My Adorable British Baby Shower

We are now counting days, not months or even weeks, until the arrival of our baby girl and that means it’s getting really real.  At the end of January my London friends surprised me with an amazing baby shower and to say I was shocked is an understatement. Part of the reason I was so surprised is one of my friends who was organizing it had asked for a guest list and we were discussing tentative dates at the end of February and the other was that everyone kept it SUCH a surprise.   It turns out one of my good friends was in from the US and they planned it so she could be there – a great group of six friends from university, work, and volunteering showered Baby R with so much love. I had thrown around the idea of a British themed afternoon tea and to keep things low-key and my friends took the first to heart.

Party poppers filled with confetti went off the second I walked into my friends flat to pick her up for lunch and the surprises kept going. The kitchen was set up for afternoon tea complete with three tier plates of tea sandwiches, half a dozen types of tea, cups and saucers, gold flatware (silverware to Americans) and more. We popped champagne and they had a non alcoholic version chilled already waiting for me and then the surprises just kept coming. I had a baby scan that morning so had come dressed in leggings and a top (I’ve found black leggings are key because of all the gel) but my friends knew I’d likely want to be a bit more glam. They had a handful of maternity dresses waiting for me so I could pick one out and even had a fascinator ready for me so I could truly embrace the theme.

After that we sat down to do gifts and to my surprise the TV was hooked up with a video call which all of my family called into – both grandmas, every set of aunt and uncles, my parents, and my brother. I felt, and still feel, so incredibly loved that everyone made the effort even family who joined at  7am even while on holiday in Mexico.  I was able to open a few presents, enjoy an amazing afternoon tea with too many delicious treats to name, and then some baby shower games – a truly fantastic British Baby Shower. Luckily the week before we had done the first version of our baby registries (both at  John Lewis & Partners and Baby Wishlist at Amazon) so guests were able to actually get us some of the essentials we needed.

I could go on and on but it was an amazing afternoon and I’m so grateful to everyone. Ps.  My friends did an amazing job and seriously, everything was so thoughtful, including the outfits.  If I had been looking for my own  I really like this Alyssa Bardot Bow Maternity Midi Dress with Ruching that comes in six colors which is what I was planning on ordering if it had been a month later / I knew the date.

Which is your favoirte shot from my British Baby Shower?