Hi there! This is Amy from Amy Nichols Special Events – a full-service event & wedding planning studio based out of San Francisco. I couldn’t be more thrilled to be writing my first contributor post for Hostess with the Mostess today!

To kick things off, I’m sharing tips on how an entire party theme can be inspired from one invitation design. And to help illustrate this concept, here are some images from a Peacock-themed Baby Shower that I recently designed, which was inspired by an adorable peacock themed invitation from Minted.com. (Minted is an amazing resource, by the way – their products feature fresh designs from indie designers around the world!) Scroll down to check out pics of the party this invite inspired, followed by some planning tips!

FROM INVITATION TO INSPIRATION:

1. Keep your options open! Take themes beyond the traditional “baby” or “wedding” themes for a shower – in this case, my client and I decided to go with a peacock theme for this baby boy shower because we loved the little peacock motif on this invitation from Minted.

2. The invitation led us to the color choice for the party: blue and green, which were perfect for a baby boy and enabled us to bring everything back full circle. I loved the colorful linens in different shades of blue and green from La Tavola Linens. They brought in an interesting texture (sequins) and a festive pattern.

3. When planning a party, don’t stress about all of the colors being in the exact same shade or tone. As you’ll see from these images, I used lots of different blues and greens in the party – they all work together and still create a fun vibe. Even the cakepops had different shades of green and blue glitter and dust to echo the invitation.

4. Lastly, for favors I always vote to go for something edible. We adored the little green and blue peacock, and asked local cookie designer, Sugar Mama SF to replicate the bird’s body and heart-shaped tail as cookie favors for the shower guests to take home.

Until next time, cheers!
– Amy