England meet Baby Shower. Baby Shower meet England.



My friend, Grace, is pregnant.

So like all good, Southern American girls,
I offered to throw a baby shower for her...
because, duh, that's what friends do.

Except here in England,
they don't actually do that.

And they think it's a little weird
to have a baby shower, too.

Oh well.

By the time I learned this was a bit of an anomaly,
the invitations had been sent,
the cake had been designed,
and I had raided the Baby Gap sale
and robbed them of all newborn clothes.

We were committed.

It ended up being such a fun day.

It was hilarious explaining to our Brit friends
what types of parties we as Americans have
for the various occasions in life.

{Lingerie Party, Engagement Party, Wedding Shower, Couples Shower, Bachelorette Party, Gender Reveal Party, Baby Shower, Mega 1st Birthday Party, etc.}

One of our friends summed it by saying
"Sooo, basically, it's just really expensive to be an American?"

Yeah...
and it'd be a lot worse if it weren't for Costco & Target.

***

Grace is a book publisher
and cute children's books 
have a pretty big place in her heart.

So, naturally, we had to include them as much as possible.

We also based the party off a pretty pattern 
since we were using this pattern for the serving pieces.








The food matched the theme 
with an sparkly orange & almond cake,
yellow ombre mini cakes (white chocolate mud!),
lemon meringue mini parfaits
& savoury egg cups (for something a little savory!)
















And even Viola matched the party colors!











I loved the cake that was the centerpiece.

{It was so moist & so soft.}

The combo of orange & almond
was perfect for a hot summer day.







I loved the gorgeous bunting of mini classic books
that Meg handmade for the shower.






I loved the beautiful cut glass cake stand 
from Laura Ashley
that it sat so prettily on.

Not only was it delicious at the shower,
but I ate it for breakfast for the following two days...
because let's be honest, it's not any worse than a donut, cinnamon roll, danish, french toast.

And this little tower of edible goodness?








Well, what the Tower of Babble did to the people building it
so this tower of temptation did to my summer diet.

(Read: ruined everything.)






I really love the pretty grey & yellow hydrangea pattern of it.

{Laura Ashley is so perfectly English...
which is exactly what we needed for this day!}


















It was such a fun day
and I hope my dear Grace felt loved...
because, after all the cake & presents, 
that's actually the point 
of all of our crazy American parties.

Thank you, Laura Ashley, for the gorgeous serving pieces.
They made our day all the prettier.


***

If you want to recreate any pieces of this fun day,
I've done the dirty work & compiled it all for you here.


DECORATION 

Cut Glass Crystal Cake Stand (Laura Ashley)
Hydrangea 3 Tier Cake Stand (Laura Ashley)
Polka Dot Pitcher (Laura Ashley)
Glass Canister (Laura Ashley)
Lovely Little One Bunting (SALT Etsy.)
Children's Classic Cake Bunting (Upon Request via Meg-Made Etsy)
Jane Austen Quote (Dancing & Press Calligraphy, Etsy)
Stuffed Rabbit (Laura Ashley)

FOOD






*Special thanks to Laura Ashley for donating these gorgeous serving pieces for our special day! I love them!

17 comments:

  1. What a beautiful baby shower Lauren. We also celebrate almost everything here in South Africa with more and more American parties becoming popular - gender reveal has only just hit our shores! x

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  2. V looks too adorable. Looks like a wonderful shower (funny that the UK doesn't have them - maybe they've had enough of showers with the weather!)...we love them in SA - am trying to get us more into Halloween too but its slow catching on ( I guess safety is an issue). x

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  3. Hahaha! I love that she said, "So basically it is really expensive to be American." Hahahaha! That sounds so like my friends! I'm an American in Scotland and I had a baby shower for a friend last year. It was funny that people wanted to come to see what a baby shower is! It's all about making baby mama's feel special.

    A few yrs ago my friends surprised me with a Thanksgiving meal {girls night style} and they asked if they were supposed to bring presents. I said yes! ;) Hahahaha!

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  4. Beautiful shower! And she's right-- it IS expensive to be an American. Especially an American woman!

    --Anne
    www.aasquaredblog.com

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  5. What a beautiful shower!! And all of the food looks succulent!! I'm sure your friend absolutely loved it!

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  6. As a Brit, I attended my first baby shower (here in the UK) when two of my fellow Brit friends were expecting and our great Canadian friend organised one. It was a pleasant revelation and one I would love to repeat. I may steal the ideas and recipes in your post as they look amazing!

    Molly

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  7. What a beautiful shower you threw! I'm sure Grace left feeling loved :)

    And I absolutely love that Viola matched - how adorable!

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  8. That Laura Ashley set is so perfect; I think I am in love! I absolutely love the way Viola matches the theme. Her little bracelet is s cute! She's such a mini fashionista!
    - Rachel @ With Love, Rachel

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  9. These photos are stunning! And I love the description of American spending. So true! Thank goodness for Target.

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  10. Love the color theme and Viola's outfit is adorable!!

    I was scrolling down and was like "that cake looks amazing" then I was like "oh my goodness those brownies" and thennn "oh my goodness, that delicious thing that goes in a cup (can't think of name...)!!" haha I think I would've looked more pregnant that the guest of honor if I had attended!

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  11. What a pretty spread! It looks like you did a great job hosting the shower! What a great friend you are.

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  12. Oh, Americans - any excuse for a good party! This looks so fabulous, and I'm sure your friend more than appreciated this :) I think that you need to change your occupation to an American party-planner in GB - I think they need one after this great introduction!

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  13. It's true- as a Brit, I find the notion of a baby shower slightly odd. But hey, I like parties, so I'd definitely throw one if I knew anyone having a baby- mostly so I could make (and eat) all the cake. xx

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  14. It's true. There is a stage of life when it's very expensive to be an American, but it's so worth it to celebrate with your friends! Glad you are spreading the love.

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  15. Gorgeous...and so sweet! I'll bet all your Brit friends are ready to hop onto the "American party" bandwagon! Love that little book bunting for the cake.

    Best wishes to Grace!!!
    xoxo Elizabeth

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  16. grace! how funny. worlds collide. also food looks grrrrreat and laura ashley servingware? you're a big dill.

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