THE THEME
Let’s kick it off with themes! This is always a great way to start planning. Once you have the theme, the rest can fall into place easily. This year, the boho/rustic theme is quite popular, along with the animal/jungle theme! What’s great about this is that it’s gender-neutral, if that’s what you’re going for or if you already know the sex of the baby and wants to splash certain colours, you can add those details in easily. Here’s a fun-fact: In 1918, stores were advertising pink for boys and blue for girls.
THE PHOTO WALL
Who doesn’t love taking photos and who doesn’t love posting them? This is a must-have at your shower. It’s just a lot of fun and a great opportunity to keep and share those memories. The photo wall can be done in so many ways, to reflect your personality and theme! There are even DIY photo walls that look very upscale. They come to you printed as murals, on canvas or on vinyl. There are affordable options at Wayfair Canada or Amazon Canada. If you want to go over the top because why not? 2020 brought along balloon trends, where people were making huge garlands for their backdrops and décor! This trend is still going strong. We have one there in studio for you Tracy. What do you think? I love it too. I want to thank Knots and Blooms for our beautiful photo wall today. This is their speciality. A lot of people don’t know this, but most balloons are biodegradable, as biodegradable as a leaf, in fact and sustainable. If you want to keep it simple and just have a photo booth, these are great options too and never go out of style!
PARTY FAVOURS
We love getting party favours from showers but for 2022, I want us to keep the following in mind. Is it useful? Does it apply to all guests? Not all of your guests will have kids. We really have to be mindful of this. With sustainability and usefulness in mind, I love this party favour from Whitney Linen. They are a luxury fashion and lifestyle brand, centred around linen, which is one of the most durable fabrics in the world. They have collections for women, men and the home!
For example, hosts can customize a Whitney Linen tote bag or an embroidered set of napkins! The tote is made with 100% linen and can be customized with the attendee’s initials in any colour of their choice (pre-ordered)! The embroidered napkins can be personalized with a monogram or a symbol representing the baby shower in the corner or you can make it big on one side, whatever you like. If you keep it on one side, the guest has the option of which side they’d like to showcase.
Most baby showers are likely to be done in spring / summer, when they weather is nicer and we can be outdoors. Another gift idea is partnering with Chosen Designs, a great BIPOC brand. I love their sunglasses! Sunglasses are a gift that everyone loves and Chosen Designs has selections for both women and men! Hosts can offer a table with a variety of sunglasses laid out and guests can pick and choose what they want. Kind of like a gifting suite that celebrities tend to experience at events.
GAMES
Let’s be honest, most people don’t enjoy the traditional games that are at baby showers, so I thought of taking it a step further. Instead of a game, let’s give them an experience. For example, Kandl, which is a candle company and also, houses candle-making classes, could be a great element to add to your baby shower. Here’s how it works: Kandl sends lab kits for you and your guests, to your venue, they run the lab experience in-person with their experts, on your day and everyone just follows along. It’s so much fun and in my opinion, you can never have too many candles. Participants can choose and create their own fragrances, labels and vessels (this is something that they can choose, prior to the shower). Or, if you prefer, you can choose everything and have a distinct look and smell to go along with your shower.
VIRTUAL ASPECT
I wanted to add one virtual aspect, just in case, because we always need a plan B, as we are still navigating through this pandemic. Recently, I attended an in-person event with You and I Paint, when it was permitted and I loved it, even though I am the most terrible artist! You & I Paint, when you do it virtually, sends your guests everything: all items that you need to paint your masterpiece, as well as wine and chocolates. Of course, you can customize your kit for the guests and make it more tailored to your theme. What I love about this is that the painting is challenging enough that you’re not bored but also, easy enough that you can actually do it and it ends up looking beautiful!