Real Families // Drag Pop Art Baby Shower
/One of my favorite parts of working in the event world is that I get to befriend so many amazing and talented people. The mom-to-be for this baby shower is one of my most treasured "industry" friends, Gina Riano-Brault of Gina Paola Design. Although I handled a lot of the decor, putting together Gina's baby shower was a true collaboration with my co-planners Leah Weinberg of Color Pop Events and Kate Schaefer of H&H Weddings.
We chose Pop Art as the inspiration for Gina's shower — first, because she's a talented artist and illustrator. But secondly, it gave us the chance to be extra playful with color, bold patterns, and scale. I looked toward artists like Roy Lichtenstein, Andy Warhol, and Claus Oldenburg for inspiration, and I loved the idea of incorporating nods to each in the overall design.
Color was obviously our biggest theme with every piece of decor in a different shade of a primary color. Dots and circles also became a big theme, serving as a repeating pattern on the party favors, cake, and of course the macaroon desserts. Plus we used honeycombs and balloons to decorate the tablescapes and food tables. One of my favorite decor details of the party were the black and white oversized photo booth props in shapes like ice cream cones, pretzels, and donuts. Everyone had a great time posing with them in front of the colorful heart backdrop.
I also can't talk about this shower without mentioning the entertainment! We wanted to do something as colorful and unique as the decor for Gina, so we hired the amazing drag queen Lauren Ordair to perform baby-themed songs for the party. It was so much more fun than playing another silly baby game. And it was so awesome to see Gina's surprise when she came in singing in that fantastic pink dress!
Words and Design by Michelle Bablo
Vendors
Photographer: Jonica Moore Studio / Venue: Sky Gallery / Planning: Leah Weinberg of Color Pop Events & Kate Schaefer of H&H Weddings / Planning & Decor: Michelle Bablo / Invites, pillow, notepads, napkins & thank you notes: Tiny Prints / Rentals: Starling on Bond / Drag Queen: Lauren Ordair / Food: Court Street Grocers / Macarons: Swallow My Words / Cake: Nine Cakes
Michelle Bablo is the Founder & Creative Director of Hell Yes Design Studio, a boutique Event & Experiential Design company based in Greenpoint, Brooklyn. Over the past eight years Michelle has designed imaginative and one-of-a-kind events for global brands like Google, YouTube, Etsy, and Zagat. As well as colorful weddings, birthday parties, and baby showers. As an artist and maker, Michelle loves to bring people together with the objects, installations, and experiences she creates.
