Now that spring is here it's a great time to look at how to throw a beautiful spring baby shower. The grass is growing, the trees are blossoming, daffodils and bluebells fill the parks, woods and garden borders. There is something glorious about spring. It is a time for new beginnings and new life, so what better time to celebrate the impending arrival of a new baby?
Here are our top tips for throwing a springtime baby shower:
• Hold your baby shower outside. The weather has turned warmer and there is an abundance of beautiful flowers, the birds are singing and the luscious smell of fresh grass is in the air. A picnic lunch in the garden or local park or an afternoon tea in a posh hotel's garden grounds makes for a fantastic baby shower to lift everyone's spirits and throw off the winter blues. How about an Alice in Wonderland tea party or a teddy bear's picnic theme?
• Use the seasonal flowers within your theme or colour scheme. If you are expecting a boy - go for beautiful bluebells. If it's a girl how about some small bunches of beautiful pink cherry tree blossom. If the gender is unknown it's the easiest of all as sunny yellow daffodils are everywhere. Also look for elegant tulips and hyacinths in a variety of colours to co-ordinate with your chosen colour scheme. You can use the flowers as displays in vases, as buttonholes for each guest, as prize bouquets for game winners, as individual flowers tied to napkins or as place settings.
• Use trees, bushes and other outdoor plants and structures to help you decorate. You don't need walls or doors to make the venue look good. Coloured bunting looks especially good outside, strung between trees or fences and you can find it in pretty much any colour or pattern you want!
• Go for springtime treats within your food choices. Tiny cucumber sandwiches presented on a tiered cake stand, fresh salmon and buttery new potato & spring onion salad, and bowls of delicious plump strawberries & cream. If the baby shower is over the Easter period you could also include some little chocolate rice krispie nests with chocolate mini eggs on top.
• Tailor the baby shower games to the outdoors - team races such as dolly buggy obstacle racing are always fun and will bring out the school days competitiveness! Games that don't need lots of paper and pencils like baby shower family fortunes can be fun too.
• Springtime is all about new life so bring it into the theme - how about little lambs or hatching chicks? Use it in the tableware, on wrapping paper, in the food, on balloons, as nappy cake toppers, for guest favours and with soft toys or figurines around the buffet table.
