Favorite Cake Flavors for Baby and Bridal Showers

A cake is an excellent treat at any party, especially baby showers and bridal showers. Asides from making a great centerpiece for your snack table, cakes are a delicious treat that everyone will enjoy. Here are some of the most popular flavors for cakes:

1) Cheesecake - Cheesecake has always been a top cake flavor for exquisite occasions. Like other cakes, they can also be decorated with custom lettering specific for your special occasion.
2) Funnel Cake - Funnel cake is another great party cake. It is not so big, so it does not usually serve as a centerpiece. Nevertheless, it is not difficult to make and can be a nice treat for your guests.
3) Chocolate Cake - Chocolate has always been a popular flavor, particularly among women, so it is no surprise that chocolate cake is one of our top ten shower cakes.
4) Ice Cream Cake - Ice cream cakes are a delicious treat, combining two party favorites - ice cream and cake. These cakes are also decorated to suit your occasion. Although such cakes are challenging to make at home, they can be purchased from your local bakery.
5) Pound Cake - Another common cake that often makes its way into baby and bridal shower celebrations is the pound cake. These cakes are often sliced into less filling segments than other cakes and are a nice complement to other snacks.
6) Carrot Cake - Carrot cake is another cake that is commonly available at celebrations and usually contains sweet decorative icing.
7) Red Velvet Cake - This layered cake is a popular southern cake and contains both vanilla and cocoa.
8) Strawberry Cake - Strawberry cake is another favorite, especially at parties where there are kids. Fresh strawberry toppings can make these cakes even more tempting.
9) Pineapple Upside-down Cake - Another sweet treat is the pineapple upside-down cake. Although this cake is rarely the centerpiece, it is often a popular choice on the snack table.
10) Dirt Cake - Dirt cakes look like dirt, but taste like cake. These cakes have many creative possibilities. As an example, for a baby shower, the dirt cake can be placed in a flowerpot shaped container and then baby feet lollipops can be planted in the dirt to make an eye-catching decoration.
There are other cakes, like banana cake, and many more. Cakes are a fine food idea for any party and will be greatly appreciated by your guests.
About the Author - Criss White is a professional web writer on baby and new mother topics for baby and pregnancy websites. For more related articles, go to Baby Shower Cakes (http://www.101babyshowerideas.com/bscakes.htm) and Baby Shower Food (http://www.101babyshowerideas.com/bsfood.htm). Note: If you find this article useful, you may reprint it on your website, e-zine, or in your newsletter as long as the credits above remain in tact and the hyperlinks stay active.

Definitely Not Just Your Run-of-the-Mill Baby Shower Venues

Baby showers are a charming custom that dates back hundreds of years ago, from Ancient Egyptian and Roman rituals, all the way to the more familiar Victorian and 20th century gatherings. While that first baby shower was most likely a simple, if ritualistic, affair, it soon became an excuse for a celebration. While parties at home and at restaurants are already the norm, why not take a look at more unusual and interesting baby shower venues?
First thing when planning a baby shower is to take the needs of the star of the show into consideration. The pregnant mom does need to have a place to rest, a bathroom nearby, and a quick way in and out for emergency cases. Everything else falls into place after all this is factored in.
A great place to hold a baby shower is outdoors. If budget is an issue, a park with a beautiful view would be an inspired choice among baby shower venues. If you can imagine a picnic table set under shady trees, decorated with citronella candles set in glass jars to keep the insects away, there is no more relaxing place to be. What's best about this is the only things you need to bring in are food and a few décor items. The benches, tables, and everything else are in place and there's always a great playground for the kids to play in. If it's a sultry day, a nice giveaway would be paper or fabric fans in the theme colors of the party. If you can find those handy little battery-powered electric fans, that would be terrific.
If there's an organic farm nearby, it would be a very offbeat choice of baby shower venues. If the management has restaurant services on the premises, that would solve the problem of what to have for refreshments – without the mom worrying about whether the food is OK for the baby or not. These farms normally have rest areas or gazebos that can be easily set up for small gatherings, with pretty views all around, to boot.
Spas are terrific baby shower venues. Expectant moms would definitely jump at the chance to be pampered and spoiled, if only just for a few hours. A private room for groups can be reserved for a foot spa and a facial, with maybe herbal tea and some pastries served for refreshments afterward. This is one party that has no need for any sort of games since its entertainment is already built into the party itself.
But what if the baby is due in the middle of winter? If an overnight getaway can be arranged, a stay at a cozy bed and breakfast would be wonderful. These baby shower venues are extremely luxurious and can actually be a gift in itself. After all, what's nicer than spending a couple of days with close friends who are all focused on welcoming a baby into the world?
These are just a few of the unusual places to hold a baby shower. And there are definitely more; if you take a good look around you, you would definitely find a couple of unique places to use as baby shower venues.

Courtesy of http://www.101babyshowerideas.com/

INVITATION ETIQUETTE!!

 

What kind of invitations should I use?

You can send traditional invitations through the mail or e-mail invitations.

In addition to including the basic who, what, where, when, and RSVP instructions on the invitation, it never hurts to spell out the theme of the shower. If the expectant parents are registered anywhere for baby gear, it's fine to mention that, too. Or you can offer registry information when guests RSVP.

When should I send the invitations?

Plan to send invitations out early enough to give the guests at least a few weeks' notice: This allows them enough time to work the shower into their schedules and shop for the perfect gift.

What should we do at the baby shower?

There are a bunch of things to consider:

• You may want to select a theme to tie everything together. It's certainly not necessary, but it can help you make decisions about the various elements of the party and it's often fun for guests.
• You'll probably want to serve some type of food and refreshment, depending on time of day, budget, and how fancy versus informal you want the shower to be.
• Baby showers usually aren't complete without some fun or silly games. If you'd rather skip the competition, there are plenty of other kinds of festive activities to keep guests entertained.
• It's common to provide favors to everyone who attends the baby shower, or you can just offer prizes to the guests who win games.
• Aside from socializing and honoring the mom-to-be, the main event at a baby shower is often the opening of gifts. If any of the invitees need help figuring out what to bring, you can have them check our list of top baby shower gifts and our roundup of readers' favorite baby shower gifts.

Baby Shower Food

Choosing the right baby shower food is an important task for your baby shower. Here are some guidelines on selecting the right food for your shower:

1. Know Your Guests - Make note of who is coming to your shower event. Are there any people with special food needs, like vegetarians? Are there people who are allergic to nuts or dairy products? Is it mostly adults or will there be many children attending? These are just a few of the questions you should be asking yourself before you plan your menu.

2. When is your shower? - If you shower occurs during standard lunch or dinner times, then you will want to provide meals for your guests instead of just appetizers. If you want to avoid providing a full meal, then you can throw your shower in the afternoon.

3. Theme - What is the theme of your shower? To enhance the experience, you can provide food that relates to your baby shower theme. For example, if your theme is "A star is born", you can have star-shaped cookies and a star-shaped cake.

4. Other ideas - A great way to take the hassle out of planning the menu for the baby shower is to make it a potluck party. Have everyone bring their own dish and you can provide a dish of your own as well. This approach usually results in a wide variety of different foods.

 

 

Who should be invited to the baby shower?

If you're hosting the shower, you may have some ideas about the guest list. It's best to consult with the guest or guests of honor before finalizing your list, though, to avoid leaving out someone important or inviting someone the mom (or dad) would rather not include.

What about hosting a shower for the expectant mom and dad? Although many baby showers still follow the "for women only" tradition, baby showers for both women and men are growing in popularity. It all depends on what sort of gathering you're planning.

If the shower is for a second or subsequent baby (these babies deserve a celebration, too!), the guest list is usually made up of close friends and family and anyone who was, for whatever reason, not invited to the first shower.

Another party-planning consideration: Think long and hard before choosing to throw a surprise party. If your guest of honor doesn't like surprises, you may be putting her in an awkward position. Besides, if you let the future parents in on the arrangements, you can be confident that they'll be pleased with the outcome.

Who should throw the baby shower?

Anyone except the expectant couple — though Miss Manners might disagree. Formal etiquette says that someone who's not a relative must throw the shower to avoid having it look as though the family is asking for presents.

When should the baby shower be held?

Most baby showers happen before the baby is born. Any time after conception is fine, but a shower makes for a welcome diversion toward the end of pregnancy. Besides, it just doesn't seem real if the expectant mom isn't sporting a big belly.

When setting a date for the party, consult with the parents-to-be first. They may be able to warn you about scheduling conflicts. You may have to accommodate the schedules of grandparents, for example, even if they aren't the guests of honor. Nothing is worse than planning a party and sending out invitations (see below), only to find out that the most important people can't make it.

If you decide to schedule a shower for after the baby is born, that's fine, too. Then guests can bring gifts specific to the baby's sex. And with a baby as the centerpiece, you'll have a surefire icebreaker and conversation topic.

Who should be invited to the baby shower?

If you're hosting the shower, you may have some ideas about the guest list. It's best to consult with the guest or guests of honor before finalizing your list, though, to avoid leaving out someone important or inviting someone the mom (or dad) would rather not include.

What about hosting a shower for the expectant mom and dad? Although many baby showers still follow the "for women only" tradition, baby showers for both women and men are growing in popularity. It all depends on what sort of gathering you're planning.

If the shower is for a second or subsequent baby (these babies deserve a celebration, too!), the guest list is usually made up of close friends and family and anyone who was, for whatever reason, not invited to the first shower.

Another party-planning consideration: Think long and hard before choosing to throw a surprise party. If your guest of honor doesn't like surprises, you may be putting her in an awkward position. Besides, if you let the future parents in on the arrangements, you can be confident that they'll be pleased with the outcome.

Courtesy of, http://www.babycenter.com/

Teen Parties! Hot ! Posh! and Memorable!!!

Alice in Wonderland Parties are all the Rage!

Here are some fabulous party ideas for a one of a kind Fairy Tale Event! If you can Dream it, we can Make that Wish come True.

Invitations set the tone for any event. There are many styles and color themes to enhance and prepare your guests for an event they will not soon forget!

Topsy Turvy Teapot Centerpiece is an amazing conversation starter.

RED, BLACK AND WHITE THEMED ALICE IN WONDERLAND PARTIES ARE A FAVE AMONGST YOUNG ADULTS AND TEENS.

Send your guests home with treats fit for a Queen!
Invite a whimsical guests such as The Mad Hatter,to your party. Your guests will be delited with the antics, costumes, and theatrical presence of the characters. Once again, making your party an experience they soon wont forget!

Cakes make wonderful centerpieces. Like this beautiful whimsical Topsy Turvy cake.

The Tea Party itself is the best part of any Alice in Wonderland event. Think outside the box, use your imagination and create a table setting that would make the Queen of Hearts envy.

Cheshire Cat Cup Cakes, these cute delicious chocolate delites are hit at any Whimsical Wonderland Soiree. Get fancy and create cupcakes of all or a few of your favorite Alice in Wonderland characters.