baby showers

At Stella McCartney's Resort 2013 presentation, a large cart overflowing with roses and peonies stood near the entrance to the venue. As guests left, they were given small bouquets or single stems as festive gifts.

Based in San Francisco, Amy Nichols Special Events recently planned a baby shower with a peacock theme. The dessert table was dressed with glittering chartreuse linens from La Tavola and blue and green floral arrangements from Laurel Designs.

In keeping with the theme, Sweet Lauren Cakes provided cake pops dusted with edible turquoise glitter. Little blue bows added a touch of childlike whimsy.

The daytime event also served brunch bites such as French toast topped with strawberries and a dollop of whipped cream provided by Barbara Llewellyn Catering.

Paula Biggs, creative director and stylist at Frog Prince Paperie, recently designed a violet-hued baby shower for a friend. With a loose "Baby Love" theme, the bash had a dessert table filled with sweets that Biggs baked herself. On the menu: five types of cakes, "to feed any kind of craving [the mother-to-be] might have," she said. Flavors included chocolate, lemon with blackberry crème, coconut, plain white with Swiss meringue frosting, and Bailey's-soaked "La Reine" cake.

To continue with the pale purple color scheme, centerpieces comprised bundles of lavender on lace handkerchiefs. At each place setting, sprigs of baby's breath were tucked into napkins tied with lilac ribbons, and guests found a takeaway gift of lavender-and-lemon salt scrub—to make their skin "baby soft," of course.

One of Biggs's clients recently asked her to design a baby shower with a "pink birdie theme." Decked with birdhouses and an elegant birdcage, the sweets table had a pallet of soft pinks. It held raspberry mousse with fresh whipped cream, petit fours, meringues, cupcakes, chocolate brownie truffles, and apothecary jars filled with rosy candies. Biggs used hair clips and hair bands to decorate the birdcage and candy jars.

Another of Biggs's baby showers was not so girly. At the event, little mustache flags decked the cupcakes, which were decorated in boy-friendly hues of blue and brown.

The arrangements of blue hydrangeas and orange spray roses also held paper mustaches. "When you’re throwing a mustache bash, it’s really difficult to not slap a mustache on everything in the house that doesn’t move," Biggs said. "I did it anyway ... even the flowers got 'stached." The flowers themselves were from Buds Etc. in Melbourne, Florida.

"Monet's Garden" was the theme for a recent baby shower planned by A Little Savvy Event. Held at a private residence in Sonoma, California, the event had a ceiling treatment made of little pink bouquets hanging upside down. "We wanted the space to echo the flowers and lush feel in Monet's garden, as well as give it a whimsical, magical feel," said planner Kelly McLeskey-Dolata. Inspired by the French countryside, the menu included Camembert cheese tarts, ratatouille, and three types of quiche from local purveyors.

Colorful macaroons came from Thomas Keller's Bouchon Bakery, and the linens from La Tavola had a pink-and-white chevron pattern sewn up with sequins.