How to throw a stunning Positano or Amalfi Coast inspired bridal or baby shower
No, you don't have to hire an expensive party planner to throw a beautiful shower! This Positano theme works for either a bridal or baby shower, for a baby boy or girl. With lemons galore and pops of blue and white to mimic Italian tiles, this chic Italian theme is perfect for a spring or summer shower. I'll share my party planning list, my checklist for purchased and/or rented items, and explain how I printed my own signs, labels and invitations. So here's how you can plan your own Positano or Amalfi Coast themed bridal or baby shower:
First, I started with invitations. I found some lemon themed invites on Minted.com, which I think are meant for either a wedding or a bridal shower but they worked fine for a baby shower. Just a simple yellow and green lemon invite, which would work for a gender neutral party.
Next, I started a Pinterest board and began gathering photos for inspiration. You can view my Pinterest board HERE. I decided I wanted a lot of yellow (mostly found in the flowers and lemons galore), then added pops of royal blue and white, with tile-like prints.
Then I mapped out an inventory of all the party related items I already owned, in order to figure out what I would need to purchase and/or rent for the day. Here is a list of items I already had:
Green and yellow serving dishes
Champagne glasses
Lemon napkin rings (8)
White flower vases
Lemonade jar
Water pitchers
Galvanized tins for iced beverages
Gold charger plates (19, semi-assorted)
Here is a list of items I purchased:
White table linens
Blue white table linen overlay
Blue white napkins
More lemon napkin rings
Mason jars for pens on table (5)
Pens for table
Hurricane vases (for lemons)
Gold chargers (Needed about 10 more)
Favors: sugar cookies (these came per-packaged individually, in cellophane and ribbon)
Print signs from Vistaprint.com
Skewer sticks to add lemons to floral arrangements and for food items
Flowers purchased at Trader Joe’s and the local farmer’s market the day before
Here is a list of items that I ordered/rented:
Rent Tables (4 60” rounds and three rectangular tables from Party Pleasers in Camarillo)
Rent Chairs (30) - Party Pleasers
Rent Plates and silverware? (30) - Party Pleasers
Blue chalice glasses (30) - Party Pleasers
White ornamental plates (30) - Party Pleasers
Gold silverware (30 sets of salad forks, dinner forks, knives and spoons) - Party Pleasers
Order cupcakes/cake - Both from Camarillo Cupcake: a small 8” round cake plus 3 dozen cupcakes
Order sugar cookies - Stacy’s Sugar Shop in San Diego
Pick up donuts from Rolling Pin
Balloon arch of blue, white and yellow balloons - by Gloria Maltun - balloonartist805.com
For the food, we opted for Covid-friendly "grab and go" type brunch foods. Since this shower was in April right after California started to open up again, we wanted to limit any tong sharing. So we put things like salad, fruit parfaits, and pre-assembled antipasto finger foods in individual plastic cups.
Here is a list of the food items we prepared:
Mini avocado toasts with micro greens and watermelon radish
Individual veggie cups with hummus, heirloom carrots, bell peppers, celery and radishes
Donut holes on skewers
Cheese & charcuterie/antipasto cups
Caprese skewers in cups
Salad cups
Fruit parfaits
Pastries
Donuts from Rolling Pin Donuts in Camarillo
For the food and drink tables, I purchased a gold cake and cupcake stand for the desserts,
I used these small display stands to hold the signs I printed at Vistaprint.com. Though these are something you can easily purchase on Etsy, I designed signs in Adobe Illustrator and then printed them online. I printed a Mimosa Bar sign, one for cards and gifts, a sign directing guests to the backyard, and a larger sign welcoming people at the door. I also put lemons in bowls and hurricane vases to add to the decor.
For the tables, I used a simple white round for the guest tables and a white rectangular table cloth with a blue and white printed overlay for the food and drink tables. I also purchased matching linen napkins to add pops of blue to the tables. I rented gold silverware, white dinner plates, and blue chalices from a local party rental company. I used lemon napkin rings around the napkins and gold charging plates for underneath the plates. Then we placed yellow flower arrangements in the middle, with a navy blue doily underneath. We printed baby shower game cards to place on each plate, then put the napkin ring on top, and added a sugar cookie favor next to it.
The name cards you see in the photo above were also designed in Adobe Illustrator and printed on heavy card stock. Again, if you're not super computer savvy, you can custom order things like this on Etsy.
For the drink table, we put the "Mimosa Bar" sign next to wine and champagne glasses, with large galvanized tin buckets to hold ice, wine and champagne. I had cheap champagne glasses from Ikea left over from my wedding, and then I purchased some additional wine glasses from Amazon. We put iced tea in a large dispenser, used small carafes for assorted juices to put in mimosas and lined up San Pellegrino Limonata sparkling beverages in front of ice buckets to keep with the Italian theme.
And that's it! Let me know what you think. Comment on social or email me at info@travelisthecure.com
Pin this photo on Pinterest to refer back to it at a later date!
Questions? Comments? I'd love to hear your thoughts or answer any questions. Email me directly at info@travelisthecure.com
If you enjoyed this post, I would really appreciate a social share, or a follow on Instagram and Facebook.
For more destination guides, browse a list of Destinations A to Z. Head over to my Tips page for everything from packing guides to travel products and camera gear. To shop the items I love most when I travel, shop my Amazon Storefront.
