A few weeks ago I had the opportunity to plan a surprise baby shower with my good friend and colleague Missy, of Antonia Christiansion Events. Our mutual friend and colleague Emily, of Emily Weddings was having a baby girl and we wanted to shower her with love before the baby came. With a due date looming in the following month we didn’t have much time.
On Wednesday I called Emily to invite her to a lunch date with Missy and I that following Monday. On Thursday morning Missy and myself, along with Jodi of Sweetwater Cuisine, and Kristal of Kristal Lane Beauty on Location got together to start planning the surprise. We decided from the beginning that we wanted to invite both men and woman in our industry and make it be more of a fun get together than a traditional baby shower. Jodi was kind enough to host the event in Sweetwater Cuisine’s Cafe, which is located inside Wayside Village along with Missy’s studio and conveniently where I had invited Emily to lunch.
Our baby shower theme was “You make me happy when skies are grey”, and we went with the colors grey and pink to match the baby’s nursery. We quickly put together a guest list and Missy’s team worked on sending out the Evites that encouraged our guests to “shower Emily with a luncheon of love and a sprinkle of fun!” Within two days (clearly we didn’t give them much time to RSVP with the event date only 4 days away) we had 20+ of our colleagues on board with our surprise!
I enlisted the help of Emily’s husband and her twin sister to come up with a fun (and hilarious thanks to her husband) “How well do you know Emily” questionnaire for our guests. They were also kind enough to ensure Emily looked her fabulous self before leaving the house and joining us for lunch that day. (If I were near the end of a pregnancy I would have probably worn sweatpants to lunch, but since I wanted to ensure Emily and I stayed friends after this event I made sure she didn’t make that some choice. If you are ever planning a surprise shower, party, engagement etc. please please please always make sure the person you are surprising is dressed appropriately!)
We also enlisted the help of Isha of Isha Foss Events to help us further lure Emily into our trap. Being planners by nature and career, Missy and I both knew that we could plan all day on paper, but when it came down to real life there were other factors that could come into play. For example, what if Emily showed up early, what if she ran into one or several of the guests on the way to lunch? There were a lot of potential errors we had to account for. Since Isha had recently moved into the Wayside Village we used her studio space as our holding room for Emily. Isha had called Emily several days prior to say she had talked to Missy in passing, and knew Emily was coming into Sweetwater (inside Wayside Village) for lunch, and would she mind stopping at her studio at 10:45 to see some new glassware she had gotten in and thought some of Emily’s clients might like. Emily was all for it! So we had our guests park in the back of the building and arrive by 10:40 through a side door and greeted by Kristal, while Emily was parking in the front and going directly into Isha’s studio at 10:45. Perfect!
That morning we set to work transforming the space as quickly and beautifully as possible. Jeramie and Caroline with Stage Right Lighting hung clouds and umbrellas from the ceiling and highlighted our rainy cloud backdrop with pink uplighting. There was also a rain cloud hung above Emily’s seat showering her with the Fruit of the Spirit. Alyse of Waterford Event Rentals kindly gave us her gorgeous grey pintuck linens to use, and Jodi of Sweetwater completed the tables with gorgeous crocheted napkins and her scrumptious southern inspired cuisine. Okay, enough of the details, here are some pictures:
We even had a strawberry cupcake decorating contest via Instagram won by photographer Zoe Grant
I had so much fun working with my friends and colleagues to give Emily an outpouring of love that she so graciously deserves. It truly was a beautiful day, and I am so so thankful for everyone that helped and attended. Best of wishes to you and baby Ellia Emily!
