First thing, send the invitations and make it clear that this baby shower will be ORANGE. A pretty thing to do is cut out invitation cards with the baby shower details on them and stick a length of grosgrain ribbon down one side of the card and hot-glue dried orange slices onto the ribbon. You could add a silly phrase like “Orange you glad about babies?” to the front.
Orange is obviously the color scheme here but you could add a complementary color to make it more interesting. Orange goes really well with its complementary color on the color wheel, blue. It also uplifts its partner in nature, green. And all hues of orange make a wonderland of colors, especially when mixed with gold.
Instead of using balloons, employ different sizes of Chinese paper
lanterns instead? Bunch them up together on the ceiling in groups
of five. Swag lengths of paper streamers along the ceiling in various
shades of orange.
A really pretty touch, if it's the season, is to dot miniature fruiting
orange trees around the party area. Swath them with fairy lights
to add a touch of sparkle. And change your light bulbs to yellow
to add a sunny glow.
Cover your tables with a light, nubbly linen tablecloth. At the center, set a cylindrical vase decorated with orange slices pushed to the sides of the glass and topped with an arrangement of gerberas and roses in different shades of orange. Use creamy plates for this baby shower and top the plates with a napkin folded into a diaper shape and finished with a decorative nappy pin and an orange bow.
Echo the mood at the buffet table with a linen tablecloth and a floral arrangement of gerberas, roses, and orange lilies with some gold and orange pinwheels mixed in. Elevate the arrangement above the platters of food by putting it on a crystal pedestal and ringing it around with miniature oranges. Around the platters, set tealights set in orange fruit votives. First, find the center of balance of the orange. Next, set the tealight on top and trace around it using a utility knife. Take away the tealight and cut into the orange and remove a bit of the fruit. Press in the tea light until it's about even with the orange's skin.
Orange-themed food is great at this orange baby shower but don't go overboard! Use different kinds of oranges or even citrus fruits to give you a variety of flavors. For starters, have a light watercress salad with orange segments, feta cheese cubes, and candied walnuts. Then, a tasty pasta dish made with angel hair and tossed with a dressing of lemon and orange juice, fruity olive oil, and Parmesan cheese. Garnished with orange zest and lemon basil leaves, it just screams summer. For a dessert, how about a citrus sponge cake drenched in orange and lemon syrup and covered with candied orange slices? And the perfect beverage is a mamatini of orange juice, mango nectar, and a swirl of grenadine in large martini glasses. Top it off with an orange twist to give it that cocktail appeal.
Of course, a cake is called for at this orange baby shower. To break from all that citrus, serve a dense chocolate cake with orange-scented whipped cream. Or ask the mommy-to-be what flavor she would like to have. She just might surprise you and answer orange!
Perfect favors would be gold organza bags filled with heavenly
rich orange body butter and a sugar scrub scented with oranges.