Hosting a Summer Camp Themed Baby Shower
I had the great pleasure of hosting a little baby shower get together for my best friend Kelsey last weekend and everything turned out super cute, if I do say so myself! :)
To celebrate their new baby’s arrival, I knew I wanted to do something a bit different than a normal baby shower theme and Kelsey and her husband Chris are both very outdoorsy and love to go hiking and camping, so I knew a summer camp themed shower would be the perfect fit for them.
Here are some photos of how everything turned out…enjoy!
SUMMER CAMP PARTY INVITATIONS
I designed the invitations myself using an Adobe Stock camping image that I found and edited in all the specific event details on Illustrator. Then I used Paperless Post to send out the email invitations. Paperless Post made the whole process super easy for collecting RSVPs and for sending out directions, notes, and reminders to all the guests at once. It was also free to use since I created my own invitation design and I had less than 50 guests, so I highly recommend this service for all your upcoming events.
SUMMER CAMP PARTY DECORATIONS
My number one priority for a themed party is making sure all the decor matches the theme, even down to the tiniest details. And this event was no different! I spent about a month searching different thrift stores for inexpensive camping themed items and I used all the items I collected as general decor pieces to style the centerpieces, welcome table, and dessert table.
Here are some of the ways I incorporated the summer camp theme through decor:
I thrifted items such as lanterns, plaid throw blankets, wooden tennis racquets, retro thermoses, and enamel camping mugs to mix into my decor
I used a simple & inexpensive kraft paper runner on the long tables and a plastic disposable gingham tablecloth on the craft table
I tried to keep a general color palette of greens, turquoises, pinks, and browns for a retro summer camp theme
I mixed in a bunch of natural elements like pinecones and acorns that I collected outside and I setup some of my Christmas trees & greenery to create the look of a forest
I rented picnic benches for some of my long dining tables to give a camp dining hall feel
I stained unfinished wood pieces from the craft store and used a Silhouette cutting machine for all my signage to give it a homemade rustic look
I used mason jars and tin cans for things like glassware, cutlery holders, marker holders, centerpieces, etc.
I laid out the event into different sections that were summer camp related — ex. The “dining hall” for eating, the “arts & crafts” area for a craft project, etc.
I created several DIY elements like the felt pennant flag drink stirrers, favor gift bags, and merit badge pins (*blog posts will be coming soon on how I created these!)
Each guest got their own bandana to wear for the event, or to use to collect merit badges during the various shower activities
If you’re interested in finding out specific links for products that I purchased for the event, keep an eye out for my next blog post!
SUMMER CAMP PARTY FOOD & DRINKS
Decor can make an event super cute, but let’s be honest…what the guests will really remember is the food!
For the shower I decided to go with catering tacos from one of our favorite LA restaurants, Homestate! Homestate made such an easy party catering option because their were several types of tacos available for all dietary needs, and there were lots of chips, salsa, guacamole, and queso for snacking!
I also cut up a watermelon (because what is a summer party without watermelon)
I served water, sparkling water, soda, and a few different types of juice boxes for that childhood summer camp nostalgia! The drinks were all setup in camping coolers on ice and I used an enamel style camping pot as an ice bucket
For desserts, I setup some metal shelves for a themed dessert display with cupcakes (with little tree toppers), “dirt & worm cups” (because what is better than this nostalgic chocolate pudding, Oreo crumble, and gummy worm concoction), and some “s’mores on a stick” (which were chocolate dipped marshmallows covered in graham cracker crumble)
There was a trail mix station for guests to snack on during the event or to take home with them in their favor bags. The trail mix station included pretzel sticks, goldfish, m&ms, cheerios, teddy grahams, mini marshmallows, reeses pieces, gummy bears, and popcorn
SUMMER CAMP PARTY GAMES & ACTIVITIES
To fit the theme of summer camp, I had a series of ‘door prize’ games and activities where guests could win a corresponding merit badge. And whoever won the most merit badges won a prize! These were the activities to win badges:
Writing Badge - There was a bulletin board where guests could write “letters from camp” which were just notes or advice & well wishes to the expecting couple (f they participated in this activity they got a badge)
Arts & Crafts Badge - There was a craft table where guests could tie dye a onesie or bib for the baby (if they participated in this activity they got a badge)
Drama Badge - We had a group game of charades — each guest wrote down 3 things that were summer camp or baby related and then the whole group was divided into two teams to act out the charades for their team to guess (all players from the winning team got a badge)
Dining Hall Badge - Every guest had a pennant flag drink stirrer in their glass at their seat that had a number on it. I rolled a dice and whoever had the rolled number got this badge
Archery Badge - There was a dart board setup in the room for our own makeshift “archery” activity. Guests had 5 chances to throw the darts and they recorded their best score. The person with the highest score throughout the event won this badge
Tech Badge - I created a paper game that I handed out while guests were eating, which was a phone scavenger hunt. There were a series of items that participants had to look through their phone for that were worth different points (ex. 5 points if your wallpaper is a pet photo, 10 points if you have this event saved to your digital calendar, etc.), and the winner with the most points got this badge
Wildlife Badge - There was a jar filled with gummy bears and everyone had to fill out a slip with their guess of how many bears were in the jar, the closest guess got the badge
Best Dressed Camper Badge - We had all the guests dress up in their best summer camp attire for the party and the parents-to-be were in charge of picking a winner of who had the best costume
Birthday Badge (Tie Breaker!) - In the event that there was a tie in the amount of badges that participants had collected, there was a tie breaker badge — whoever’s birthday was closest to the baby’s due date won this badge
For favors, guests were able to take home a bag of trail mix that they could put together themselves at the trail mix station, along with a friendship bracelet — because what is more summer camp than gifting a friendship bracelet?! Since we hosted the party at a movie theater venue, we also gave guests the opportunity to stay for a movie at the end if they wanted — we showed Moonrise Kingdom!
Overall, I’m so happy with how the baby shower turned out! If you’re thinking about hosting your own summer camp themed party, be sure to check out our Spotify playlist below to create the best summer camp party vibes!
Hope you all are spending lots of time celebrating friends and family this summer. Cheers! Xo Rachael
