Elegant Baby Shower

 I had the wonderful privilege of hosting a baby shower for my cousins wife, back in November. It was wonderful fun and I think everyone had a great time.
 
  Here are some of my tips for a fun,and inexpensive party/shower.
 
Now, as much as I LOVE being the hostess, I have to be practical and try not to break the bank. So in the weeks that lead up to the shower I was constanly making lists and thinking how to have a beautiful shower and stretch my dollar as far as it could go. Which wasn't as much of a challenge as I thought. We weren't sure how many people would be coming so instead of having it in a home, we had it in our church basement.

 Here are some of my tips for a fun,and inexpensive party/shower.

   1. BORROW
If there are people that you feel comfortable with, borrow some things you might need. Don't be afraid to ask. Most people are so happy to help in any way.
 
  2. SHARE
 I so wanted to be able to do it all myself, but that is just kinda ridiculous. My Aunt helped pitch in some money which was a great help.

  A small challenge that I had (and I'm sure many can relate) was me and the mama to-be have almost completely different styles. But that added a fun little bit of challenge and helped me step out of my box.

  This was my major source of inspiration, from Pinterest, of course. A very rustic, but elegant theme.

   I'm so upset this picture never turned out! It was SO bright and hard to hide my shadow. :( Anyhow

 
 This was right as you walked in the door (note the blue :)) The church had that wooden high chair in the nursery and my crazy mind was reeling with creativity. In the picture frame was the shower invitation. The banner, I made a couple years ago for my sweet cousins bridal shower. And my best friend was kind enough to let me borrow her chalkboard.  

 

  And another picture that didn't turn out well.Grrr.

 Several years ago I was at a Graduation Party and something similar to this was on the gift table. I thought it was and awesome idea, and it was fun to pick out the Thank You cards. The dish pan and cup were the churches and the slate was mine.

I was so pleased with the refreshment table. It turned out exactly as I invisioned. I made the tassels with only 6 pieces of tissue paper! How easy! Again, Pinterest. I had coupons at JoAnns and got the burlap runner for a steal! The washtub was the church's. Instead of one big cake, or a bunch of cupcakes, my mom made a Cinnamon Struesel and Double Chocolate bundt cake. And my cousin made a Lemon Poppy Seed bundt cake. I also borrowed the cake stands. Each were different which added a quirkiness. This was a HUGE savings and worked wonderfully with the rustic/elegant theme. We also had some Chex-Mix, in a wooden bowl I borrowed.

 Drinks: Water with lemons and limes
            Hot mulled Apple Cider
            Hot Coffee
It was very cold and windy that day so it was nice to have the hot drinks as an option.

 

I think everyone had a nice time. It was mostly family which made it extra special.

We had 30 people and a budget of $200. We spent around $100. I kept my money in an envelope and wrote down the price of everything I bought. I was so excited when it was all tallied up!

 

I hope someone will find these tips helpful. Thanks for reading!