Baby Shower Theme: Fairy-Tale Dreams

Familiar childhood characters will seem right at home at this shower. If the mama-to-be has a favorite fairy tale, use it as inspiration.

The Invite:“Once Upon a Time” is how this pretty invite begins, a perfect choice from Tiny Prints, for this fairy-tale shower.

The Decor: Purchase or make your own wishing well from either a sturdy laundry hamper or an oversized cardboard box. Decorate it with fairy tale-themed wrapping paper. Make a sign and instruct guests to place their wishing well gifts inside. Just don’t forget to alert guests to this on the invitation. Additional decor should be dreamy; use tulle to wrap the backs of chairs, fill the room with balloons, and cut out cloud shapes from soft white felt to hang around the room.

The Cake: Surprise the guest of honor with a cakeshaped and decorated to look like a castle. Cream puffs and fluffy white meringues would make lovely addition, resembling clouds surrounding the castle cake.

The Game: An easy game that will get all of the guests thinking back to their childhood is a “Fairy Tale Word Search.” Create handouts hiding popular names of princesses (Cinderella), villains (Big Bad Wolf), princes (Prince Phillip), and sidekicks (Puss in Boots). Another variation is to play a game of memory using photos of familiar characters. Use your computer to download and print images, then glue them onto index cards.

The Favor: Send your guests home with a little piece of a fairy tale. Fill up this sweet Enchanted Carriage treat box from Pink Frosting with candies such as personalized M&M’s.