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 

from Laura Ashley's Hydrangea tea set

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

Orange & Almond Cake 

Lemon Meringue Mini Parfaits 

Salted Caramel ANZAC Blondies 

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