My Baby Shower

My sister and Betsy hosted a gorgeous Moroccan themed baby shower for me and Baby Lau Spina. It was a truly collaborative effort where nearly every touch was cozily personal, handcrafted by a caring friend. Shout outs in the event details at the bottom of this post.

Walking into the room for the first time was one of my favorite parts of the day. It took by breath away! The entire room was swathed in gorgeous jewel tones, flowers were arranged everywhere, there were paper lanterns strung about, Moroccan music was in the air and my girlfriends were ready to embrace me with warm hugs. I had collaborated on the theme and chose the invitations but was not privy to much else. I knew the "team" had been working really hard for weeks and it really paid off.



Guests left sweet and encouraging messages for me on homemade water colored cards, which were hung in a beribboned window decorated with photos of me in baby/childhood. Jenny even managed to put up messages from invitees who couldn't make it to L.A. Nora, Sergio's mom, sent an especially thoughtful message.



Jenny made a beautiful, touching speech that had everyone in tears.



We had a delicious lunch of homemade Indian food.



We played three really fun games.



The most hilarious was the belly measuring game where people had to guess the circumference of my belly by cutting a length of yarn. I think my mom was the most inaccurate of them all! She was over by nearly a foot! And my sister Jenny had second guessed herself and even added an extension to hers! Ha.



We cut into an incredible Moroccan inspired cake and then opened gifts.



They even managed to find Italian themed Chinese take-out boxes for the favors. I mean, how apropos is that?!?



I will cherish these memories! Thank you ladies for welcoming my baby into this world with so much love and beauty.

Full set of photos here: http://flic.kr/s/aHsjE7zwsU


The Details
Decor: Pom Poms - Jenny, Jennie, and Alpna. // Homemade paper lanterns - Liz. // Authentic Saris - Alpna's personal collection. // Floor cushion covers - Mom and Mo Ching. // Flower arrangements - Caitlin. // The location, real silverware and china - Susan. // Watercolor message cards - Diana D. // Low tables and cushions - Jennie // Diaper cake and generous use of her height to hang all the saris - Betsy. // Serving ware - Caitlin, Alpna, Susan. //
Games: Who knows Mother to be best? Guess the belly circumference. Baby animal names. - Betsy and Jennie
Food: Homemade Indian. Also her personal Masala Chai tea recipe! - Alpna with Jennie as sous chef.
Cake: Homemade Moroccan inspired orange blossom cake with fresh squeezed blood orange custard and MY NEW FAVORITE CAKE EVER! - Rebecca.
Favors: Nan Katthai (indian biscuit with cardamom) - Alpna
Photography - T. Nicole Photography - Sponsored by Amy

I'm sorry ladies if I missed anyone or anything! I'm going off memory here and it really isn't all that reliable these days.

Getting fancy

My baby shower was the perfect opportunity to get fancy. I suspect it may be a long time before I get so gussied up again so I made a conscious decision to relish it.

I don't know about you, but I LOVE the ritual of getting ready for a special occasion. Hanging up the dress, curling my lashes, picking out jewelry, being especially careful with eyeliner...it floods back memories of school dances and special date nights. All the celebrations I've attended. I think about the times I got ready with my sister or girlfriends. As my baby shower day approached, I found myself wishing I had a girlfriend with me at the salon. But they were all helping set up my shower! :) Now I'm glad I didn't. The leisurely morning was a gift that allowed me to quietly contemplate and enjoy the excited expectation and gratitude I felt for the day.

Have you been to The Dry Bar? If you haven't and decide to, it's worth springing for the floater scalp massage. Sooooo goooood. They offered me tea and cookies, and Devil Wears Prada was on. So it's pretty much girly heaven. They made my hair look so fancy. I pinned in new Ban.do flair I got just for the occasion. I took my time with my makeup. I slipped on a dress I spied for 50% at Letters from L.A.. I nearly squealed in the store fitting room when it zipped it all the way up.



Sergio told me I looked beautiful. (swoooon.....) And you know, I felt it. Sure the beauty tricks help but honestly, I just felt so incredibly happy to have arrived at this particular day.

My Baby Shower Preview

My baby shower was so beautiful and fun! I can't wait to see the official photos. Until then, here's a sneak peek!

I stole this first photo from Fabi's Instagram feed: