8.09.2013

Oakland Baby Shower | French market shower | San Francisco Marin Bay Area Event Planner


Oh what a day, we are on the incredible site Pizzazzerie! If this is the first time hearing about this site then you really need to stop living under a rock and head on over there. I will see you in a about 6 years, it's easy to get lost in! Courtney is the amazing talent behind Pizzazzerie as well as an author of many adorable and gorgeous books. 

We had the pleasure of creating a french market baby shower for a couple expecting their first baby girl and what an honor it was. Being they just moved to SF from France it was easy to take them right back to a french market filled with flowers, sweets and everything rustic. 









Theme:
French market was the theme so no expense was spared in getting all of the parisian finds I could scrounge for. The couple is having a girl so they wanted it feminine but since it was a co-ed shower it could not be overly girly. In finding sweet pastel cake stands, pastel macaroons and neutral colors of tan, cream and greens I think this really brought them back to their old home and kept the men sane in attendance from pink overload.
Menu:
Gorgeous macaroons, madeline’s, palmiers, fruit and cheese tarts, cannelles, and petit ecolier cookies which were the dad’s favorite growing up were found on the dessert table. Vanilla and chocolate cupcakes with delicate sugar flowers filled the three tier cake stands. Drink dispensers held ice tea which had a fresh herb garden below to add to taste and fresh lemonade. On the food menu was pulled pork on cheese biscuits for the men at the party, riette with tiny toast loaves in keeping with the french theme, a refreshing cucumber and cheese appetizer and mint whoopie pies for dessert.
Decor:
I wanted to keep it fresh and bright and of course neutral but I also wanted it to have the feeling you might have going through an outdoor french market. We had the event in a large and bright loft so the sun coming through was perfect for the favors I made. I wrapped bouquets I had made in craft paper and wrapped it up in twine. I then placed wooden tags with the guests name written in chalk for them to grab on the way out. I also hand wrapped cookies in gold and linen paper and tied it with twine for a little extra touch to walk out with. For the decor flowers I wanted to keep it minimal but bright and fresh. I had seen a cotton plant recently but could not find any in our local garden shops so I purchased bushels of foliage and bought raw cotton balls that were picked right off the plants so they still had stems and placed them in the foliage to resemble a cotton plant. I also used hydrangeas to fill the space and filled the vases with brussels sprouts to give them a pop of fresh green and hide the stems. It was a fun element to use and the guests at the party enjoyed asking “are those brussels sprouts?” The rest of the space was filled with foliage and herb plants I put in french wooden planters and metal flower stands, tissue paper poms hung from the wooden beams that lined the loft and original french books were picked up at a garage sale as luck would have it the weekend before the party!
I just loved being part of this wonderful event for the first time parents Chami and Mat. They are honored to be living in San Francisco and bringing their daughter into the world and I was thrilled to be part of their special celebration! They are going to make awesome parents to sweet baby J.
CREDITS & RESOURCES:
Event Planner: Katie Rebecca Events | Food: Sunnyside Catering | Photographer- Mille Parole Photography | Sweets and pastries: La Boulange Bakery