Today, I am so excited to have Melissa Deming of Hive Resources here to guest post.  Melissa and I met at Allume last October and have since become kindred spirits.  We share our love for hospitality, family life and most importantly, our love for Jesus.  She is super stylish and very fun.  I think you’ll really enjoy her post on hosting a color-themed baby shower.  

In the last year, I’ve given three baby showers. Each one different; each one a joy.

By the time shower no. 3 rolled around, I was ready to jazz things up a bit. And I was excited when my co-party planners suggested a color-themed party!

Hosting a color-themed baby shower is an easy way to give your event a cohesive theme and look. But it can also be expensive if you’re not careful. So, consider these three tips for organizing a color-themed event without going over budget.

1)      Don’t do it by yourself!

It’s time to loosen control. We’ve all seen those professional Pinterest party pins with the food tables arranged in front of backdrops, tabletops laden with various sizes of cake stands, and all the spoons facing the same direction.

I love this – my Pinterest Party Board attests to it! But I also know that if I tried to undertake all those details by myself, I’d either go broke or crazy. And since I’m already bordering on both, I don’t really need any extra help getting there. So, how do you mitigate becoming shower-zilla? Enlist some friends – even just one helper – to help you brainstorm. Divide tasks according to preference. And then go! You’ll be surprised at what comes together.

At a recent baby shower I hosted for a friend, I knew I had a particularly hectic schedule, so three or four other ladies worked together to plan the event. We agreed on a purple color scheme because the mommy-to-be is using purple polka dots in her nursery. Then we divided up responsibilities and checked in with each other until the time of the shower via email or Facebook messages.

Mrs. Decorator Extraordinaire took care of the decorations.  Mrs. Pro Party-Planner oversaw details like invitations, paper goods, and organizing food lists. Mrs. Spiritual Mentor came prepped with special prayers printed on paper that a few of the party guests used to pray over the mommy-to-be.  And the Party-Lover (that’s me) made sure the party locale was clean and ready to go.

2)      Don’t get locked into one color

You might think delegating different jobs would create confusion for a color-themed party. How did we know if our supplies were all the same shade of purple?

Do use different shades of one color.

We learned two things while planning this shower. There are lots of shades of purple and very few baby items that are any shade of purple! (Baby aisles are loaded with pink, blue, greens, and yellow – but very little purple!) So, we decided early on that we wouldn’t restrict ourselves to one exact shade.

The result was surprising! Having multiple shades of purple gave the party décor added depth. Plus, it opened the door to different utilizing patterns. The Decorator Extraordinaire used different shades of purple to make paper decorations and a wreath that mommy-to-be can use in her nursery.  The effect was very ombre!

Another friend, Mrs. Baker Homemaker, brought fresh-cut hydrangeas from her yard. When she offered to bring them the week before the shower, they were bright purple! But by the time the shower arrived, the weather had turned their petals different shades of rose, light purple, and blue. It didn’t really matter because with the added lavender, all the colors harmonized really well!

Do select an accent color.

Ombre can be lovely. But by choosing an accent color, you are adding additional depth to your décor. Using an accent color is also another way to hold costs down.  If you can’t find ribbon in a particular color, choose a less expensive one in your accent color.

When choosing your accent color, be sure to let your decorations be your guide. When Mrs. Pro Party- Planner found the paper goods, we noticed a lime green band edging the tablecloth along with a band of giraffe print.  Using the table cloth as our guide, we used those two elements in other areas.

3)      Don’t blow your budget on flowers.

The cost of fresh flowers can eat up a budget faster than any other party expense. This is particularly true if you’re hosting a color-themed event because you are less likely to buy inexpensive fillers if they don’t match your color choice.

Because we knew our budget was tight, Mrs. Decorator Extraordinaire volunteered to make a diaper cake, which we used as our centerpiece. She used varying shades of purple and pulled in the giraffe print from the tablecloth with this adorable stuffed animal topper. Complete with blankets, pacifiers, diapers, onesies, and more, this adorable “cake” was then served as a gift to the mommy-to-be.

Do you share the title “Mrs. Party Lover” with me? Then, next time think outside the box and throw a color-themed event. It doesn’t matter if you’re celebrating a birthday, wedding, or special holiday – color makes everything more fun!

Two years ago, Melissa launched Hive Resources – site to help women sweeten their walk with Christ through Bible study, devotional articles, book reviews, and more.

Helping women fall in love with the sweetness of God’s Word makes Melissa’s heart sing (as does brown sugar and copious amounts of coffee). A few years ago, she launched Hive Resources – a site to help women sweeten their walk with Christ through Bible study, devotional articles, book reviews, and more.