I planned my own dream baby shower + LOVED every second

Wondering if it's appropriate to plan your own baby shower? Think it's wacky, in this day and age, that "tradition" tells us it's inappropriate or tacky to have a role in planning your big life celebrations? Well, I planned my dream baby shower and I'm here to encourage you to do the same if you feel like planning yours will allow you to have the baby shower of your dreams too! There are a select few events in life we typically only get one of: bridal showers, bachelorettes, big milestone birthday's, and baby showers. Not everyone has big ideas of what they hope these events might look like and that's perfectly fine! But if you're like me, you're a creative who has a clear vision of how you hope your own big events will unfold. I see lifes big moments and celebrations clearly in my head long before they come to fruition and I LIVE for the teeniest of details. I not only live for the details but I'm darn good at them...for years I thought admitting that out loud was arrogant but I recently realized it's just recognizing my gifts. Early on in the process of planning this shower, it became evident that there is a reality in which I, as the detail oriented creative that I am, could drive the planning portion of the shower and still get to show up the day of and feel showered + celebrated by those I love most. I might have driven the planning but the success of this event was due to the collaborative effort of many who stepped in to bring my plans + vision to life.

Early in my pregnancy, when the anxiety of those early weeks would keep me up at night, I found joy in creating an inspiration Pinterest board of what I'd love for my baby shower to look and feel like. Many of you know Pinterest is still one of my favorite platforms...there is so much inspiration to be found there and as a creative, I love to find beautiful ideas and put my own spin on them. Once I made the decision to take over planning duties, I was able to lean into this board as a starting off point. Another important realization I made in this process is that a baby shower first and foremost is meant to celebrate the mama. Yep, I said it! The journey of pregnancy is a beautiful, challenging task placed on one person. A baby shower is a wonderful way that we can lift her up and help her feel loved and supported through the remainder of her pregnancy, therefore, it should be a celebration for her and with her in mind! (or the expecting parents as a couple if they wish!) With that mentality, I knew I wanted a floral inspired shower long before we knew what we were having. I was able to find touching ways to honor baby boy and still feel celebrated in my own right, the way I always hoped. At the end of the day, this shower read "Lexi" in every single detail! Keep reading for a look inside the vision and how it came to life.

Some of my favorite things include flowers, European markets, and outdoor picnics. Put those things together and you've got yourself a French flower market themed baby shower. After we found out we were having a little boy I was honest with those who were helping me brainstorm early on about the fact that I didn't want a "boy" themed shower...no mountains, no bears, no zoo animals, and no all things blue. There is a beautiful way to do each and every one of those themes but none of them felt like me. In my opinion, there's no reason why the gender of your baby should dictate the theme and style of your baby shower if you don't want it to. No offense to my little man, but why would we plan and decorate a party for him when he's not even here yet!? With the theme set, I chose yellow as my main color to ground the decor decisions and dove head first into the rest of the planning. The other item I felt strongly about was venue. Having a summer baby comes with the perk of wonderful weather for a baby shower. I knew I wanted an outdoor shower the second we found out our baby boy would be joining us mid summer...being outside brings me immense joy and peace however, living in the midwest, an outdoor small event venue isn't the easiest thing to find. Just when I thought we had exhausted our options, I wracked my brain for ideas one more time when I remembered one of my personal favorite local parks and shooting locations for the blog. On a whim I reached out and much to my delight I found out that Strang Carriage House was not only available to rent but was also the cheapest venue we contacted. With the theme chosen and the venue booked the vision started to take shape.

I knew I wanted to send my guests home with a favor they could use and enjoy and had seen and saved so many amazing flower cart ideas that it was an easy decision. A flower cart not only served as a wonderful shower activity and a favor for guests but it also became the primary decoration and focal point at the shower allowing me to make the most of the shower budget so generously given by friends and family. A buffet style food and dessert spread was the ideal way to hold true to the theme but also provide guests with lunch as they spent their afternoon helping me celebrate. Planning a party menu is all about balance; croissant sandwiches felt like an obvious choice but with a number of pregnant women in attendance, I decided to provide both chicken salad as well as deli meat options from Costco. I asked my mom to prepare my favorite spring salad of hers to accompany single serving yogurt parfaits as lighter sides and a very French finger food: buttered radish toasts.

For dessert, we compiled a selection of French pastries: tartlets from local favorite French Market, macrons from Whole Foods, and homemade lemon lavender sables made by a wonderful friend. Also, no celebration is complete without equally tasty and beautiful sugar cookies from Midwest Cookie Co. A choice of lavender lemonade, jalapeño cucumber lemonade, or water refreshed guests as they found an umbrella shaded seat amongst the picnic blankets and pillows in the grass behind the carriage house. My dear friend Annie (and her sweet husband) made me the most beautiful backdrop arches accompanied by a stunning peacock chair she happened to already have. Flanked by the balloon garland she and I made the day before and my very first attempt at an attachable floral arrangement created the most incredible "mama thrown" if you will, that made me feel so special as I opened gifts and continued to celebrate with everyone. No baby shower is complete without a few games but I was very adamant that they needed to be short, sweet, and not your average bay shower games. After a round of "mommy, daddy, or both" in which guests guessed answers to questions such as "who will cry first after baby is born?" we played a fun round of "who's your daddy?" (my mom is to thank for this one and it was a perfect fit and too funny!) Each guest chose a scratcher card and a penny to unveil a face...though most of us ended up unveiling the likes of George Clooney or Jamie Fox, those lucky few who unveiled Brad and our pup Oakley were instant winners! Throughout the afternoon, guests signed the guest book with a polaroid snap with me and a "wishes for baby" card for us to show him one day. It was truly and genuinely the most perfect afternoon.

I can't thank the friends and family who spent the day or two before helping me pull all the details together, pick-up and prepare food, pack the trailer, and then (with the help of blueprint sketches and pictures I provided) got the party set up while I got to take my time getting ready the morning of. I may have taken point in the planning, but the end results was truly and genuinely a group effort and I just feel so blessed to have so many people in my corner who were willing to bring it all together for me and baby boy.

Photography: Janie Jones Photography

Venue: Strang Carriage House at Thompson Park

Backdrop: created by my friend Annie

Umbrellas: Studio McGee for Target

Blankets + Pillows: my mom and I personal collection

Balloon Garland: custom kit by Party Wish Company (assembly required)

Florals: selection purchased from FloraSourceKC and arrangements created by me

Links: Floral carriers || Bee tags || Flower cart baskets || Tablecloth (sold out) || Sachets || Custom stamp for favors