Blue and Gold Safari Baby Shower
Rustic meets modern glam in this safari themed baby shower. DIY centerpieces, thoughtful place settings, and themed out food impressed all the guests and made the mom-to-be very happy.
The mom-to-be for this party had her heart set on a baby boy safari theme using blue and gold as her color scheme. She wanted the party to have a rustic feel but also liked subtle touches of gold. After a lot of research (and Pinterest gorging), I was able to create a look that she loved.
The Inspiration
I always feel privileged and honored when someone hires me on the side to plan and design a party for them. I've worked on hundreds of events throughout my career, but my favorite type of event to design is still a good ol' fashioned theme party. I love the challenge of creating a party atmosphere and perfect layout in someone's home.
The centerpieces were made by spray painting kids play animals in two different tones of gold. I bought the animals off Amazon and spray painting took less than an hour. I also added some large vases stuffed with burlap and faux jungle leaves to add a little life and color to the table.
We had enough 6 foot tables on hand to complete the guest seating and I rented white folding chairs from a local party company. I bought white linen (usually cheaper then renting and then you can re-use) and placed a large burlap strip down the center of the table as a large runner.
It took me a while to find the right disposable place settings, but I finally settled on a royal blue and gold rimmed charger, a striped gold plate, black and white striped and dotted napkins and gold utensils. The patterns I choose reminded me of animal prints, but a tad more sophisticated. I topped off the setting with a sparkly gold cup and alternating blue and gold straws.
The party took place in the mom's newly renovated basement which was perfect for the long farm style tables I envisioned. I wanted this type of seating (as opposed to rounds) to create the long animal displays down the middle. Plus, I feel this type of seating is more inclusive with intimate parties and guests aren't feeling awkward about where they choose to sit.
Fun and Games
As guests arrived they were greeted with a welcome table that had a sign-in activity and an icebreaker game. The ice breaker game was simply writing your favorite animal on a name tag (instead of your name) and seeing if anyone else at the party also had the same favorite animal. The sign-in activity was writing a message for the baby-to-be on a little cut out balloon shape that was later put together into a frame and presented to mom for the future nursery.
After guests had settled in and grabbed some brunch, we played games including "Name the Baby Animals", "Guess the Number of Animal Crackers", and "How Long is Each Animal Pregnant". The winner of each game received a small prize from the host.
Food and Beverage
Coming from the catering industry, food and beverage is very important to me. Not only does it need to be delicious and creative, it needs to be presented beautifully.
The menu was so fun to come up with for this party. The host ended up hiring an Omelet chef to make custom omelets, as well as offer Belgian waffles and other brunch items. This saved the host so much time in prepping and making food which allowed her to really enjoy the party. Beyond the catering, I put together a few exotic juices and accompanying fruit, mini parfait shots, and a Lion veggie platter. I decorated the buffet with more jungle leaves, burlap, and rustic touches. Plus one of my favorite little details - the custom water bottle labels which I ordered off of Etsy.
The desserts were one of the big highlights of the party and something we spent a lot of time deciding on. The mom-to-be went with classic vanilla and red velvet flavors, as well as a brunch inspired "Blueberry French Toast" cupcake bar. The favors were custom made safari cookies and chocolate animal striped pretzels that turned out so adorable. While the guests were watching mom open presents, I turned the brunch buffet into the dessert buffet.
The Details
Date: Early Spring
Timing: 11:00am-2:00pm
Guests: 30
Budget: $700-$1,000
Planning and Design: Stephanie White of Events Full Circle
Desserts: Maple Place Bakery
Catering: The Omelet Guys
Chairs: Total Party and Event
If you want to host your own Safari Baby Shower, you can purchase my event blueprint that outlines everything you need to put this party together! Get in touch.
