Blooming is defined as “opening in blossoms, flowering.” “ Thriving in health, beauty, & vigour; indicating the freshness & beauties of youth or health.” Whenever I think of the word “Blooming”, I think of wonderful blossoms of pinks & reds bursting with life, opening up to reveal beauty & splendour. That’s why I think this is such a great theme for a baby shower or first birthday party. Blooming is all about a tiny bud opening up to revel new life overflowing with beauty, freshness & vibrance. The ‘Blooming’ theme is very apt for celebrating the new life about to open up & the beauty about to be reveled to the world when a new baby is born. It’s also a great theme for celebrating growth from a tiny bud into a blooming one year old full of life, vibrance, & beauty. So I’ve put together a bit of  ‘Blooming’ inspiration which can be adapted for both baby showers and first birthday parties.

For Decor, {see above}, hang red paper lanterns over the table. You can also add in some red tissue pom poms for a ‘more blooming effect.’ See this post for inspiration. Use pretty submerged flowers or pink & red blooms as centerpieces. If you have multiple tables, use both types of centerpieces, for even more blooming variety. Create a stunning hanging feature with pictures of the mum to be at different stages of her pregnancy, or pictures of the baby’s development from birth to one. Attach the pictures to strings of clear pink beads with wooden clothes pins & embellish with little pink roses.

Serve treats from the delectable spread above. Start with a scoop of strawberry sorbet served in a lovely white dish, garnished with a pale pink sweet pea, or serve a raspberry ricotta fool garnished with toasted almond slices. Make this five layer strawberry/ raspberry/ cherry jello. Consider a sundae station, where guests can make their own strawberry sundaes. Serve pink & red mocktails  at a baby shower, fruit punch & strawberry milkshakes at a birthday party. Raspberry macaroons are lovely, & sliced strawberries with whipped cream always please. You may want to create a pink & red candy buffet, especially for a birthday party. Decorate pink cupcakes with blooming roses, and send your guests home with cake pops covered with pink & red sprinkles, or pink & red candy wrapped in cellophane bags, sealed with pink & red patterned paper.

Images: red table setting, submerged flowers, hanging beads & roses feature, pink & red flower arrangement, strawberry sorbet, raspberry fool, red jello, ice cream buffet, raspberry macaroons, candy buffet, cake pops, cupcakes, packaged candy.