Tarina’s Beatrix Potter themed Baby Shower

Most of the vendors that have worked with us this season know that I (Tarina) am pregnant so this blog post is from the heart.

Kelly (co-owner of Say Events) along with my two best friends, Ashley and Sarah, put together a stunning baby shower! I was blown away by all the work they did and how they came together to bring their vision to life. Fun fact: I didn’t know the theme until I was walked into the room!

Why Beatrix Potter?

The Beatrix Potter books were books I had as a little girl. I remember having the Peter Rabbit set sitting over my bed. This past April, I had hit the 12 week mark in my pregnancy and had the go ahead to tell my family. I taped a picture of the ultrasound in a Beatrix Potter book, handed it to my dad, and when he opened it and saw the ultrasound he got the surprise he was going to get getting a grandchild!

After hearing this story, my best friends decided to run with this theme. Here are all the details!

Guest list

Once Sarah had the (large) guest list, she used Paperless post. to send out the invitations. Although this is not a free service, it is very affordable. You are able to see which guests have opened the email and RSVP’d so it’s easy to keep track of guest count. You can also list details like location, gift registry, and there is a spot where guests can post and ask any questions they may have.

Pro tip: Have a large guest count? Rent a hall.

Venue

Once I recognized that no house could hold the number of guests on my list, I decided to rent a hall. It was my contribution to the shower. I knew my guest count was quite big so I wanted to ensure everyone was comfortable. I rented Elgin Hall through the City of Surrey. The space was recently renovated with new floors and comes with a kitchen, tables and chairs. They give you a key and you are responsible for set up and take down. It’s super easy to book!

Entrance

A green installation with rabbit elements (think Peter Rabbit) welcome guests. Did I mention I had about 60 guests? I have a very big family and why not invite everyone I love to celebrate!

Lounge Space

Our dear friend Alex of Past Pieces provided us with a modern lounge space. Here they featured one of her newest pieces, the Aphrodite chair. The install also included the Mary Coffee Table, the Josephine armchair, and the Patricia Love Seat. Textiles included velvet pillows and a beautiful rug to complete the look.

Decor & Florals

My work wife Kelly brought the look together. She used our silver pin-tuck linens and ensured seating was available for everyone. This is very important as you don’t want your guests sitting on the ground or feeling uncomfortable standing, especially when you have older guests in attendance. Kelly included votive candles, bud vases of flowers, and moss down the centre of the table to keep with the theme.

All the flowers were provided by the wonderful Dina of Jorbelina Flowers, including by beautiful and large flower crown!

All the custom stationary was provided by my cousin Kate of Inky Dot Design. She also made custom stationary for writing words of wisdom for me to read later.

The ladies also included a section for a gift table. We wouldn’t want these items on the floor or stored in the kitchen.

Pro tip: It’s not always about games or the next activity.

Flower crowns

Instead of a traditional baby game, my friends created a make your own flower crown station. It was a big hit! With that many guests, it would have been to tough to get everyone together to play a game so this was a great alternative. We allowed time for guests to socialize with one another, take photos, eat some food and make a flower crown! My friend Lola made all the headbands ahead of time and helped the guests put the crows together. Lots of ladies were able to keep their crowns, as the flowers could dry quite easily.

Dessert

The sweets table provided by my best friend Ashley was out of this world! I’m pretty certain she had the table planned the moment she found out I was pregnant. Can you believe she doesn’t even do this professionally? Give her Instagram a follow which showcases my fur nieces and nephews Taleof4tails.

The dessert table included hand painted cookies, macaroons, Krispy Kreme Donuts, custom make cupcakes and cakes, and meringue. Ashley also included an assortment of the Beatrix Potter books, which now live in the baby’s nursery!

Food & Beverage

Most showers have sweets and maybe a punch. However, my people love to eat. We decided to keep all the food cold so there was no need to warm up anything.

My mum, cousin, and I picked up a bunch of meat, veggies, cheese dips and chips. We also picked items from Bulk Barn to garnish the boards with nuts, pretzels and dried fruit. We included some traditional egg and cucumber sandwiches and a vegan board for guests that don’t eat meat or want a healthy dose of veggies! Some great vegan cheese from Vegan supply makes any board look lush! To top if off, I added on a couple sushi platters, because who doesn’t love sushi (don’t worry, I had the avocado ones!).

My bestie Sarah made a beautiful punch station. Everyone loves punch, especially a Shirley Temple one. It’s very important to have beverages at your event.

Pro tip: It’s cheaper to rent items than to purchase high end disposables. Glassware always look nicer.

Photos

Being the event planner I am, I decided to hire a photographer! I was lucky my mum had her camera and took some shots at my wedding shower, but I wanted her to relax this time around.

I decided to hire our friend Kim of Ivory Embers! She has the right eye and style, and she’s always down for anything. I decided to ask Kim to take photos of my entire pregnancy journey. I booked her for my baby shower, my maternity shoot and my new born photos in the nursery. She was of course on board with following me as a personal paparazzi! This also provided my photos with consistency. Plus, I get to hang out with her and have fun in front of the camera!

Pro tip: Ask your photographer for a package deal if you have multiple events you want to capture!

Final notes

As a planner, it was VERY difficult to stay out of the planning. However, I have three amazing friends that I knew would pull it all together. I provided them with my insight (sometimes a little too much), but they love me so they allow it.
I realized I didn’t have any updated family photos so I had the boys from our families come and join us for family photos at the beginning of the shower. We took an hour, got all the groups together and did some shots. This was a great opportunity to have the boys involved. What helps? A family photo list! It’s best to have a list to quickly hammer out those photos vs thinking about who has been missed.
Guests want to see you open their gifts. I know with my family, this was the case. I had my mum beside me taking notes on the cards. I plan to send out thank you cards with the photos taken at the event as a token!
I do know I’m having a boy, but the theme wasn’t everything blue. A theme is important to tie everything together, but get creative as my friends did!
Have a team to help clean at the end of the event. Being an event planner, I didn’t want just one person to help clean. I had a couple people in place to help Kelly, Sarah & Ashley tear down. Everyone pitched in and worked together, but it’s good to have those in place just in case!
My husband came at the end and loaded up the truck with gifts, than with decor. He helped where he was needed. As he should, being it’s his kid too!

My heart is full! People to thank: Kelly, Ashley, Sarah, Shannon, Mary, Mum, Erin, Rachel, Mariah, Meghan & Lola. <3