluten-sensitive party-goers.

Vegetable Garden Cups

Fruit Cups

Cake + Cupcakes

Baby Buggy Deviled Eggs

Chicken Salad finger sandwiches

Popcorn

Pink lemonade in a pineapple drink dispenser

Water bottles with tulle around them (my mom used clear hair bands to keep the tulle on)

Favors:

Popcorn in “Soon to Pop” popcorn bags, with personalized favor tags from Minted.

Games:

There’s a lot of debate online on games vs. no games at baby showers. I was leaning towards no games or maybe one game or activity, but am glad that Margaret recommended 3 games because it was fun to help break the ice and meet everyone. Like a wedding, you tend to have people from all different parts of your life at a baby shower, so many people don’t know each other. So I think it was good to do. Plus, it’s always fun to give out/win prizes.

What’s your stance on games vs. no games?

Game 1: “Try Not to Say Baby” clothespin game

Anytime someone says baby, you can take their clothespin from them; the one with the most pins at the end of the shower wins.

Game 2: How Big Is Mommy’s Belly?

Each person cuts a length of yarn or string that they estimate is the size of the Mom’s baby belly. Whoever is closet, wins. Kaylee ended up winning this, which was really funny and cute!

Game 3: What’s In the Bag?

Fill paper bags with baby items that start with the letters in BABY SHOWER. Have guests guess what is in each one (i.e. B=bottle, Y=yellow rubber duckie). Whoever gets the most right, wins!

Our gifts for the winners included cute palm leaf journals and accessories like makeup bags, kimonos and scarves.

My One Regret:

I wish I would have ordered a good backdrop for photos and gotten photos at the beginning of the shower instead of the end.

I had ordered faux greenery for that intention, however it arrived as 4 pieces of 20×20 loose squares instead of a large wall of greenery like I thought from the photo online. Oops!

Also, the décor and the background for photos looks its best at the beginning of the shower, when all of the presents are still wrapped and the food hasn’t been eaten. DUH!

It’s a reason I don’t have better pics of the people at the shower.

Speaking of…

HOW TO GET GOOD PHOTOS AT A BABY SHOWER

1. Take photos at the beginning of the shower + and before the shower starts of the decor, food, etc.

2. Have a good photo backdrop or photo booth of sorts where people can snap good pics (bonus: get props!).

HOW TO MAKE PHOTOS LOOK THEIR BEST AFTER THE BABY SHOWER

As for how to edit photos of the baby shower, I used  the app A Color Story to edit my photos, like I usually do. When you use the same filter, it makes everything look more uniform.

On these, after using a filter (I mostly used the PUNCH filter), I then went to ADJUST, CROP, FRAME, and chose the colors pink and aqua to make the border frames.

For the compilation photo (9-photo film strip), I used the app Tezza.

I also use the app Facetune2 to brighten, whiten and highlight details.

Any questions, just ask!

But these are all iPhone photos above.

THAT’S A WRAP

If you made it this far, you’re a champ! THANK YOU.

I hope you’ve enjoyed seeing peeks from my sister’s Swans & Palms Baby Shower! And I hope this comes in handy if you’re planning a baby shower too!

THANK YOU

And a huge thank you to everyone who took the time out of their busy lives to attend the baby shower and make my sister feel loved and special. That truly was the best gift.

And to everyone who pitched in to make the baby shower special, including Margaret’s sister, hubby, kiddos, my Mamala and Fred Baby!

p.s. Anyone catch the reveal of the baby’s name? Her nickname is Coco, but her actual name is on the invitations above…

PHOTOS by KELLY GOLIGHTLY 

GET THE LOOK

WHAT I WORE

MORE SWAN-THEMED AND PALM-THEMED BABY SHOWER DECOR