Baby Bolden will be here in less than a month and a half, and we are beyond excited! Once we found out we were having a boy, I knew exactly what the theme for our baby shower would be! Since Ernest and I are huge basketball fans, it was only right that we celebrate the newest addition to our Bolden Team with the #BabyBoldenDraftParty.

Events can definitely be fun, and a little stressful to plan. But when everything comes together exactly how you expect, it is the most rewarding feeling! Our baby shower was the epitome of just that! We were blessed to celebrate with our family and close friends with more than a baby shower but a full out celebration! There were fun games, fantastic food, and of course, my favorite; DANCING!!

After our baby shower was shared across social media, I had so many messages from everyone saying that this was the “baby shower of the year.” Which made me feel really good! I love planning amazing events, so I wanted to not only share some beautiful pictures from my shower but to also share tips to expectant moms on how to throw a BOMB baby shower!

LOCATION, LOCATION!!
Location for any event is so important! You want to be in a space that is appealing but also accessible. For me, 80% of my guests would be traveling out of town, so I knew I wanted to make the venue convenient for them to get to. I chose to have the shower at a hotel that was literally less than five minutes from the airport and that provided free shuttle service to and from the hotel. This allowed for my traveling guests to fly in and quickly get to their lodging destination and event venue. I set up a room block at the hotel in which my guests can easily book their room for a discounted rate! It was great to have the majority of my guests staying in one hotel. And I know it was stress-free and much appreciated by them!

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INVITATIONS
I decided to send out invitations via Paperless Post. I didn’t want to do paper invites, because they could sometimes get lost. Paperless Post was easy, it looked very professional, and it also allowed me to easily track RSVP’s and send out follow up messages to my attendees. I highly recommend this for events!

THEME
I love showers that have an overall theme. It makes decorating easy, and it also adds more creativity to an event. General themes are cool (like Pink for Girls or Blue for Boys) but when you think of a creative theme, it takes the event up a notch! As I mentioned, we went with a “draft party” theme for our newest all-star, and everyone loved it. It was the perfect theme for our family. Pick a theme that would resonate with you, and that would get your creative juices flowing.

DETAILS
When it comes to events, details are so important to me. I love a good branding moment, so I had a ton of custom pieces created to really make the moment special. I had custom cake topper and backdrop sign created by @Efsicreations. These two pieces were the perfect touch!! I also had our custom logo (designed by the hubby) printed on the dance floor and throughout the space. Everything was custom made, from our signage, menu cards, to the BOLDENADE drink station. I think the #Boldenade was my favorite custom moment! It was so creative, fun, and went perfectly with our sports theme. Having custom designs throughout the venue is a sign of a well thought out and creative event.

GAMES
I am not going to lie, baby shower games can sometimes be BORING!! But I felt like the games at my shower was so much fun! Everyone was interested in playing and joining in on the excitement. My two favorite games were the shoot-out contest! This went perfectly with the theme, and allowed for guests to play each other one on one, while everyone cheered on! It was so fun, and of course, I won the game against Ernest!

We also had another game that got really competitive- Name That Tune, girls vs. guys! This game was so entertaining. We had our DJ play snippets of songs, and each team had to write the name and artist of the song on a whiteboard. This game is guaranteed to have the party hype, I loved it!! Having fun games at the shower really makes the event and keeps people entertained. I had so many compliments from my guests that said I had the most fun games of any shower they have been too!! Think outside of the box when it comes to choosing games, especially if it goes well with your theme.

GIFTS FOR GUESTS
It is always important to thank your guests for attending and for showering you with love, so I knew I wanted to give my guests something that they could use and love. I ordered custom water bottles (to go with our sports theme), and I also gave each guest a custom Burts Bees lip balm. I love that you can order custom lip balms from Burts Bees! Everyone loved this. I stuck the lip balm on a cute thank you card that I designed. This was a small but simple way to thank my guests in a meaningful way.

Overall, planning a BOMB baby shower is a lot of fun. Even if you are not planning it by yourself (which hopefully you are not) getting a team of people that can help execute your vision is critical.

My shower was absolutely beautiful, and everything I wanted. I am so thankful for my mother for helping me execute it all! Baby showers are such a blessing because you get to celebrate a new life and be surrounded by your family and friends. I am beyond thankful for everyone that traveled near and far to be a part of this special moment in our lives!