
Modern Elephants on Parade Baby Shower
Remember the way-too-much-fun “MILKaholic Baby Shower” we featured earlier this year? Well, the creative genius behind that shower – Carrie of Half Baked – is back with another adorable, polka-dot filled baby shower that she recently threw for her sister… this time with an “Elephants on Parade” theme!
Carrie’s bold & modern signature style really shines through again here… and I especially love how she once again managed to make BLACK work so well for a baby shower, while still keeping the overall feel of the party adorable and SWEET (in more ways than one!).
Read on for lots more playful images + all the creative details…
PARTY DETAILS, as told by Carrie…
“My family and I recently hosted a baby shower for my sister, Ashley, in honor of her first baby girl. It was a fun collaboration of efforts between four of us, all living in different cities. Planning everything from afar can be tricky but with countless phone calls, emails and photos exchanged, we somehow managed to pull it off. Best of all, we were thrilled to celebrate Ashley and welcome Baby Bray with this Elephants on Parade Baby Shower.
THE PARTY THEME
After much discussion, we decided to base the theme on the baby bedding for the nursery. It’s a fun and vibrant combination of elephants and polka dots. We wanted the shower to be inspired by the nursery but with our own modern twist. The color scheme was black and white with pops of pink. We incorporated numerous different patterns with big dots, little swiss dots and stripes. And of course – oodles of elephants!!
THE INVITATION
I designed the invitation and let it set the tone for the party decor. Preppy and modern yet inspired by the nursery. The elephants, with their long trunks and polka dot ears, are my rendition of the elephant on the crib bedding. The back of the invite featured black and white polka dots with a pink stripe reading ‘Welcome Baby Bray’. (My sister kept the baby’s first name a secret until she was born… sweet baby Addison arrived in July!) Custom address labels mimicked the back of the invite and gave guests their first peek at the fun to come!
THE DECOR
Guest arrived to a front porch lined with black, white and pink flag bunting and a welcome sign featuring the whimsical black elephants. Little did they know, but those black elephants were on parade inside the house! From the desserts to the presents and games, elephants everywhere! My older sister, Jennifer, crafted a coordinating diaper cake which created a playful centerpiece for the living room along with much discussion about it’s fabulousness! Additional flag bunting wrapped the front table where guests dropped off their gifts while signing the baby book and grabbing a matching name tag. A plush toy elephant and soft blocks, custom made by Little Sidekick in funky black and white fabrics, added an extra touch of decor and a gift for the baby to keep!
THE DESSERT TABLE
We wanted to provide an array of miniature desserts so that guests could sample several different items. And besides, ladies are more inclined to have a treat or two (or three or four) when the portions are small! Cupcakes were topped with charming fondant toppers by Brittany at Edible Details who recreated our elephant and polka dots perfectly! Custom sugar cookies were created by The Cookie Jar to also match the theme. To help balance the sugar rush, we served up portions of mixed nuts and white cheddar popcorn in paper cones. (Baby Addison’s grandfather even got into the shower spirit and custom made the stands for the popcorn cones. Like I said, this was a team planning event!) Of course, I designed the cake with it’s sassy cupcake liner flower. Additional desserts included meringue cookies, cream puffs, mint truffles and cheesecake shooters (recipe here). Lime Tea Punch and lemon water was served to wash it all down.
THE ACTIVITIES
After splurging on way too many goodies, everyone enjoyed a challenging Baby Name Game. Guests were also asked to write sentimental ‘Well Wishes’ on keepsake cards. Of course the main event was ooh and awing over baby clothes and gifts… and enjoying the excitement of a new baby on the way!
THE FAVORS
Guests were given a small box filled with ‘Sweet Kisses’. Hershey Kisses with patterned labels inside a white box wrapped with coordinating paper and elephant tags.
Everyone had a lovely time celebrating with Ashley and indulging in some sweets. A huge thank you to Jennifer, Sheila and Sunny for all of their help putting this shower together. We could not be more thrilled for Ashley and her husband Dustin! We were honored to welcome their daughter Addison into this world!”

- Party Styling: Carrie Sellman of Half Baked
- Invitation & Paper Goods: Carrie Sellman of Half Baked
- Fondant Cupcake Toppers: Edible Details
- Decorated Sugar Cookies: The Cookie Jar
- Diaper Cake: Jennifer Niehoff
- Plush Elephant & Baby Blocks: Little Sidekick
- Cake: Carrie Sellman of Half Baked
10 Comments
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Your photos are just so sweet!
WOW!! soooo creative and I love the colors! what a lucky sister :)
Super cute!
So creative! I love this theme. Now I just have to make one of my friends get pregnant so I can throw her this party..
~Stop Me if You’ve Heard This One
This is just so adorable! My niece has developed a certain fondness for elephants, this should be perfect inspiration for her next birthday! Bookmarking!
Beautiful job, Carrie! Love the cake and the cupcake liner “flower” :)
I’m so lucky to have had such a beautiful shower in mine and Addy’s honor! Loved every detail, and everything was over the top! :)
Thanks for all of the sweet comments! This shower was truly a labor of love among the entire family! We were so excited to shower Ashley and her sweet baby girl with love… and elephants!
This party is just lovely and adorable! Great work!
hi
how can I purchase these https://www.hwtm.com/2011/11/modern-elephants-on-parade-baby-shower/
my daughter loves them