filed in Baby Showers, Events, Moms

Natirar Baby Shower

October

Natirar Baby Shower

Aileen and Philip are expecting their first baby- (a boy!) in December. To celebrate, they hosted a co-ed baby shower for their loved ones at Ninety Acres in Far Hills, New Jersey.

Their Natirar baby shower was a neutral lover’s dream with a vibe that’s modern, organic and sophisticated.

Creating an experience for your guests

Aileen and Philip wanted to create a unique and memorable experience for their guests- and I think its safe to say they succeeded!

I frequently get asked about luxury events I do by photographers and other wedding and event professionals looking to break into the luxury market. The two main questions I get are 1.) What classifies an event as “luxury” and 2.) How did you break into the luxury market.

There is one theme that I see consistently across the events that I do that make them luxurious and hint- its not the budget.

Creating an experience for your guests makes your event memorable and will keep your loved ones talking about it for years to come!

Aileen and Philip created an unforgettable experience for their guests by incorporating thoughtful details, a consistent theme and color scheme, and offering unique activities for adults and children. They took it one step further by including a personalized thank you, a photo opportunity where guests could commemorate the day, provided gifts for the guests, and finally, a fun surprise kept their guests delighted as they were leaving (read on for details!)

Tip for Event Professionals: Even if your current clients aren’t making it a priority to give their guests an experience to remember, YOU can give the guests AND your client an experience to remember. Let me know if you want to know more about how I do this because it is probably its own blog post!

The Setting

Choosing the perfect location sets the scene and vibe for the day. Natirar at Ninety Acres was a natural choice for this couple who love a neutral, organic feel. This upscale restaurant and event venue is known for its exceptional farm to table food and views of the beautiful landscape.

The Details : Natirar Baby Shower

Aileen had a clear vision of what she wanted the day to look light, even creating a clean and modern theme for the shower: “It’s all good baby baby” which was incorporated in many ways through the affair.

Styling the Details

Aileen brought in event designer, Joanna of Hazel Dust Studio to bring her clear vision to life. It was incredible to work with a designer on this event who not only designed incredible florals, but who also styled 3 different flat lays! Styling is a key part of highlighting the details during an upscale wedding or event. We often do this by creating a flatlay or styling board. When there is not a planner or designer for a wedding or event, those responsibilities often fall on the photographer. And while I do love styling, its also really nice to bring in the professionals!

Floral Installation Photos for Guests

Aileen knew she wanted to create a photo opportunity for guests using neutral colored dried leaves & florals, so Hazel Dust Studio designed an incredible floral installation around the beautiful Natirar fireplace in a room surrounded by floor to ceiling windows (a photographer’s dream room!) Before the guests arrived, we had take a few photos of the couple and of course beautiful maternity portraits of Aileen alone.

Dessert Table

Next up, let’s talk dessert tables. Dessert tables are another staple at Luxury Events. They are often too pretty to eat, and with cookies sourced from The Cookie Press, Sugar Suckle and La Bonbonniere bake shop this was no exception.

A Personalized Thank You

Guests were greeted with a personalized thank you right on their place setting.

Custom Seating Chart

Aileen, the mama to be, designed and created this beautiful custom seating chart! I am obsessed.

Activities for Adults & Kids

Next, guests got to exercise their creative muscles while they celebrated. Aileen set up a Design Your Own Onesie station. She also offered the opportunity to decorate shoes for the baby. Adults and kids loved getting in on the action to create cute clothes for baby H.

Activities for the kids

Kids were gifted their own activity packet. I love the label- Stuff to do while adults are being boring!

Gifts for Guests

Aileen truly thought of everything, right down to included beautifully wrapped gifts for guests who participated in games. Guests could guess the number of jelly beans in a jar or the baby’s due date. Other options included leaving well wishes for baby H, and donate a book to his collection.

Aileen beautifully packaged the gifts for her guests in a chic and branded way.