Deluxe Spa Themed Baby Shower

When I first told my husband that my good friend Courtney was pregnant with her 7th child, he immediately said that she needed a shower where all the guests could spend the day floating down the lazy river at the water park. My husband has a hidden talent for party ideas, and as soon as he mentioned it, I texted Courtney’s sister, Lacy, and told her the idea. From that point, the baby shower took on a life of its own!

If you know Courtney, or if you’ve ever read her blog, you know that she has a larger than life personality! This shower was full of details that were perfect for her. The whole Moroccan aspect came from Lacy remembering that Courtney liked a Moroccan themed shower that she read about in People magazine twenty years ago! All the party favors were monogrammed with Courtney’s initials, and so were different aspects of the backdrop.

We decided to throw the shower at the San Antonio JW Marriott. Courtney’s husband rented cabanas, and we decided on a weekday morning while school was still in session so that the pool area would be relatively empty. The JW Marriott has waterslides, pools, hot tubs, and the all important lazy river! Because we were throwing the shower at a hotel, we were limited in the things that we could provide. We had to order all the food and beverages from the hotel, and because we were going to be at the pool, we couldn’t bring in anything breakable. Normally I love to make the food for parties, but it was nice to not have to worry about it.

Courtney’s husband wanted there to be pampering to the extreme, so he arranged for massage therapists to come from the spa to provide massages for all the guests. After spending three nights in a row sewing crepe paper for the backdrops, the neck massage was pretty much the best thing ever!

Candice and I made the backdrops and the party favors, and Courtney’s sisters provided the Moroccan themed goodies. There were fans, water tumblers, and did I mention sarongs and glitter tattoos?! How about the giant golden monogram? That’s right, Candice spent an entire evening crafting the giant letter C … free hand!!

If you decide that you want to throw a shower at a location other than your home, here are some things to keep in mind:

1. Don’t be afraid to think outside the box. The Food and Beverage department at the Marriott had a menu, but Courtney’s sister asked if they could accommodate our theme, and they were more than happy to help out.
2. Don’t be afraid to personalize the space. We added pillows and tablecloths, plus the backdrops. The color palate of the cabanas wasn’t exactly what we had in mind, but once all of our decorations were in place, you couldn’t even tell!
3. If the party is going to be outside, make sure you have a rain location. We had arranged to use a room in one of the restaurants, but thankfully the weather cooperated!
4. Get help! This party was a big undertaking, but thankfully there were a lot of us working together.
5. Open your mind to other ideas. When I first told Lacy and Candice about the idea for the shower, I had something pretty specific in mind, but the shower ended up being bigger and better than I could have imagined!
6. Think of the small details that will make it extra special for the mom to be. The nail polish we used in the favors was a shade called “Courtney Orange,” which we knew Courtney loved!

 

If you’re curious, the sequin tablecloth is actually just an uncut piece of fabric that we bought off Amazon, and all the ribbon, lace and crepe paper came from our friends at Paper Mart!