I’m definitely one lucky gal because I’ve been blessed with TWO baby showers to celebrate the soon-to-be arrival of our little chicken nugget! A few awesome friends in Chicago are currently busy prepping for a shin dig they’re throwing for me this weekend and I can’t wait to see what they’ve concocted.
But while Joe and I were visiting my home town in PA over the holidays, my sister and mom conspired to throw me an intimate east coast baby shower at Harmony Tea Room in Westwood, NJ.
The place had a quaint, girly-eclectic feel to it and only added to the overall comfortable vibe and feel of the party. I think it was really relaxing this way and clean up at the end was a breeze!
I knew this shower would be on the smaller scale because I haven’t lived on the east coast in almost 10 years, so I didn’t invite a ton of people to begin with, but I still have some loyal girlfriends who were super excited to share in our joy in welcoming our baby boy.
What we all did not predict was that there would be a freak snowstorm out of nowhere on the morning of my shower. It even took our caravan over 2 hours to make the trek and visibility was difficult. All the while, I kept receiving texts and phone calls from sad and apologetic friends who said they would not be able to make it to the shower after all due to the harsh road conditions.
My friend Talena worked hard on the beautiful banner that was to be displayed at the tea room, and she was distraught when she realized she wouldn’t be able to make it to the party. Another friend called me while on the road saying that she had been driving for 20 minutes already, but it looked like she would have to turn around and go back home. All the guests who couldn’t make it were frazzled or in near tears, which made me feel bad that they felt so bad!
Of course I was sad at first that they wouldn’t be in the pictures and part of the memories, but at the end of the day, I just wanted everyone to stay safe so I assured them it was fine and that we could catch up some other time (which is what ended up happening anyways!)
So it ended up being a cute and cozy shower of 7 guests in addition to us. Joe was the co-guest of honor, as well as the photographer and videographer that day. And even though attending a tea party is quite girly, I think he still had fun!
It was my first high tea experience and I was kept in the dark with all the planning details. My sister recruited a couple friends to help decorate and prepare the party favors and everything came out so stylish. They paid attention to little details and I appreciate that. I think it helps that those in charge of the decor all have a fashion background!
Guests drove in from 3 different states, PA, NJ, and NY and I felt so honored and loved that day. Even though we all fit on one table, it ended up being really sweet and intimate this way. We all got to participate in the same conversation and friends who didn’t know one another got to really converse and feel bonded.
We had three different flavors of unlimited tea at the table and all of them were cradled in fabric covers to keep them warm. They were intense and really complex. I realized that there’s something really different about drinking tea from a tea house. My favorite was the Earl Grey which had an unexpected note of bright citrus added to it!
The first course consisted of a choice of either a seasonal soup or salad for each guest. Next came the traditional communal towers of finger foods which were a mix of sweet and savory. Everything was good, but I wish there were a few more selections of savory foods since that’s what I’m more into with this pregnancy.
We also got a choice of a flavored scone to compliment our tea and I loved that they served it with lemon curd, clotted cream, and jam. It all felt so British and fancy! Haha.
Our time at the tea house was limited, especially with a later start due to the snow, so we participated in one easy game of a timed baby cross word puzzle.
My preggo brain made me really slow with finding the words, so I really should’ve been second to last place, but somehow I still ended up getting a prize along with the first and second place winners! Haha… hey it’s my party so I guess the rules don’t apply to me!
I loved the shrunken diaper cake that our friend Grace assembled with Honest diapers and gold striped ribbon. The party planners purposely wanted to keep it small so we could take it back with us to Chicago in our luggage. I found the petit size to be perfect and it’s now proudly displayed in our nursery.
The party favors were little plates with either bicycle or patterned motifs, along with a polka dot paper cup of cookies and package of tea…how fitting! Love that the party was small enough for each guest to have their own monogrammed tag. It made the favor seem more personalized and special.
There was also a tower of cupcakes for guests to take home in baggies, just in case we didn’t already have our fill on the sweet pastries.
I loved how the decor of the party included different shades of blue, mixed patterns of stripes, chevron, polka dots, and touches of gold. That’s totally my aesthetic, and even though I didn’t communicate what I liked or preferred with my sister, she seems to know my tastes pretty well!
A big sincere thank you to wonderful family and friends who made this day so special and memorable. We have a vlog coming up from the footage we shot at this party which I will post after we celebrate our Chicago shower too.
It’s been a while since I’ve been the center of attention for anything… I think the last time was for our wedding, which was over eight years ago, so it was surprisingly nice to be spoiled, honored, and pampered that day.
I know Baby Yoon is already so well loved and that warms my heart. We can’t wait to meet him and this was the perfect little party to anticipate his entrance into the world!
