My sweet friends and family hosted an incredible vintage book baby shower for me that combined my love of reading with British high tea. It was a beautiful morning and the perfect way to celebrate the new addition to our family.
The biggest feature was the book wall backdrop accent wall. My mom and I actually made this about a month before my shower when she was in town one weekend. I'd love to leave it forever!
When putting together the shower plan, since both the hosts were traveling in we decided to have the shower at my home. Although this did come with it's own stresses, I would say the pros outweighed the cons! We could work on the space whenever and well in advance, which, when throwing a party is always a perk. Plus there was no loading up of presents to transfer somewhere else. Obviously this depends partially on the size of your guest list, but it worked perfectly for this shower.
Tablescape and Decor
The tables were absolutely gorgeous. Each place setting was special and marked with a guest's name on an acrylic bookmark favor. This was such a sweet touch! Having a seating chart was intimidating for me, I wanted to make sure everyone was comfortable and able to enjoy conversation with at least someone they knew. It worked out so perfectly and I'd highly recommend it! People were grouped with friends and conversation was flowing very easily.
We used standard folding banquet tables and white table cloths layered with vintage ones my mom let us borrow. The napkins were gauzy and perfect because they didn't have to be ironed! 🙂 The book page table runner was a super simple DIY and we used heirloom silverware, white plates I've collected from thrift stores along with candles and votives from thrift stores to make the tablescape. The woven chargers added a beautiful texture and were rented from Supply Events Rental Co along with the goblets. Ribbons in greens and blues were tied around each glass.
The moss made me feel like we were in a magical forest! Maybe some Narnia inspiration was at play too! It was spread across the tables and added onto the mantle and bookshelves. The vintage books were collected or borrowed, I found a matching Hardy Boys set on eBay that was perfect and I'll use for decor. My mom provided several and we borrowed a few others. One sweet friend even mailed me one she found that matched the shower color scheme. We also rented this wingback chair- it really made you feel like you were in a magical library!
Food and Desserts
The inspiration for the food was a high tea. There's just something about reading a British novel or cozy mystery where they always have tea, so it just went together well! The shower was held mid-morning too, so it was nice to have some food but not a full meal. There was the sweetest tea cup display at the tea and coffee station. For food we served small sandwiches and scones along with my favorite dessert-macarons, fruit and other small bites.
For the main food table we used doilies and had all the food together in one display so people could pick what they wanted and fill their plates.
Favors and Activities
The favor for this baby shower was the acrylic bookmark customized with each guest's name. It was a sweet nod to the book theme and something easy to take home.
One thing that we added into the schedule which I really appreciated was a game about halfway through gifts. I know it's a sweet and special tradition to open baby gifts in front of people (and they're so cute!) but it can be a lot of pressure and tension on the mama to be! So taking a break for a game is a nice way to spread out the attention and give a little breathing room.
Tips for hosting a book baby shower
- Working with a color scheme helped keep the shower cohesive.
- If possible, I'd recommend doing a seating chart. For larger showers ths may not be possible, but it did help guests feel comfortable because they were seated by people they knew.
- Use either favorite titles or vintage books to create a cozy feel. Don't be afraid to buy discontinued books or pick some to tear the pages out of too for decorations! The book wall was such a fun backdrop and the table runner gave a nice texture combined with the moss and ribbons.
I hope this helps you when planning a magical tea party or book shower! Let me know if you have any questions!
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