Who: Anne Bowen & Friends
Where: Her shop in Charlestown, South Carolina
How many guests: 22
What time of year: Summer 2010
Reason: Leigh and Bryan’s Baby Shower

With help from friends, Anne used her shop to create an intimate gathering for Leigh and their friends.

She used bold, primary colors, and I was especially drawn to the charming simplicity of the set-up.

White candles and white serving dishes, accented only with blue spirals, added poise and modernity.

Read on to find out more about Leigh’s baby shower.

Anne says:

At the beginning of summer, I had the task, along with some friends, of throwing a baby shower for my friend Leigh, who is a fabulous wedding photographer here in Charleston.

I knew it would be tricky, since a lot of the guests were event planners, caterers, photographers, and others in the business who get to see pretty interesting parties on a weekly basis. It would surely be a challenge and we got straight to work.

We knew the mom-to-be was having a boy, so we decided to go with a blue and red sort of theme.  I remembered a friend had some wonderful metal toy trucks, so we used those as a starting point for the table center.

The table cloth was bright red and we used some colorful exotic looking flowers to frame the food. In contrast to the vivid hues, we used plain white candles and white dishware. The plates had understated light blue spirals that matched the large bow we tied on the back of Leigh’s chair.

Honestly, I could not be happier about how this event turned out and I think even the professional guests were impressed. It was wonderful to have a chance to celebrate a dear friend who could not be a nicer person.  At 4:55 pm on August 5th, I realized all the effort was more than worth it. Leigh and Bryan welcomed their healthy 5 lb 14 oz baby boy, Seamus, into their family. I have to say they are already fabulous parents!

Photos by Jennifer Bearden Photography