Engagements and the pending arrival of a newborn offer the opportunity to incorporate sweet, personalized details into the celebrations. At baby showers (where the guest of honor won’t likely be sipping alcoholic drinks), the focus often shifts from inventive cocktails to playful, eye-catching food, such as sushi-shaped sweets, meatloaf cakes, and dangling pretzels, with baby-theme presentations. D.I.Y. activities, such as watercolor cookie painting and make-your-own potpourri stations, remain popular at both bridal and baby showers. More planners are also encouraging guests to leave personalized messages for hosts, whether via outside-the-box guest books or note cards.
For baby showers, Truffleberry Market in Chicago presents desserts in small vessels that resemble baby food containers. The snacks are served with spoons that read: “Cute as a button.”
Photo: Courtesy of Truffleberry Market
An example of a baby-theme catering presentation: New York-based event firm Rock Paper Scissors Events recently housed striped straws in baby bottles.
Photo: Courtesy of Rock Paper Scissors
Ladyfingers Letterpress created a book-like baby shower invitation with quotes and sentiments from the mommy-to-be’s favorite children’s stories. The cover was hand-sewn with gray-and-white baker’s twine, and a library card served as the R.S.V.P. card. Guests were encouraged to bring their favorite children’s book to help build the little one’s reading library.
Photo: Courtesy of Ladyfingers Letterpress
Washington-based event designer André Wells planned a baby shower that had an untraditional guest book. Guests could snap Polaroid selfies and leave the images, along with a note, in the book.
Photo: Davide De Pas
At a travel-theme baby shower planned by Andre Wells, guests left notes detailing their best baby advice.
Photo: Davide De Pas
At the Ritz-Carlton South Beach in Florida, the catering team surprises guests at social functions with a “sushi cupcake” setup. The station presents the whimsical cakes on a boat-like stand.
Photo: Courtesy of Ritz-Carlton South Beach
Rock Paper Scissors Events designed a shower with a “lavender” theme that included purple candies and lavender in the floral arrangements by Cristina Lozito. Because showers are usually held during the day, planners like to use a light, cheerful color to design a cohesive look.
Photo: Courtesy of Rock Paper Scissors
Paramount Catering and Events in Chicago offers whimsical pretzel stations. The pretzels hang on stands, and guests dip them in sauces, including whole-grain mustard and tomato-bacon jam.
Photo: Courtesy of Paramount Catering and Events
Paramount Events suggests utilizing a tabletop pegboard to present breakfast items like bagels and doughnuts in a fresh, new way for a bridal brunch.
Photo: Courtesy of Paramount Catering and Events
The wedding-theme event hosted by Mindy Weiss and Wedding Paper Divas in Los Angeles featured the D.I.Y. trend: one station invited guests to customize cookies with watercolor-inspired paints.
Photo: Tiffany Rose/Getty Images for Wedding Paper Divas
Guests at the Los Angeles event hosted by Mindy Weiss and Wedding Paper Divas could also create custom bags of potpourri.
Photo: Tiffany Rose/Getty Images for Wedding Paper Divas
Lollipops can be sweet or savory like the seared tuna version with togarashi, avocado mousse, arare, and micro shiso from Paramount Catering and Events.
Photo: Courtesy of Paramount Catering and Events
Chicago’s Meatloaf Bakery, which got its start making cupcake-shaped meatloaf topped with mashed-potato “frosting,” now makes entire savory cakes. The centerpiece-worthy snack can be served as lunch at afternoon affairs like bridal showers.
Photo: Courtesy of Meatloaf Bakery
