I had the most beautiful baby shower thrown for me by my mother-in-law, Suzanne, and sister-in-law, Emily last November. It was a beautful afternoon tea party served at Suzanne’s house with friends and family. Suzanne and Emily put so much thought and effort into tailoring an event to remember and one that spoke right to my tea-party-loving heart. Baby Girl was celebrated in not only beautiful style, but pure love. That sense of loving joy in anticipation of her arrival is what I treasure most from my memories of this special day.
All photos are by Creative M Families
Fast forward six months and I now have a sweet-as-can-be four month old baby girl named Charlotte. I’ve been meaning to put this post up for so long now, but struggled with how to capture the experience without sharing photos of guests to protect their privacy with the exception of Suzanne who doesn’t mind having her photo posted publicly. I finally decided to just cut out any and all photos with people other than me for the most part and focus on the thoughtful details and beautiful ambience that Suzanne and Emily created for this special celebration. I hope this still provides you with a sense of the event, as it was so lovely and a memory I will always treasure.
Suzanne and Emily transformed Suzanne’s house into a Victorian era tea party venue worthy of royalty! They ordered beautiful arrangements from a local florist as well as single blooms which Emily arranged herself and dotted throughout the party rooms. The flowers created such a soft, feminine environment and also provided the most lovely aroma that mingled beautifully with the tea service.
Suzanne borrowed some of my antique tea pots and teacups (mostly inherited by my late Grandmother who happens to be Charlotte’s namesake). This was my only hint of the shower’s theme, as most of it was a surprise for me and guests alike aside from the tea themed invitations. I love how Suzanne pulled out some of Emily’s dresses and dolls from her childhood to enhance the tea party theme. The miniature tea set they set up for the children in attendance was too cute.
I arrived at the party early as Suzanne and Emily wanted me to be able to take in the scene before I got caught up in chatting with guests. I don’t think I’ve smiled this much for so long since my wedding day! It truly felt that special. All those little details added up to one big message of love. I’d never felt so celebrated in my life. Just thinking of it now makes me well up at the memory of that joy. I took in every detail, savoring the thought and care put into this celebration. I’m so happy I have these photos to remember it by. Hiring a professional photographer was a wonderful way to commemorate the day and be able to enjoy it fully without the distraction of a camera in my own hands.
Suzanne and Emily hired local speciality caterer, High Tea with Gerri, to provide a full tea service. I had no idea such a business existed!
The staff was lovely, dressed in Victorian fashion. They provided antique cups and saucers, a silver tea set, dainty plates, silver cutlery, and small lacy napkins to serve the traditional tea party fare with.
Not only was the tea service beautiful, the food was excellent! It included all of the elements you would expect from a proper tea party: finger sandwiches, petits-fours, and scones complete with clotted cream and jam. Delicious!
Tea and food were served soon after guests arrived. Suzanne and Emily thought of a few fun shower games to play that guests were encouraged to participate in. They set up a station in the foyer for guests to fill out “Wishes for Baby” cards (perfect for this scrapbook loving mama!), a “Guess How Big the Belly” game using toilet paper squares (how many do you think my belly was? 10!), and a fun “What’s In Your Purse” game that we played in teams. They also ordered a beautiful cake that they served when I was opening gifts and gave out sweet honey pots as favors. No detail was spared!
We also played a game where Don had answered some questions in advance about the pregnancy and things he was looking forward to as a parent and I had to answer them as I thought he would. For example, one question was “What book do you most want to read to your baby?” Don answered “Winnie the Pooh” and I answered correctly (which is a no brainer in our family, really). His answer for “What is it about Jen that will make her a great mom?” – “The love she has to give is limitless.” Cue heart melting awwing now.
The opening of gifts during a party is fairly customary at both bridal and baby showers in America. Usually I feel pretty awkward opening gifts in front of people (I remember sweating in my chair at both of my bridal showers!), but this time was different. There’s nothing cuter than baby things! It was so fun to open and share about all of the sweet gifts for Charlotte. I especially loved the handmade blankets two of her Great Grandmas made for her.
As an introvert I was initially a bit nervous about being at a party as the guest of honor with all of the attention that goes along with it, but it ended up being one of the most special celebrations I’ve ever been lucky to be a part of. It was an incredible blessing to have my yet-to-be-born baby honored in such a thoughtful and caring way. I loved every minute of it and often think back to that afternoon with great fondness and warm memories.
I’m so grateful to Suzanne and Emily for giving Charlotte such a warm welcome into this world. She’s a lucky girl to have family that loved her so much before she was even here! As my niece Grace taught us to say (age 2), “I love you so much already.” Don and I are so blessed by all of the love in our lives. We couldn’t imagine a more loving circle of family and friends to welcome Charlotte into our fold. It is such a joy to see these same loved ones interact with Charlotte now that she is here.
I hope you enjoyed a peek into this special celebration. I’d love to hear about your baby shower or one you’ve thrown for a loved one if you care to share!
* This is not a sponsored post. All opinions are genuinely my own. *
