Baby T #2’s Gender Reveal

We had the most magical day this weekend while discovering the gender of our next little babe.  To be honest, John and I would have been thrilled with either a boy or girl (especially since I am a big proponent of Team Boy these days thanks to G)…but when the confetti popped pink, it was just an insanely emotional moment to know we have been blessed with one of each. I have always dreamed to have a little girl of my own, so this is truly a dream come true for me.

We originally planned to do a super simple photo with just Grady, John,and myself to share with family and friends.  But after John and I started pulling everything together, we wanted our parents to be there with all of our closest ‘friends’ (really, they are more like family) for our special moment.  We threw it out there to everyone as a totally optional and small gathering….and in true fashion, they all showed perfect support and EVERYONE wanted to come!  So of course, we couldn’t NOT do something special to celebrate the occasion.

Since we did Grady’s gender reveal in the Oak trees outside, we thought it would be fun to do something different and do this one on the beach overlooking the ocean.  We ended up at a pavilion at Phipps Ocean Park and it was a perfect venue for our intimate affair.  It was a bit too windy to do the confetti box overlooking the ocean, but there was a beautiful shaded tree that worked perfectly just a few yards away that we were able to use.

Of course my mom was my savior and helped to take the event to the next level. She handmade the garland, centerpieces, cute Beach sign, and onesie cake (as well as the reveal box). I created some signage and banners and pulled together some fun pink and blue items for the table…and I think it came together perfectly!  We literally pulled it all together in just over a week after deciding to make it more of an occasion rather than just a gathering, and I honestly could not be happier with the way it turned out.  It was truly special:   A beautiful, breezy south Florida winter day with our loved ones.Life is genuinely beautiful when you take the time to celebrate the little moments.

I am so excited to start fully planning the arrival of our little girl! She is already so loved by so many and I cannot wait to share the beauty of the world with her.

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It’s a Boy! A Gender Reveal to Remember

Since this is our  first baby, John and I really wanted to have some fun with the gender reveal of Baby T.  I did a lot of research on Pinterest and some other fun blogs.  Since gender reveals are a fairly new practice, it was difficult to find something that felt timeless and classic without being cheesy or baby-ish.  Luckily, I came across this great post where the family did a beautiful event outdoors with a soft peach and mint theme.  My mom and I immediately decided to mirror our event after this.

After deciding on the theme, the next step was to find the perfect location that could host a casual gathering with a beautiful scenery.  I decided to research locations by looking into photo-shoot spots used by local photographers (this was extremely useful and I highly recommend doing it if you are unsure about event locations in different areas).  John and I wanted something that would highlight the beautiful Florida sunset in a natural setting.  When we stumbled upon the Riverbend Park in Jupiter, FL, we knew we had found a gem, and the perfect location for our photo shoot and gender reveal.

Now, the real fun began!  My mom and I hand-made these fun invitations:

We used small circular glitter confetti and punched small circles into colored craft paper to create the confetti effect (this ties to the method of our reveal used at the event).

I have to give credit to my mom for creating all of the beautiful details for this event.  She took my vision and really made it come to life!

Here is a peak at the gorgeous park and setting:

The event started with guests arriving to Peach Lemonade and Mint Iced Tea refreshments.  All guests ‘chose a side’ and wore either a peach or a mint-colored fray pin to show their wish for Baby T’s gender. 

And of course, there was the PERFECT dessert table with the very important party ‘props.’ We made poppers filled with confetti that guests would eventually pop to reveal Baby T’s gender. I mean, check out how beautiful this set-up is!

Our guests enjoyed some catered Chipotle for dinner while our photographer snapped some shots of John and I.  Then the time finally came to find out Baby T’s gender!  John and I were both literally DYING to find out.  He was expecting a girl, but I had a very strong feeling it would be a boy.  All of our guests grabbed poppers and surrounded us as we anticipated the POP!  We were so excited to see mint green confetti flying at us confirming my beliefs of a little boy on the way.  We did actually have an early popper (but it happened behind us so we didn’t see it until the rest of the group showered us at once).  At the end of the day, the early popper really just made it that more fun, memorable, and spontaneous!

After all was said and done, having an intimate gender reveal party with our closest family and friends was such an amazing blessing. We had such a blast and have these memories that will last a lifetime.  Our little boy is already so loved and blessed beyond belief…we are absolutely floored by the outpouring of genuine love and support from our friends and family. We cannot wait to welcome Grady into this world, but are so excited for the coming months to enjoy the rest of this journey.  I am already onto the next project…..Grady’s nursery :).

Here are some of my favorite pics from our photographer from this magical day:

 

SOURCES / TIPS:

Photography: http://www.thompsonphotographygroup.com/ 

Pink Maxi Dress (BCBG) : http://www.bcbgeneration.com/Color-Blocked-Cross-Back-Dress/VDW66D30-675,default,pd.html?dwvar_VDW66D30-675_color=675&cgid=shop-dresses-maxi#start=17

White Lace Dress (Bebe): http://www.bebe.com/Sale/Dresses/Lace-Long-Sleeve-Dress/90376.pro?keyword=white%20lace%20dress 

Pink Glitter Napkins: http://www.swoozies.com/product/292772

Aqua Blue Napkins: http://www.swoozies.com/product/292983

Glitter Mason Jars: Quart Ball Jars from Walmart; Spray adhesive paint from Home Depot; Gold glitter from Michaels; Gold Metallic paint from Walmart

Gold Lettering Signs: Here’s a how-to on the process: http://jennycollier.com/diy-gold-foil-print/ we bought a laminator here: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0010JEJPC/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B0010JEJPC&linkCode=as2&tag=httpjennycoco-20&linkId=YTYHTRHSE3CMEBXJ; and Gold Foil can be purchased here: http://lauramurraydesigns.com/foil/foil-by-the-yard/

Floating Frames: “At Home” design store 11 x 14 & 8 x 10 black frames, painted white

Poppers:  Push-pops: http://shop.pushpopcontainers.com/ ; Special Tissue colors cut into small squares: http://www.nashvillewraps.com/ ; + ribbon, gold sequins and clear white crinkle paper from the craft store

Team Boy/Girl Pins: Crepe paper sewn to safety pins: http://www.papermart.com/premium-colored-crepe-paper/id=36547