Today’s Real Party feature is a gorgeous + fun + glam baby shower (for event designer Laura Ritchie) that holds a special place in my heart for a few reasons… First of all, if you’ve been following HWTM for a while, you might recognize the theme. This shower was inspired by the Cirque Du Bebe theme that I originally created for actress Tisha Campbell. They also incorporated my Cirque invitation design, coordinating party elements, and {free} downloadable signs. I can’t tell you how fun it is to see something that you’ve designed become part of an important occasion for someone else!

Secondly, the hostesses (with the help of Laura’s creative flair) did an AMAZING job building on the theme and making it their own! I am seriously SO very impressed by everything… especially the fabulous cupcake stand that will be covered next in Part 2!

Circus Baby Shower printables

My Cirque du Bebe printables are available in our store! Use them to add instant style and personalized details to your party. 🙌 You can edit the custom text yourself – right on the website – whenever (and as often as) you need to! Click here to buy this collection.

And third of all, (cue the heartstrings) there’s unfortunately a sad element to this story that also serves as a great example of the support of family members in hard times… The adorable mom-to-be, Laura– lost her mother to cancer when she was just 8 weeks pregnant. The silver lining is that her 3 aunts stepped up to throw this amazing shower for her (& in other ways of course too)… but I’m sure they wanted the shower to be even more special & beautiful given the circumstances. And that’s exactly what it was…

So… without further adieu, here’s the first half of the gorgeous pics (featuring invites & decor) + the party details sent in by the photographer, Laura Ashbrook (yes…different Laura!)…

PARTY DETAILS from Laura Ashbrook…

“Having a baby and the planning up to it can be a circus! So why not have a Cirque Du Bebe themed baby shower?! The three aunts, Barbara Fleagle, Trish Forman and Diane Roth threw a shower in honor of their niece, Laura Ritchie on January 22nd in Leesburg, Virginia.

Laura lost her mom to cancer in August when she was just 8 weeks pregnant. Her aunts have stepped forward to not only be more supportive than ever but share in the joys of being the mother figures in Laura’s life.

THEME

In the grand style of their over the top event planning niece, who is the owner of Events In The City outside of Washington, D.C., the three aunts acted has fairy godmothers and put on a fete not to be matched! The Cirque Du Bebe theme was inspired from the website HostessWithTheMostess.com. Once that was set, each aunt took on different responsibilities in carrying out this special occasion.

Forty guests were in attendance from childhood friends, college roommates, old coworkers, vendors in the industry that Laura works in and some her mom’s best friends even attended to show their support. Guests were greeted at the door by her cousin Michelle Fleagle – who was dressed to match the theme and complete with masquerade mask!

DECOR

Other décor to accent the tables was gathered from local places like SteinMart, HomeGoods, World Market and Michaels. Other items were bought online at Luna Lanterns, Lamps Plus and Save-on-crafts.com. Conveniently, Barbara as a real knack for this construction and design as she is also in the event industry as the owner of Details Details in Leesburg, VA. Ostrich feathers (brought from another event that Trish in her hometown) served as the perfect finishing touch!

DRINKS

Guests then helped themselves to beverages, including Aunt Trish’s concoction called Baby Blue Booze, which included white cranberry juice and blue Curacao with blueberries and sliced oranges.

MENU

From a family of fabulous Italian cooks, each aunt took on making the menu from scratch and came up with a delicious spread. Barbara prepped for days ahead of time with some of her signature dishes, Diane made handmade pizza slices and hummus, and Trish made crab salad and baked brie. (see pics in Part 2)

DESSERTS

Laura’s favorite bakery, Fluffy Thoughts in McLean, VA was ordered from for their fabulous cupcakes, which Barbara accented with her killer Chocolate Bark, and chocolate dipped strawberries. The delicious cupcakes were sitting on a handmade stand by Barbara with material and trims from Hancock Fabrics. (see pics in Part 2)

CANDY STATION

Laura and her Aunt Diane worked on the candy station together over a few weeks. Using glass apocathery jars in different shapes and sizes, classic candy filled each one and embellished with a cute phrase to boot! Each pharase coordinated with the candy that was inside. For example, Reese’s Pieces said “We’re gonna love Ethan to Pieces”, Lemon Heads said “Pucker Up for Mama”, and Gummy Worms said “ Worms and Snails and Puppy Dog Tails, that’s what little boys are made of”. Each guest filled a chinese take out box with candy to go home with them as their favor. (see pics in Part 2)

Circus Baby Shower printables

My Cirque du Bebe printables are available in our store! Use them to add instant style and personalized details to your party. 🙌 You can edit the custom text yourself – right on the website – whenever (and as often as) you need to! Click here to buy this collection.