One of the most popular and classic themes when it comes to kiddies must be the circus. This theme is never old and is well suited to both boys and girls. For my daughter's first birthday, we invited everyone to the Big Top and you can see all the photos and details in this month's Good Newsletter.
Plus, we really loved this real life Vintage Circus Baby Shower done by Tanya of The Candy Tree and just by studying the photos you will see there are some really great tips, especially if you are looking to throw a baby shower and on a budget:
TOP TEN BABY SHOWER BUDGET SAVING TIPS:
1. Whilst everyone loves a unique colour scheme, if you are looking to do things on a budget pick a colour scheme that you are actually likely to find party products in. So in the case of the circus it is always best to go with classic bright colour palette. You could always try then to only focus on two colours, like red and blue as far as possible but at least you don't have alienate yellow or green just in case these are the only ones available.
2. For invitations opt for a printable party collection, but go the uncustomised route for the décor items like the party circles, thank you cards, bunting etc. For the invitation, the customised route is best, but send the invitations out electronically rather than print them. You are more likely to get rsvps in quicker and the cost of the customisation will be set off against the paper, printing, postage and phone calls that would have ensued had you gone the traditional route. We really like the Circus ones from The Candy Tree and the collection that I used for Bailey's Party from Paper & Cake.
3. Host the baby shower in the afternoon, that way guests are not expecting a meal, so circus food like candy floss, doughnuts, popcorn, mini hotdogs and hamburgers will go down a treat. For cost effective savings for a small crowd buying already-made will actually save you in the end, but if you have a big guest list then definitely make your own.
4. Balloons are a must for a circus party, but remember to factor in the cost of the helium and having to transport them and this can only be done on the day of the party. A nice alternative is to make giant paper tissue poms.
5. Whilst a big fancy cake is always stunning, you will actually find that you will always be left with more than what was actually eaten. So rather opt for a smaller already-made white cake and decorate with ribbon and a cute circus animal soft toy or figurine, and add mini bunting like Tanya did. Create height by placing the cake stand on top of a round stripy hatbox. Another option which Tanya did beautifully was make a three tiered nappy cake. You could do this with either disposable or towelling nappies, as even though most will use the disposable in terms of the baby, towelling nappies are indispensable for other things like creating a make shift changing mat, to keep shoulders clean, wiping spills etc.
7. If you don't have cake stands, do what Tanya did and use overturned bowls and dinner plates.
8. One thing I love about this theme is that something as simple as a striped tablecloth pegged onto string and one red nose can make for a super fun photo booth!
9. For an activity and guest book in one, print out Wishes for Baby cards, and have guests fill these in. Makes for really nice keepsakes afterwards.
10. For favours, simply add some stripy sweet paper bags to your dessert tables, and encourage guests to take sweets and treats home with them.
