Parenting

The mums-to-be who had lavish baby showers like Meghan Markle – with flower walls, designer clothing and even personalised cocktails


EXPECTING your first child is a cause for celebration.

But while most will settle for some cake, balloons and a few party games in the living room, for others it is the ultimate excuse to throw an extravagant party.

 Meghan Markle's baby shower cost £330k

Getty – Contributor

Meghan Markle’s baby shower cost £330k

Last week, mum-to-be Meghan Markle jetted to New York for a lavish baby shower that included a candy-floss machine, thousands of roses and a harp player – all in one of New York’s priciest penthouse suites.

The total bill was £330,000. But it seems costly baby showers are not only for royalty.

From flower walls to balloon ceilings, JENNY FRANCIS and ISABEL DEIBE meet the women who say their big parties were worth every penny.

Jess and Keaton

 Lovebirds Jess and Keaton spent £6,284 on their baby shower

Jess Ranger

Lovebirds Jess and Keaton spent £6,284 on their baby shower

FULL-TIME mum Jess Ranger spent £6,284 on her baby shower. Former sales executive Jess, 24, lives in Bedford with her partner Keaton Washington, 24, a firefighter, and their son Taylor, now four months.

She spent 12 weeks putting together the lavish event, which included a white dress code, 500 helium balloons and a doughnut wall. Jess says:

When I found out I was pregnant in February last year, I was determined my baby shower wouldn’t be run-of-the-mill.

I wanted it to be memorable – different and extravagant. I invited 13 friends and decided on an all-white theme.

 Jess and Keaton had personalised invitations made that cost £40

Jess Ranger

Jess and Keaton had personalised invitations made that cost £40

There were specially designed white and silver invitations, costing £40, and I had place cards made in the same theme.

I didn’t want anyone coming in a different colour, as it would ruin the pictures.

One of my friends kept saying she only had black dresses – but they knew if they showed up in a different colour they wouldn’t be in the pictures.

For the venue, I chose the Treat Street Restaurant in Bedford, because it’s my favourite.

 No expense was spared as the party included hand-crafted desserts in the shape of a babygrow

Jess Ranger

No expense was spared as the party included hand-crafted desserts in the shape of a babygrow

I found a company that made massive balloon table runners and immediately booked it.

I stuck with the balloon theme and ordered 500 white and silver helium ones.

As for the meal, I chose starters of chicken wings and had a main course of chicken waffle burgers, vegan hot dogs and New York deli sandwiches.

But the dessert table was the main event. I paid for balloon arches and a balloon wall and had the table loaded with carrot cake, personalised cookies, cupcakes, popcorn, cake pops, chocolate strawberries and even a doughnut wall.

 All guests had to come dressed in white to match the theme

Jess Ranger

All guests had to come dressed in white to match the theme

I wanted it to be that everywhere guests looked there was a picture opportunity worthy of Instagram.

Also, I got clear B.A.B.Y. letters that were filled with balloons. They cost up to £600 to hire but I hadn’t seen anyone else have these before and they were beautiful.

I hired an inflatable photo booth and had a gender reveal at the party. Guests were given confetti cannons and fired out blue confetti to discover the baby was a boy.

I made personal gift boxes that were filled with make-up, personalised jewellery and thank-you gifts worth £80 each for guests to take home.

People expect more from a baby shower these days.

I believe in go big or go home, and I proved that a normal girl from Bedford can show a royal just how stylish a baby shower can be.

I’m inundated with requests from other mums-to-be for help with their baby shower.

Shower cost

Restaurant hire & meal: £400

500 balloons: £1,500

B.A.B.Y letters & balloons: £600

Videographer: £1,000

Confetti cannons: £70

Inflatable photo booth: £600

Easel hire: £200

Name cards: £40

Invitations: £40

Celebration cake: £65

Dress: £149

Gift boxes: £1,000

Professional make-up: £50

Balloon table runner: £200

Games: £40

Dessert table:

Cookies: £50

Doughnut wall: £80

Cupcakes: £50

Cake pops & chocolate strawberries: £50

Table decorations: £100

TOTAL: £6,284

Laura and Juan

 Juan and Laura's baby shower lasted ten hours
Juan and Laura’s baby shower lasted ten hours

LAURA GARCIA could not wait to celebrate her first pregnancy. Laura, 34, and partner Juan Perez, 30, who work in facilities management, had help planning the £4,305 bash from sister-in-law Lina-Maria Perez, 24.

The couple, from Islington, North London, say the ten-hour do was a great way to party before they are due to become parents next month. Laura says:

Having a baby is the last big event before parenthood starts – it had to be impressive.

We wanted it to be a party for everyone – men included – so we invited 50 people.

 The couple invited 50 people to their lavish party
The couple invited 50 people to their lavish party

My sister-in-law Lina-Maria helped me plan the whole thing.

We didn’t want the typical boring shower, so Lina started by choosing a theme.

It was centred on the colour pink and focused on stars and clouds.

We got most of our ideas from Pinterest because we wanted it to be beautiful.

 They even had a fancy bar to keep the guests entertained
They even had a fancy bar to keep the guests entertained

Good food was important, so we hired a chef to create elegant Mexican food. We had bespoke foil to wrap it in, with mine and the baby’s names on, and also ordered loads of Colombian canapés.

It’s not a party without a bar – but Lina went one step further with the ultimate cocktail table.

It was decorated in green foliage and fruits and the bar staff made each guest a different cocktail based on how they were feeling that day. Of course, decorations were important too. I had a huge flower wall and even a balloon ceiling, which looked amazing.

The desserts were a big part of it too. We had a large cake, cupcakes, macaroons, cookies and sweets. There were also lots of games for guests to play.

We handed out baby vests for people to decorate and gave out party bags that were full of beauty gifts – and baby bottles filled with sweets. The party didn’t stop 7 until 1am, it was epic.

Shower cost

Catered food: £1,050

Cake and dessert: £500

Colombian canapés: £350

Flower wall & balloons: £460

Furniture hire: £300

Party favours: £200

Alcohol: £1,200

Bar set-up: £120

Other decorations from Amazon: £100

Dress, Asos: £25

TOTAL: £4,305

Ella and Mark

 The couple is due to give birth any day now
The couple is due to give birth any day now

PARAMEDIC Ella Wilson, 33, from Wilmslow, Cheshire, was inspired by the Kardashians. She had help from mum Deborah Chipper, 54, a swimming teacher, and her sister Lauren Houldsworth, 27, an HR adviser.

Ella, who is due to give birth any day now, was joined at the £5,680 bash by her partner Mark Bowker, 47, who has a loans company. She says:

We don’t know if we are having a boy or a girl, so stuck to neutral creams and golds. I planned my outfit to be neutral to match.

In all, it took three months to plan. We knew we wanted a flower wall right from the start because they make the best pictures for social media.

 Ella and Mark had a flower wall for guests to take pictures in front of

Matthew Pover Limited.

Ella and Mark had a flower wall for guests to take pictures in front of

Lauren made it her mission to find the perfect cake. She came across a cake-maker on Instagram who made tiered Victoria sponges.

She made us a bespoke cake covered in edible gold and beautiful flowers.

My mum and sister visited loads of different venues to make sure it was perfect. They settled on Beauford House in Chelsea.

They also went on a candle-making course and created special candles for everyone, using my favourite perfume.

 Guests were even treated party favours including candles worth £400
Guests were even treated party favours including candles worth £400

Shower cost

Cake: £300

Flowers, flower wall & decorations: £1,000

Food & champagne: £1,200

Favours (popcorn, candles, sweets): £400

Table stationery: £200

Venue: £250

Louis Vuitton bag: £1,590

Midi dress, Oh Polly: £40

Boohoo Wrap: £30

Valentino heels: £670

TOTAL: £5,680

When I arrived on the day, I wanted to cry – it was everything I dreamed of. Not only was it beautiful, it was bigger and better than anything else I’d seen. We had mini-sandwiches, cakes and champagne.

The tables had specially designed stationery with people’s names, gold butterflies, glitter, gold rose petals, napkins, napkin holders, pens and gold and white paper for games.

Mark bought me shoes and a bag to make sure I felt really glam for the big day.

By the end, I was exhausted – partly from the excitement, partly from posing for pictures.

Meghan Markle has ‘angered’ Prince William by spending thousands and acting like a ‘celebrity diva’





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